The last of a manufacturing dynasty in a dying industrial town, Bill lives alone in the family mansion and works for the "Truth," the moribund loca...
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reviews
Aug 13, 2009
Sarah
rated it: 
I have a soft spot for flawed main characters. Bill, an ex-academic, ex-moneyed small-town journalist who half-intentionally gets involved in the doomed lives of those central to the biggest news story the town has ever seen, is fascinating. His unhinged answering machine messages to his probably-ex girlfriend, his crazy sleep patterns and toaster-oven meals with whiskey, his inability to stifle his theorizing long enough to write a news article, his crazy powerful grandfather who was frozen at
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May 22, 2011
Adam
rated it:
The Keepers of Truth by Michael Collins is one of those books so full of the authors own opinions that it should have a brain-washing warning sticker on it to warn people who’s brains are easily washed. Anyway, the story is interesting if not all that original. It is a murder mystery, but the way it is written and presented to us is what made this a five star read for me. Knowing the author helped make this even more fun as well. As I said, I can see this book angering some hard-core Americans.
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Jan 03, 2009
Kate
rated it: 
A book about a newspaper reporter in a dying post-industrial town--- Why did I think I should read this depressing story? It started out strong, but I totally hated it by the end. I gave it two stars because I liked some of the author's prose, but I couldn't stand the plot, which centers around a murder mystery. The newspaper characters were not believable at all, and the protagonist seemed like he totally hated women, and irritated me throughout the entire story.
May 23, 2010
Missy
rated it: 
Good writing, compelling plot; depressing. Not hilariously depressing, like Palahniuk, but just plain depressing, like DeLillo or Ellis (only the plot's more interesting). I liked it in spite of myself because it's true.
Mar 28, 2010
Lois
rated it: 
One star for the quality of the writing, but after four chapters (50+ pages) I still didn't care what happened to any of the very unappealing characters.
Oct 11, 2011
Patrick
rated it: 
I thought this book was really good when I read it. It does a fantastic job of mocking much of our modern culture.
Jan 28, 2010
Christine
rated it:
Bill, a reporter for the Daily Truth, has returned home to the once-thriving town in downstate Illinois where his grandfather, an immigrant who had escaped the crushing poverty of the Russian steppes, had singlehandedly built a now-defunct refrigerator manufacturing empire. Although Bill attempts to use his position to pontificate on the decline of the American Dream, he is expected to report exclusively on local bake-offs and high school sports rivalries....Please read the rest of my review at
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Oct 23, 2008
Phil
rated it:
A literary murder mystery, an extended low-brow operatic lament for the industrial heartland of the American midwest slightly pre-Reagan, and a last-ditch homage to the demise of smalltown newspapers. The narrator, college-corrupted and from money, can't resist breaking into high-falutin speeches that eulogize piles of rusting fridges or the tackiness of beauty salons in garages. The sad beauty of tackiness and ruin. Collins risks the smart critical disappointed voice at full-tilt and seemingly
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Sep 30, 2011
Jane
rated it:
Much more than a crime drama novel...interesting characters, compelling.
Oct 07, 2011
Maarten
rated it:
Presented as a crime novel, but much more then that. A murder is the main subject but what Collins gives us is a novel about failed lives, society going downhill. While reading, the matter whodunit wasn't relevant anymore. The book I read before this one was The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, it had a lot in common and that's a big compliment. Brilliant, will definitely read more of Collins' books.
Mar 15, 2009
Cheryl
rated it:
Unfortunately, I chose not to finish this book. The author is gifted and there were some crystalline turns of phrases but inevitably I came to care nothing about knowing what happened to the characters. Perhaps it's indicative of the current climate, but it was just a "downer" to pick the book up. For the record, I probably finished about 3/5s of the book.
Aug 30, 2008
Cousin
rated it:
This is what I'm currently reading. I will pretty much read anything so I won't stop but this is not a book I would recommend. The story is a little boring and long winded not really getting to any point. I'm glad I got it on the discount rack.
May 08, 2011
Howard
rated it:
I'll begin on Monday 1/17 to read.
I can't remember but i don't think I read it. 2 stars is generous.
I can't remember but i don't think I read it. 2 stars is generous.
May 12, 2008
Featherbooks
rated it:
I read about 100 pages but it was way too grisly to continue although the writing was good.
Jun 29, 2007
Nina
rated it:
though it was shortlisted for the Booker in 2000, I wasn't that gripped...
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