book data
106 ratings, 3.29 average rating, 31 reviews
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published
March 11th 2008
by Scribner
binding
Hardcover, 352 pages
setting
The United States
isbn
0743293991
(isbn13: 9780743293990)
description
From three-time New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice -- whose novels have been called "bold and ambitious" by The New York Times,...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 197)
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Katrina
I thought this was Chris Rice's best book to date. It's quite a change from his others, but it captivated me just the same. Must have been the metaphor-rich prose that reminds me a lot of his mother's writing.
John Houck is a very intriguing protagonist & his growth over the course of the book really touched me, no more so than in the last few pages. Makes me hopeful, even if it is fiction.
John Houck is a very intriguing protagonist & his growth over the course of the book really touched me, no more so than in the last few pages. Makes me hopeful, even if it is fiction.
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I've loved all of his books. I put down everything else I was reading when I got the Advanced Reader Copy so I could spend time with his characters again. It was definitely worth the wait because this book is as good as his others, though I am still partial to Density of Souls and Snow Garden.
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Read in October, 2008
I've read all of Christopher Rice's novels and this one is by far the worst. While most of his books typically have a good plotline (with flat-footed writing), this book had both flat-footed writing AND an unbelieveable and overwrought plot line.
So, basically, these are the elements of the story: gay Marines, straight Marines, a suicide, a missing eye, a murder, flashbacks, more flashbacks, an AA encampment owned by a former domestic abuser, mistaken identity, a severed hand, and LOTS and L...more
So, basically, these are the elements of the story: gay Marines, straight Marines, a suicide, a missing eye, a murder, flashbacks, more flashbacks, an AA encampment owned by a former domestic abuser, mistaken identity, a severed hand, and LOTS and L...more
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Kevin by:
BnNrecommends it for: Brandon
In true Christopher Rice fashion, it's started out kind of slow but it sure pick up the pace about half way through. The story is about two soldiers home from Irag, one gay one straight, who has a hard time dealing with his captain because he feels it was his fault that he was injured during a routine tour of Iraq. He finally decides to find the captain and tell him that he's sorry for missing the pipe bomber but when he arrives at his home finds that there has been a murder committed. The obv...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
A true Chris Rice fan
I did not dislike this book as much as I was expecting to. After Light of Day, I was worried Christopher Rice had lost what I came to love and adore from Density of Souls and Snow Garden.
This one was not exactly my cup of tea. If it were another author, I might have given up early on. But I made it through, and I don't hate myself for reading it.
It's nowhere near as heavy handed as LoD was. It's written from the perspective of a straight Marine, which is really really unexpected after t...more
This one was not exactly my cup of tea. If it were another author, I might have given up early on. But I made it through, and I don't hate myself for reading it.
It's nowhere near as heavy handed as LoD was. It's written from the perspective of a straight Marine, which is really really unexpected after t...more
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Read in March, 2008
This was the first book we read for a gay men's book club in KC. I thought it was okay, but there were a lot of jumps one had to make to accept the way the characters reacted to the circumstances.
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Read in May, 2008
OK, this guy is Anne Rice's son, and gay. So I wanted to see if he can write or just was glomming onto mamma's fame. Turns out he can, indeed, write. I read this one twice (I was traveling and had plenty of time)- first to see if it was just a knock off of Anne Rice, then second to be more critical. He has his own style and considerable talent, I give him that. The story was engaging, and I came to be really invovled with the main character. Aside from some literary gimmicks (Listen tome, soundi...more
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I have enjoyed Rice's other novels but I had a hard time withe this one.
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Read in December, 2008
I felt somewhat let-down by this book. I just didn't relate to the protagonist's motivations or methods. Easy to read, OK, but nothing that will reside permanently on my shelf. I liked very much the way it ended though.
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Read in May, 2008
Sometimes reader loyalty isn't necessarily a good thing. I will remain a reader of his books because the first two were so good. This one, unfortunately, was not. I still don't really know what the hell was going on through most of it. There were moral lessons about loyalty and family and pride and gayness and I don't know. Too many characters spinning through their own mini dramas and their main collision with each other was chaotic, confusing and rather boring.
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Read in September, 2008
recommended to Paul by:
IOBC
A few holes in the plot, but overall a breezy summer read. This is a thriller that doubles as a journey of self-discovery for a heroic marine who discovers that the captain who saved his life in Iraq was gay. After returning home from the war, he discovers the body of his captain who has just been brutally murdered. Now, he must confront his own feelings while bringing the murderer (who is revealed in the first quarter of the book) to justice. Grade: B
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Read in August, 2008
I really like CRice's other books but this one fell flat for me. I didn't ever like any of the characters and the plotline was a mishmash of murder mystery and touchy feely emotional introspection. He is a very talented writer and has proved that he can pull together a story in Density of Souls and Snow Garden, but Blind Fall truly was just that, a stumble. I wish him the best of luck on his next novel and look forward to following his work in the future.
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Read in May, 2008
Ugh! I've read Christopher Rice's novels from the beginning, and I have found them becoming stronger and stronger as he matures and gains more experience. However, this novel sort of took a step back for me. It was a suspenseful story and interesting and relevant subject matter, but I felt like the twists were predictable and the writing...well, not his best. I expected his novel to yet again take a step forward, but this one just sort of halted for me.
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Read in March, 2008
I was surprised by how much I liked this book. Couldn't put it down. Homophobic ex-Marinve Iraqi War vet finds he has to pair up with the lover of one of his Marine brothers. I found the characters to be layered and interesting. The writing compelling. I looked forward to each sitting with the book, and found the ending to be quite satisfying. All-in-all, a surprisingly good yarn!
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Read in February, 2008
One of the perks of working in a bookstore is advance reader copies (ARC). I've been wanting to read a Christopher Rice novel for several years, so when the ARC for Blind Fall came in it caught my eye. The Marine theme was an added plus--as someone who served in the Marines, I'm always attracted to novels that feature Marines. I really enjoyed this novel and its message(s).
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Christopher is Anne's son. His first book, 'Density of Souls' is one of my favorite's - I've read it four times over the years and passed it out to many folk - it's such a fun read. His books since have been only o.k., although I liked his third one better than his second one. We'll see if he can keep me glued with his fourth/newest one.
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Read in September, 2008
I found Blind Fall to be a good story full of suspense and twists and interesting phrarses scattered amidst. Again, I enjoy Rice's works because of appearance of at least one gay character. This time it wasn't the main, but definately the lead secondary character. It was almost like reading a gay Lifetime movie script.
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Read in May, 2008
I'm moving this to my "Read" shelf, even though that is only a half-truth. I'm disappointed enough in this book to quit reading it now, 200 pages in. I stalled out a few weeks ago, renewed it from the library, and even paid a 10 cent fine for having it overdue for a day! I want my dime back.
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Read in March, 2008
I loved A Density of Souls, but have been disappointed by Christopher Rice's other books. Blind Fall was touted as a new direction for him, but to me it was just the same old stuff. His first book set an extremely high bar that he just hasn't met in follow-ups -- at least for me.
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Read in August, 2008
It's not that it was overly complicated, but there was a LOT going on and not enough character development to match.
I don't know... it wasn't bad, but it wasn't really great either. A solid "ok" since I stopped reading for a few months even though all it needed was another hour, not even.
I don't know... it wasn't bad, but it wasn't really great either. A solid "ok" since I stopped reading for a few months even though all it needed was another hour, not even.
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