Mystic River
by Dennis Lehane
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Read in December, 2007
Lehane's Pacing and Writing Style are, to use a cliched expression - amazing. He brings the book to life with his style of writing , describing the sights, smells, and sounds in such a way , that I want to run up to Boston and see if it really is the way he describes it.
As far as the plot is concerned , I'm sure if you're reading this review, you have some idea based off watching the movie or hearing about the book. The central idea is how a chance event that happened one Sunny Saturday afte...more
As far as the plot is concerned , I'm sure if you're reading this review, you have some idea based off watching the movie or hearing about the book. The central idea is how a chance event that happened one Sunny Saturday afte...more
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Read in June, 2001
Dennis Lehane, Mystic River (Morrow, 2000)
Lehane is still an "under the radar" writer, to an extent, but his reputation grows with each novel. Mystic River, his fifth, should help his rep along just fine.
It's the story of three kids, later grown-ups. Ostensibly it's about the abduction of one of them and how the effects of that abduction have repercussions later on in their lives. But as with all the best mystery novels (and it's really something of a stretch to classify this as a ...more
Lehane is still an "under the radar" writer, to an extent, but his reputation grows with each novel. Mystic River, his fifth, should help his rep along just fine.
It's the story of three kids, later grown-ups. Ostensibly it's about the abduction of one of them and how the effects of that abduction have repercussions later on in their lives. But as with all the best mystery novels (and it's really something of a stretch to classify this as a ...more
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After their friend Dave Boyle is kidnapped in front of their eyes and returned four days later, the fragile friendship between him and Jimmy Marcus and Sean Devine is forever shattered. Now, 25 years later, the murder of Jimmy's daughter Katie brings the three back together — Dave due to family ties and Sean because he is one of the state troopers investigating the brutal murder. This book has some great twists and is written with such care by Lehane that you would swear it was real and Lehane...more
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Lehane is no literature snob's writer. And yet in Mystic River he pulls in the themes and the inner workings that make you wonder what this is doing on the "genre/mystery" shelf. A neighborhood in transition, the uneasy endurance of old alliances, trauma and memory, and how a community approaches these things. (There's no ignoring the stock crime plot, however, or how the main characters fall into Sean-the-good-cop, Jimmy-the-(ex?)-gangster, Dave-the-loner and never fully rise out.)
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Read in July, 2007
I saw the movie before I read the book. The book was better than the movie, but not all that much better. Both the movie and book were really good. I think the main theme of both are masculinity, being a man in early 21st century America. (Although I may be a little off on the time frame and they are about being a man in late 20th century America.) My main problem with both is that the hero of the story is supposed to be the cop, but since I am an anarchist, I'm not so into the cop (even th...more
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Read in August, 2007
I thought this was one of the best mystery thrillers I've ever read! There was no "formula" feel to it--I would say it was more character driven than plot driven. For a year of Saturdays, Sean, Jimmy and Dave are friends. Then one day a car comes down the street. One of the boys gets into the car and is abducted for 4 days. The incident changes all three of them. They grow apart and grow up, their lives taking different directions. They are brought together by a savage and tragic murde...more
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Read in July, 2004
It's hard to say I *liked* a book this unsettling. It's very well crafted and unusually intelligent, certainly, but I'm not sure I'm willing to say that reading tragedy is enjoyable.
The story begins with three boys in Boston, one of whom is a bit wild and one of whom undergoes a horrific experience, and rejoins them in middle age as the threads of their lives reunite in tragic ways. In delicate and organic prose Lehane illustrates the message that you can't escape your past, and you can't st...more
The story begins with three boys in Boston, one of whom is a bit wild and one of whom undergoes a horrific experience, and rejoins them in middle age as the threads of their lives reunite in tragic ways. In delicate and organic prose Lehane illustrates the message that you can't escape your past, and you can't st...more
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Has a copy to sell/swap
I just finished reading this book. I had already seen the movie and knew the ending. This didn't spoil the book for me though. I knew the ending, yet I was still riveted as if I had no idea what was happening next. The book was quite similar to the movie, but I loved how it developed the characters so much more (as do most novels). I loved reading the pages where we knew what the guys were thinking while in the movie we had to rely on their facial expressions. Don't be deterred to read this...more
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Read in January, 2008
I usually like my mysteries British and slightly frou frou, so this was definitely a departure. I remember really liking the movie, so I decided to check out some Dennis Lehane. Well, when I started the book, I had forgotten the plot from the movie, pretty much, but unfortunately halfway through the book, I remembered everything. So it made reading the second half of the book kind of redundant. Despite the raves on the back cover, something about the writing still felt a little cliched to me...more
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Read in November, 2007
so i'll admit it--i've read most of denis lehane's novels. stone me! three of them had typos. though they are almost anti-intellectual, they are a brainless yet semi-thrilling read--perfect for when tv sucks. mystic river is the most poeticly written of the lot, though the situations are practically absurd. filed under 'after school specials' because of the plot arcs.
