Now available in one volume--The Bayou Trilogy, from the author of "Winter's Bone," featuring "Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing," and "...
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May 25, 2011
Daniel
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**Under the Bright Lights**
Here is how Daniel Woodrell distinguishes his crime fiction from the multitude:
Here is how Daniel Woodrell distinguishes his crime fiction from the multitude:
"The pecking order of the homegrown juice merchants and trigger jerkers, green-felt Caesars, and snow-shoveling cowboys was likened to a vivid Chicago of the memory. And in this urban simile, if Auguste Beaurain, a force so devious, potent, and dangerous that he'd never even been hooked for a parking ticket, was a scaled-down Capone, and Steve Roque an irritating SpiMore...
Nov 27, 2011
Michele
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I have read many gritty books in my time, and I can enjoy a hard-boiled tale of the less fortunate classes. Tana French's Faithful Place about a working class neighborhood in Dublin had a wonderful sense of place and a well-constructed plot. The Fighter also provided a window into a specific place and time, and a group of characters who came alive, who were fascinating and complete, and sympathetic on some level. Bayou Trilogy portrays the same kind of working class neighborhood that people d
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Jun 12, 2011
Hood
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Bound: Down on the Bayou
SunPost Weekly May 19, 2011 | John Hood
http://bit.ly/iorBrr
Daniel Woodrell Writes the Lives Behind its Crimes
As the Atchafalaya River Basin begins to flood one can’t help thinkin’ that maybe the authorities have read Daniel Woodrell and come away believin’ the folks who live in that swampy stretch of nowhere don’t deserve saving as much as everybody else. That’s a mean thing to consider, of course, let alone to say right out loud for e More...
SunPost Weekly May 19, 2011 | John Hood
http://bit.ly/iorBrr
Daniel Woodrell Writes the Lives Behind its Crimes
As the Atchafalaya River Basin begins to flood one can’t help thinkin’ that maybe the authorities have read Daniel Woodrell and come away believin’ the folks who live in that swampy stretch of nowhere don’t deserve saving as much as everybody else. That’s a mean thing to consider, of course, let alone to say right out loud for e More...
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May 14, 2011
Barbara
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The Bayou Trilogy is a compilation of three works by Daniel Woodrell, published between 1986 and 1992: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do.
Set in Louisiana bayou country -- reeking of atmosphere, tawdriness, two-bit criminals, and hardasses -- Woodrell doesn't so much write a novel as produce an epic poem. For instance, Woodrell describes where Detective Rene Shade lives:
"In the aspiring self-mythology of Saint Bruno, a town that liked to r More...
Set in Louisiana bayou country -- reeking of atmosphere, tawdriness, two-bit criminals, and hardasses -- Woodrell doesn't so much write a novel as produce an epic poem. For instance, Woodrell describes where Detective Rene Shade lives:
"In the aspiring self-mythology of Saint Bruno, a town that liked to r More...
Mar 16, 2011
Ronald
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Three crime novels are collected in this book chronicling the gritty life of Detective Rene Shade. His portion of hell on earth is the Parish of St. Bruno, Louisiana. A place where the wildlife on the streets is ever bit as dangerous as that in the bayou. Shade is part French and part Irish with the temperament of a Louisiana gator. He got his education on the streets and in the ring. The fact that he turned out working for the law instead of against it is still a subject of talk in many corners
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May 31, 2011
RandomAnthony
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Daniel Woodrell, in my imagination, stares at his keyboard before choosing words, like he's afraid if he uses too many he'll mess up. That literary fastidiousness pays off, with interest, in the three crime novels that comprise The Bayou Trilogy.
The novels included here, republished in one volume most likely to cash in on the post-Winter's Bone publicity, revolve around the fictional neighborhood of Frogtown, a far-south run-down criminal playground with its own noir-ish rules and More...
The novels included here, republished in one volume most likely to cash in on the post-Winter's Bone publicity, revolve around the fictional neighborhood of Frogtown, a far-south run-down criminal playground with its own noir-ish rules and More...
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Sep 24, 2011
Ryan
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I've been wanting to read the guy who wrote Winter's Bone for a couple of months, so when I saw that Obama picked this up for his summer reading I thought, well, if I read 1776 from Bachman's must-read then...
Tough to review. Do I write about the trilogy as a whole or each book?
