Gordie Hatch is twenty-two, charmingly naive, and certain that his first job as a writer for the ST LOUIS INDEPENDENT'S obituary page will be a ste...
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reviews
Dec 26, 2011
Trish
rated it: 
This book just isn't quite right. I think the problem is, it begins as one type of story, and then veers into melodrama; the proper foundation hasn't been established, so the whole thing crumbles. I think too many disparate elements are swirling in the novel without being brought to any satisfactory resolution (or even a thorough exploration). Is the book about Gordie's vague dreams and unfocused aspirations? Is it about his excessive jealousy? Or is it suddenly, inexplicably, about psychosis an
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Jul 15, 2011
Derek
rated it: 
A sprightly thriller that wastes no time in getting the reader to the core mystery, Porter Shreve's The Obituary Writer is a first-person narrated novel about an up-and-coming journalist (relegated now to writing the obituaries) who becomes entangled in an ill advised affair with a recent widow. The plot twists and turns in quite a few surprising convulsions, and more importantly, aims to be a little more than a simple genre exercise, wisely bringing in the political issues that color its late 1
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Apr 13, 2010
Zero stars! Will I ever read a decent novel about obituarists? The narrator is an insipid (sorry, "charmingly naive") wet blanket, and the young and mysterious widow he falls for is another Manic Pixie Dream Girl, with alternately "small" and "heavy" breasts, who flits around unrealistically and ends up to be (SPOILER ALERT) a lifelong murderer who is also batshit. Shreve uses the book's setting of 1989 to show how well he read the newspapers that year (Tiananmen Sq
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Mar 31, 2010
Petra X
rated it: 
I hate to give a book this well-written only 2 stars, but it was tedious reading. In a way, it was the opposite of a Jodi Picoult novel (to which I am addicted despite myself). Apart from the already-mentioned fine writing, the book started off on a low note, never got as high as middle C until the very fine ending, not just an ending, but after that big surprise, another one! Picoult, I find, starts on a high note, never drops beneath that middle C and runs out of steam just before she writes
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Jan 09, 2012
Rachel
rated it:
This story was okay, but not great. The character development for the male lead worked, but was slow to take off. The character development for the love interest was confusing and lacked clear motivation. The twists were interesting, but it wasn't until the twist that I realized the main point of the book. There were many times along the way that I thought I was noticing something interesting, but those turned out to be accidents or red herrings. The back of the book makes you think it is a
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Feb 14, 2008
Kelley
rated it:
I want my time back. This book sucked.
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May 29, 2010
Jennifer
rated it:
The book started off interesting enough and I was enjoying it. About 3/4 of the way through, it was like the author had gotten sick of writing it and just wanted to tie up loose ends. The plot was thin, the characters were annoying at best and the ending wasn't satisfying at all. As someone else had put it, I want my time back! Don't bother reading this book.
Sep 02, 2009
Jeanne
rated it:
A mildly amusing, first person narrative story of a very young aspiring newspaper man who has been raised on falsehoods. He then falls for the falsehoods given to him by a seductive older widow who contacts the obituary writer after her husbands death.
Oct 03, 2009
Doris
rated it:
A slow starter, but it keeps your attention. Good writing with well drawn characters and a surprise ending. The author is the husband of the author of Eating Buddha's Dinner. He is the better writer.
Apr 12, 2009
Erin
rated it:
While the plot line had some surprises and the writing wasn't bad, I thought the book overall lacked anything fantastic. With so many other great books out there, I'm not likely to recommend this one...
Aug 02, 2011
Alisha
rated it:
Porter Shreve is the current head of the Creative Writing program at Purdue. And his writing is great.
Jan 05, 2009
Marguerite
rated it:
A good yarn from the newsroom, though it might give obituary writers a bum rap. A couple of details (Packed weekend news meetings?--Please! And, no reporter would allow beat "poaching" to go unchallenged.) rang false to this longtime journalista, but they didn't detract from the overall reading experience. A quick read. I did see a couple of major details of the plot coming.
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Aug 14, 2008
Michelle
rated it:
Clever, though there are some contrivances. I do believe this is Shreve's first effort, so leverage is bestowed there.
Oct 17, 2008
Karen
rated it: 
Nice writing, good for a first book but the plot was a little strange. I will read another by this author.
Jan 12, 2012
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