(kids: NEVER get into a car with a strange man. even if he pretends to be a cop! you will ruin your lives and turn your friends ...more
(kids: NEVER get into a car with a strange man. even if he pretends to be a cop! you will ruin your lives and turn your friends ...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
mystery lovers, people who liked the movie
Fast moving and engaging, what I liked the most about this book was that the majority of the gruesome crime that takes place (the murder, the molestation) is, for once, not graphically described in detail. It is left to your imagination. Instead the book focuses on the characters and their relationships with each other and their families. A good mystery that I sped through in two days. I am interested in reading Lehane's other books to see if they are as good.
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I branched out of my norm to read this book after I saw the movie. I really enjoyed the film and was curious how true it had been to the book. The answer: very. I get the impression they simply flowed the text into a screenplay format and, voila! I enjoyed it slightly more as a film, but that could just be personal preference. Lehane sets the scenes well, creates compelling characters and then involves everyone in the heartwrenching drama. It's a good read.
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Read in May, 2006
If you've seen the movie before reading the novel, you won't be disappointed.
As always, the novel can offer a much more complete, detailed, and wider perspective compared to the movie adaptation.
Lehane build the tension and drama carefully through flashbacks of intertwined events between the three boys growing up by the river. The characters are sharp and alive. You can feel their bitterness and frustration as the drama unwind.
Good read this one.
As always, the novel can offer a much more complete, detailed, and wider perspective compared to the movie adaptation.
Lehane build the tension and drama carefully through flashbacks of intertwined events between the three boys growing up by the river. The characters are sharp and alive. You can feel their bitterness and frustration as the drama unwind.
Good read this one.
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recommends it for:
anyone
Awesome, awesome book about how our childhoods impact our adulthood life.
Three childhood friends are reunited under strenuous circumstances: Jimmy Marcus's daughter is found dead, Sean Divine is in charge of the investigation, and Danny Boyle is a prime suspect. Powerful in its depictions of Boston neighborhoods and the people who live there, Mystic River is a tour de force by Dennis Lehane. Highly, highly recommended.
Three childhood friends are reunited under strenuous circumstances: Jimmy Marcus's daughter is found dead, Sean Divine is in charge of the investigation, and Danny Boyle is a prime suspect. Powerful in its depictions of Boston neighborhoods and the people who live there, Mystic River is a tour de force by Dennis Lehane. Highly, highly recommended.
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SUCH a good book. Very powerful, and has much more in it than the movie. The movie made me mad because they changed the facts which then changes your feelings on the ending. I won't spoil the ending, but let's just say at the end of the book, the reader has no remorse or regret for the characters, the movie, by changing ONE thing, manages to ruin the genius of the author's intent. IMHO anyway.
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Read in March, 2008
I saw the movie first, when it came out, but after reading "Shutter Island" wanted to read more of his books. If you liked the movie, the book will not disappoint - one of the rare times when the movie hardly diverges from the book. Plus, once seeing the movie, I had images of the actors as the characters and could hear their voices in the dialog. Really quick read - good weekend book.
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This book is much more than a mystery/thriller. The characters are well-rounded and like in real life, no one is all good or all bad. An excellent example of what happens to us in childhood can change the direction of our adult lives. Excellent read... if possible, avoid the movie (which was great) until AFTER you've read the book... much more powerful.
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One of the best mystery novels I have ever read. I feel connected to Dennis Lehane's books because we are from the same neighborhood and we went to the same high school. But mostly because he leaves you looking around the corners in your mind for the next realization. Mystic River is a wonderful book that will leave you with a disturbed feeling.
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Read in December, 2007
A beautifully written, perfectly paced mystery. On the night before she elopes, a young woman is killed in a park outside Boston. Her father, an ex-con, and his childhood friend, a cop, try to solve it, but it becomes very sticky when they discover that a mutual friend, one they abandoned to sexual abuse as kids, is a prime suspect.
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This book is so much better than the (overrated?) movie. This is one of the types of books that I need to stop reading because they keep me awake at night worrying about my kids! The story came off like Shakespeare--tragic and highly dramatic. Brilliantly written, but stays true to the true crime genre--disturbing, fascinating.
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