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Liked It “In the fall I read Dennis Lehane's new book The Given Day. It was great so I decided to back up and read all of his books, or all of them until I stop liking them. I had seen the movie version of Gone, Baby, Gone and thought it was good - but focused more on the acting and directing. |
Didn’t Like It “it was a fast uncomplicated read. not one of my favorites though.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“In the fall I read Dennis Lehane's new book The Given Day. It was great so I decided to back up and read all of his books, or all of them until I stop liking them. I had seen the movie version of Gone, Baby, Gone and thought it was good - but focused more on the acting and directing.
Meg wrote this review Sunday, October 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
I stopped to look up Lehane's books so I could read them in order and discovered how many books there are about Patrick and Angie, the two main characters in Gone.
I just finished A Drink Before the War, which was really good. It feel like a grittier version of the detective novels along the lines of Robert B. Parker - different neighborhoods, different mentality but there was something similar there that I can't put my finger on.
The toughest thing in some ways was reading about characters whose automatic outlook is so racist it makes me flinch. But I know that Lehane knows the world he is writing about. I just hate that it isn't only the characters you aren't supposed to like who have these attitudes, the bad guys as it were. It is also friends of the main characters. And the trick Lehane pulls off, so far, is that he makes characters redeemable and even likable even while you are flinching away from their language and bigotry. There is one character who helps Patrick and Angie, and is critical for the "showdowns" in the storyline. He is a thug - no question about it. This is not Hawk, who is scary but sophisticated, educated and even gentlemanly all while being deadly and threatening when he wants to be. This man is a thug - scary, violent, bigoted...I don't even know what other words to use. But the thing is, he has Patrick and Angie's backs like you wouldn't believe. Loyalty is one of the strongest aspects of his character that you walk away with. There is a very interesting dichotomy there - redeemable v. irredeemable.
I am only one book into the series - Gone, Baby, Gone is still a few books away - and I already know that the relationships in the series, especially Patrick and Angie, are evolving much more differently than they are perceived in the movie. In a way that will make the book more in-depth, I believe.
Looking forward to it but am determined to go in order.”
“I usually read strictly for entertainment and this is not a book a normally would have chosen for the subject but I am ever so glad I did. This was my first Lehane and after reading this book I wish I had read it when the author was first recommended to me a couple of years back. Lehane certainly has a way with words and knows how to tell a story. The plot and characters are well-developed and there is a flow to his tale that makes it hard to put the book down.”
Sabine M wrote this review Wednesday, August 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“it was a fast uncomplicated read. not one of my favorites though.”
Maggie G wrote this review Friday, July 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“loved this book-typical lehane. great story and characters. very good pace.”
stephanie w wrote this review Saturday, June 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This story, like many other Lehane stories grabs you from the moment you start reading and shakes you to the core until the end. They are always powerfu, sad and so much drama. I always like the way he tells the story. My heart ached for many people in this book, but I also got vindication as well.
The Girls wrote this review Wednesday, April 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
To drink in the full review go to http://thegirlsonbooks.com”
“After seeing Gone Baby Gone I wanted to check out this author and read more about this detective duo. Very gritty and engrossing. I will be sure to pick up another in this series.”
glitterfriday wrote this review Saturday, April 11 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ This book is worth searching out, especially if you like the later works by Dennis Lehane (MYSTIC RIVER, SHUTTER ISLAND).
Mike C wrote this review Sunday, March 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This is one of several earlier novels by Lehane iin the detective-crime genre featuring a detective duo (male/female) in Boston. Very gritty stuff with well-developed characters with plenty of issues and conflicts in their personal lives.
Patrick Kenzie has to deal with a rough childhood that continues to haunt his sleep - - growing up with an abusive father who was a heroic fireman in his public life but a mean-spirited obsessive-compulsive in his family life. He often took it out on his son, who bears some scars. Angelo Gennaro married her out-of=work jealous husband that turned int a wife-beater.
The two detectives get hired by some fat-cat local politicos to recover some important documents removed from an office by a now-missing persons cleaning woman. They get involved in a gang war among a drug-dealing father and son and soon learn that the documents are not only related to this conflict but they also implicate a politician in a compromising situation. Dynamite stuff, and no holds barred.”
“Dennis Lehane's "A Drink Before the War" is nothing short of fantastic. Not only is Mr. Lehane an excellent writer, but also an excellent storyteller. His descriptions of both Boston and the struggles of those who live within are so accurate that the reader feels that he or she is actually a witness in the story.
J.R. Reardon wrote this review Monday, February 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This is the first Dennis Lehane book that I have had the pleasure of reading, and I look forward to reading many more.
J.R. Reardon
author, "Confidential Communications"”
“My hero ...”
Tony C wrote this review Friday, July 25 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The book that started the great Kenzie/Gennaro series. Like with most of the books the crime seems to start relatively small and spirals. It finishes with decision Patrick makes that he struggles with from here on (as only a true Irish Catholic can) which is similar to how he deals with his decision in the superior Gone Baby Gone. The dialog is spot on inner city Boston as is the attitude and sense of humor Patrick, Angie and their cohorts. You don't have to be a Bostonian to get the feel for Southie, Dorchester and the like as described by Lehane through Patrick. I can't recommend enough. He really does need to bring these 2 back”
Rich O wrote this review Friday, June 27 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