The first, Under the Bright Lights, I thought was an addictive, plot-driven crime thriller. I really enjoyed it, but it is definitely not very developed, has rather simple characters that you don More...
Tough to review. Do I write about the trilogy as a whole or each book?
The first, Under the Bright Lights, I thought was an addictive, plot-driven crime thriller. I really enjoyed it, but it is definitely not very developed, has rather simple characters that you don More...
Aug 10, 2011
Barry
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I remember reading an interview with Daniel Woodrell in Your Flesh magazine in the mid-1990s. In it, Woodrell said he had no desire for mainstream acceptance, contrasting himself with those writers who are outsiders only because they haven't been allowed in. Comparing mainstream popularity to a tent, he said he was one of those who belonged outside the tent.
More recently, he has said that he realized that in choosing to write the books he does, he was effectively taking a vow of pove More...
More recently, he has said that he realized that in choosing to write the books he does, he was effectively taking a vow of pove More...
Oct 31, 2011
Cat
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I read Woodrell's books in the wrong order. Winter's Bone is so luminous and character-driven, that it's hard to switch into the broader, more violent (seriously!), and faster paced world of the popular hard-boiled murder mystery after that. And I'm a fan of hard-boiled crime fiction! Woodrell does a great job setting up the atmosphere of the bayou, and I do really enjoy the way he sets out former boxer and police detective Rene Shade as his investigating figure and sets him in a family where so
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Jun 02, 2011
Spiros
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The "four star" rating above represents an aggregate, since this trilogy represents three independently constructed novels. UNDER THE BRIGHT LIGHTS and MUSCLE FOR THE WING would have gotten "three star" ratings, THE ONES YOU DO, where Woodrell hits his stride as the author I'm familiar with from such "hillbilly noirs" as Give us a Kiss, Tomato Red, and Winter's Bone, would rate "five stars".
By the end of THE ONES YOU DO, I found myself so engrossed More...
By the end of THE ONES YOU DO, I found myself so engrossed More...
Sep 15, 2011
judy
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These are his starter books, no doubt resurrected by the success of Winter's Bone. The man is a phenomenal writer. If you like to immerse yourself in words, phrases and sentences, this is a good place to be. If, like me, you revel in the atmosphere and characters constructed by the author, you'll have a decision to make. This is Bayou country--poor, grimy and working off values that are completely foreign to me. At no point did I find myself somewhere a little less oppressive or listening to
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May 22, 2011
Catie
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I haven’t read very much that could be considered “noir” but I really enjoyed these. It was rewarding to read them in sequence, because I grew more and more attached to the characters and setting with each one.
Under the Bright Lights is an introduction to Rene Shade, a lifetime resident of St. Bruno, Louisiana, and a resigned, morally ambiguous detective.
He was not guided by a total love of law, but he was more for it than against it and this, he felt, made him reason More...
Under the Bright Lights is an introduction to Rene Shade, a lifetime resident of St. Bruno, Louisiana, and a resigned, morally ambiguous detective.
He was not guided by a total love of law, but he was more for it than against it and this, he felt, made him reason More...
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May 30, 2011
wally
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I've read Tomato Red, enjoyed that one, so I figure to give this one a shot. So far (7%) so good. Reminds me (this one does) of some of Elmore Leonard's stuff.
these are good stories, three of them, and they concern a fictional area of the mississippi and louisiana that is as real as any other place. like the brothers karamazov, the shade brothers disagree at times, and the old man is nothing to brag about and is the cause of much of their problems or not and how they deal wi More...
these are good stories, three of them, and they concern a fictional area of the mississippi and louisiana that is as real as any other place. like the brothers karamazov, the shade brothers disagree at times, and the old man is nothing to brag about and is the cause of much of their problems or not and how they deal wi More...
Mar 27, 2011
Kenneth
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Rene Shade is a detective in the Parish of St. Bruno, Louisiana. However, as a series, this is not really a detective story. In the beginning we focus on a man (Shade) who straddles the fence of legality in a town where he is both a former local celebrity as a boxer and a longtime acquaintance and relation to most of the seedy underside of St. Bruno. Gritty and callous as he is, Shade has a sense of honor unassailable by friendship or blood, and he finds himself the odd man out in most situat
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Apr 27, 2011
Just finished reading the first book in this trilogy, Under the Bright Lights. I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book because when I read mysteries, I usually like cozies. But, Woodrell is a master at creating atmosphere. I've never been to Louisiana, but this novel makes me feel like I have. Which is not easy to do in a short novel of less than 200 words. But, Woodrell has a way with words. "'Are you sick? You looked sick. Don't eat in these cafes around here. I see 'em feedin' ca
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Sep 12, 2011
S. Patrick
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I wish I'd discovered Mr. Woodrell's books earlier, as I was very impressed with his writing. This books is a collection of three previously released short stories, which are each around 100-150 pages each. The first two were excellent and I would have given them five stars on their own. The third story was slow and didn't have the feel of the first two. It was more of a three star, so hence the overall four star rating. Mr. Woodrell captures the culture and language of the setting masterfully.
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Dec 10, 2011
Heidwrite
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Some great, entertaining writing by the author of Winter's Bone who is getting the attention he deserves. Though the stories are about crime and a detective, it's much more about a place, a dreamed up city in bayou country that may be closest to Baton Rouge than anything. Though enjoyable, these are not typical detective or crime story. It's more a whack at pulp fiction, some interesting, outrageous characters, family politics on the other side of the tracks and an interesting place not far f
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Dec 11, 2011
Ashley
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Since this is a collection of three of his books packaged together, the nerd in me feels it is necessary to rate them separately.
Under the Bright Lights - This took a few chapters for me to get into and get a real grasp on the characters, but once I did it flew by in one sitting. He really understands the people he writes about and their culture, and he is not afraid to write it authentically. 3.5 for me.
Muscle for the Wing - I felt that the second installment of Shade is superior to the firs More...
Under the Bright Lights - This took a few chapters for me to get into and get a real grasp on the characters, but once I did it flew by in one sitting. He really understands the people he writes about and their culture, and he is not afraid to write it authentically. 3.5 for me.
Muscle for the Wing - I felt that the second installment of Shade is superior to the firs More...
Jul 16, 2011
Clay
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Read the whole trilogy in one gulp. Woodrell conjures a whole-cloth coon-ass countryside, replete with every shade of lowlife. And every lowlife Shade is a gem. Rene Shade, iffy cop and native son, carries the first two novels, but his dad arrives with young daughter in tow to enliven the third novel. Though the first two books are well constructed and full of dialog that sizzles with local flavor, the third book holds hints of where this Winter's Bone author is headed. The elder Shade rips off
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Jan 10, 2012
Larissa
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Review published on Reviewing the Evidence website in August: http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/review.html?id=8891
Although Daniel Woodrell has been earning the respect of critics and cultivating a devoted fan base for quite some time, his self-coined “country noir” novels have garnered renewed attention in the last year, thanks to the astounding success of the movie adaptation of his 2006 novel Winter's Bone. This spring, three of Woodrell’s early novels—starring his shambling Cre More...
Although Daniel Woodrell has been earning the respect of critics and cultivating a devoted fan base for quite some time, his self-coined “country noir” novels have garnered renewed attention in the last year, thanks to the astounding success of the movie adaptation of his 2006 novel Winter's Bone. This spring, three of Woodrell’s early novels—starring his shambling Cre More...
Jun 08, 2011
iubookgirl
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The Bayou Trilogy gathers together Woodrell’s three novels featuring police detective Rene Shade, Under the Bright Lights (1986), Muscle for the Wing (1988), and The Ones You Do (1992). These titles represent three of Woodrell’s first four books and certainly make me willing to read more of his work.
Rene Shade works in the the parish of St. Bruno, a town with clearly defined lines between blacks and whites with internal lines between the law and the criminals that sometimes blur. St. B More...
Rene Shade works in the the parish of St. Bruno, a town with clearly defined lines between blacks and whites with internal lines between the law and the criminals that sometimes blur. St. B More...
Apr 26, 2011
Shelleyrae
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"This was Frogtown, where the sideburns were longer, the fuses shorter, the skirts higher and expectations lower, and he loved it"
On the steamy and seedy shores of the Louisiana Bayou, Detective Rene Shade walks a fine line between law and loyalty in Saint Bruno where he was born and raised. This trilogy combines three loosely connected stories of crime and justice in the shadows of Frogtown and Pan Fry.
The first story, Under the Bright Lights, has Shade, and his par More...
On the steamy and seedy shores of the Louisiana Bayou, Detective Rene Shade walks a fine line between law and loyalty in Saint Bruno where he was born and raised. This trilogy combines three loosely connected stories of crime and justice in the shadows of Frogtown and Pan Fry.
The first story, Under the Bright Lights, has Shade, and his par More...
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Dec 15, 2011
Gail
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I got this one as a First Reads Giveaway, and I am sorry it took so long for me to get around to reading it.
Rife with misogyny, misdirected racism, and a truckload of left-handed bigotry, this trio of stories is also atmospheric, dark, and written in near lyrical language. The characters, especially Rene Shade, are memorable and interesting. You just know something is going to happen when the Shade brothers are in the mix -- and they are always in the mix.
This is a g More...
Rife with misogyny, misdirected racism, and a truckload of left-handed bigotry, this trio of stories is also atmospheric, dark, and written in near lyrical language. The characters, especially Rene Shade, are memorable and interesting. You just know something is going to happen when the Shade brothers are in the mix -- and they are always in the mix.
This is a g More...
Aug 25, 2011
Donald
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This collection of Daniel Woodhead's (WINTER'S BONE) three early novels had been out of print for nearly twenty years until collected and republished by Mulholland Books.
It's not only interesting to see the young writer finding his voice but these are fine books about the Shade family of St Bruno, a Faulkneresque family of good guys, tough characters and out-and-out scoundrels.
The language (particularly the colloquialisms) is wonderful, the violence brutal and the characters More...
It's not only interesting to see the young writer finding his voice but these are fine books about the Shade family of St Bruno, a Faulkneresque family of good guys, tough characters and out-and-out scoundrels.
The language (particularly the colloquialisms) is wonderful, the violence brutal and the characters More...
Jun 29, 2011
Caitlin
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Every once in a while you read a book that's very different from the kinds of books you normally read, and sometimes that means you hate it, and sometimes you end up loving it. I definitely feel the latter regarding this trilogy. The details Woodrell uses makes the characters so believable that one could wonder whether they were real people he knew at one time, and the theme of choice that is attached to each character plays out in different, yet equally satisfying ways (to the reader, that is).
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May 11, 2011
Kathy
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Daniel Woodrell is the author of Winter's Bone which was made into a critically acclaimed film of the same name. He is based in West Plains, Missouri in the heart of the Ozarks. Mulholland Books has rereleased three of Woodrell's novels featuring Detective Rene Shade in this one volume: The Bayou Trilogy. The three novels are 1986's Under The Bright Lights, 1988's Muscle For The Wing and 1992's The Ones You Do. The novels are set in fictional St. Bruno, Louisiana in the heart of Cajun coun
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Jul 30, 2011
Chris
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The actual stories are engaging enough, but I thought it was more interesting to see Woodrell turn away from the genre conventions of the detective story towards a more organic form of storytelling that I think pleased him more. The third book is much more well-crafted than the first, though it leans harder on the foundation Cormac McCarthy set down; but, I guess, I'd argue, so what? It's interesting to watch a writer grow.
Mar 17, 2011
Karin
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This is a copy I won from Goodreads,thank you so much.Not to sound unappreciative,the three stories in this book are so tough to read because the author tries too hard to be witty and toung in cheek.What is meant to be friendly banter between the characters turns into sarcasm and cynicism which is somehow out of proportion to the gravity of the particular plot.(Now I'm doing it!) The metaphors are so convaluted ,while I'm trying to figure out what they mean I've forgotten what the story is abou
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Jan 31, 2012
Marion
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Woodrell's heroes are flawed but try to make the best bad decisions they can in the circumstances. His novels set in the Ozarks are sometimes referred to as "country noir" - this trilogy about the Shade family could be called "swamp noir". Woodrell brings the neighbourhoods and bayou country of St Bruno, Louisiana to life. The crooks aren't all on the streets either - some are in the city government and the police.
Jul 21, 2011
Gail
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Daniel Woodrell was a new author for me, but I will definitely read more of his works. I loved language and the characters. There are very brutal characters, but they get their comeuppance. Hardboiled and softhearted. I would highly recommend these 3 short novels that all feature the same group of characters, an extended family in a mid sized fictional Louisiana city.
