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The King of Crows

(The Diviners #4)

Libba Bray (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 7,976 ratings · 1,793 reviews

The breath-taking finale to the epic New York Times bestseller, The Diviners, from Printz winner and beloved author, Libba Bray.

After the horrifying explosion that claimed one of their own, the Diviners find themselves wanted by the US government, and on the brink of war with the King of Crows.

While Memphis and Isaiah run for their lives from the mysterious Shadow Men, Isa ...more

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Hardcover, 560 pages

Published February 4th 2020 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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· 7,976 ratings · 1,793 reviews

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Aug 15, 2020 Kat rated it liked it

no words, head emptyyyyyyy

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Feb 05, 2020 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it liked it

Wow, I cannot believe my favorite series of all time is OVER. I sobbed pretty much non-stop for the last 100 pages and I feel EMPTY as heck now that it is done. There were a few things about this conclusion that I wish had gone differently, but overall this was such a satisfying and emotional end to the series and I loved it SO MUCH. I am going to re-read it IMMEDIATELY now that I know how everything ends up and I won't need to be anxiously flipping the pages for 10 hours straight, haha. Wow fuc ...more

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Jun 03, 2018 ✨ jamieson ✨ rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads, audiobook, historical-fiction, owned-books, completed-series, fantasy, series, young-adult

Maybe for of a 3.5 but uhh, I can't believe how ... just okay this was.

I Loved Before the Devil Breaks You so much (and this whole series) but this was .. so boring? At one point it was almost a chore to pick it up. Nothing happens for most of it, the characters just wander around. All the momentum from the end of the last book is lost. Some of the character arcs didn't make sense to me and the climax was unsatisfying and way too easy/quick. I don't even want to talk about it, it hurts me to no ...more

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Apr 16, 2019 Eliza ☽ marked it as on-hold

If Sam dies we riot at dawn

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Apr 15, 2019 Lance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, family-dynamics, found-family, 2020-faves, koi-no-yokan, lgbtqia, paranormal, political-intrigue, urban-fantasy, young-adult

“But if you abandoned the idea that such a paradise awaited you, and believed that you would live this life over and over again, would you not live the life you had more thoughtfully?”

“Make a better history."

4.5 stars rounded up. The King of Crows, while not the perfect finale, is a solid book and ending to a series that has found its place in the deepest parts of my heart and soul. I'm not going to lie, I was initially disappointed with this finale after finishing reading it. But after thin “But if you abandoned the idea that such a paradise awaited you, and believed that you would live this life over and over again, would you not live the life you had more thoughtfully?”

“Make a better history."

4.5 stars rounded up. The King of Crows, while not the perfect finale, is a solid book and ending to a series that has found its place in the deepest parts of my heart and soul. I'm not going to lie, I was initially disappointed with this finale after finishing reading it. But after thinking on the book and series as a whole, I am going to go ahead and rate this book 4.5 stars.Like the rest of its predecessors, The King of Crows is at once an actual ghost story and a story about the specter history leaves on the present. From prose, to atmosphere, to plotting and pacing, to characters, and romance, Libba Bray succeeded in crafting a multi-faceted story that I was destined to fall in love with in all aspects.

Prose. Bravo, Libba Bray. If I left it at that, that'd be sufficient I think to describe Bray's writing style and the impact it leaves on its readers. Her writing is a poem, written in blood. A gut punch, described in ink. A grainy photo, haunting and blurry. Bray chooses to frame the story in omniscient third person tense, jumping from character to character's thoughts in the same scene; what this achieves is a flowing, tense narrative that allows her to keep the pace of the novel going while not neglecting her characters and the importance their thoughts and motives have on the narrative. I don't know how Libba Bray does it, but her descriptive and almost purple prose allows her to both paint a portrait of the 1920's and all of its glamour and rot while still keeping an intimate focus on her characters. Somehow, her writing allows the reader to both see the minor and the major, and keep characters and setting both at the foreground. Her writing is superb in the way that it somehow describes character thought, muses on history and stories and more, and builds the atmosphere these novels are so well-known for brick-by-brick. All with the same finesse.

Atmosphere. I think when you think of The Diviners, atmosphere is the first word that comes to mind. Unlike the previous novel, the characters are not in the New York City for the whole novel. This time, the atmosphere takes the form of the old, intimate, and a bit claustrophobic air of small, rural, and forgotten towns of the 1920's. It's a bit quieter, but twice as terrifying as there is no city noise to cover up the risen ghosts of the past. The atmosphere casts that old, black-and-white 1920's movie magic on the series. The Roaring 20's comes alive with Libba Bray's writing and readers ache with nostalgia for this time; a time when most, if not all, of her readers weren't even alive. The atmosphere and aesthetic this book series brings to the table is honestly unmatched.

Plot and pacing. If I had to describe the plot of this book in one world, it would be homecoming: all of the characters, in one way or the other, are forced to confront the ghosts of their pasts. Whether it'd be a place where they had once lived, a person they once knew, or a combination of one or the other. Libba Bray splits off our cast into different groups, placing characters together who you never thought would be together in situations that force them to travel together. (view spoiler) I loved this aspect of the novel. Each individual character is forced to confront something that lied in their past. Some highlights include (view spoiler) As for the pacing, it fit well with the events of the novel and although I was lowkey a bit miffed when (view spoiler) But honestly, yet another almost perfect facet of this book.

Characters. Hands down, the best part of this series and book. I fucking love each and every one of them. Do I have favorites? Sure (Evie, Henry, Ling, and Sam). But ultimately, The Diviners as a found family are second-only to The Crows from Six of Crows in terms of love. I just love each and every one of them individually and together. Libba Bray is a fucking master at character work; I think the best marker of this is the fact that by the start and end of this novel, none of the characters are recognizable from the way they were at the beginning of the series or when they were introduced for the first time. They've all developed so much and I knew going in to this novel, I wasn't going to get out unscathed because I was attached to all of them in some way. I would go into each of them individually, but then I'd reach a character limit on this review. Also, I love all of the romances in this novel bar one.

Which brings me to why this is a 4.5 stars rather than a full 5 star rating: (view spoiler)

Conclusively, thank you for whoever read this behemoth of a review. I cannot express enough gratitude to Libba Bray for writing this series. A queen. While this is my least favorite of my quartet, I still love every page of it. If you haven't picked up The Diviners, go pick it up now. I promise you. It uses speculative elements to examine issues like racism, xenophobia, and homophobia. It contains all the glitter of the 1920's while not neglecting its dark underbelly. This book and series will find its way into your soul and haunt you long after you pick it up, in a good way. I guarantee you.
...more

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May 27, 2018 vivika rated it liked it

Shelves: lgbtqia-read, tears, read-in-2020

“Stories were power. And whoever controlled the story controlled everything. A story could bring people together, or it could tear them apart. It could spread like a sickness, infecting people. It could lead them into battle or shake them into seeing what they had refused to see before.”

first of all:
- fucking ouch
- :')
- let it be known that i would do anything for theta knight

This was definitely the most anticipated release of 2020 for me. The Diviners series is so near and dear to my heart. I t “Stories were power. And whoever controlled the story controlled everything. A story could bring people together, or it could tear them apart. It could spread like a sickness, infecting people. It could lead them into battle or shake them into seeing what they had refused to see before.”

first of all:
- fucking ouch
- :')
- let it be known that i would do anything for theta knight

This was definitely the most anticipated release of 2020 for me. The Diviners series is so near and dear to my heart. I truly feel a connection with these characters and with the story. I feel like i'm actually there in the story with them, feeling their pain and anger and hopefulness, as if they're a part of myself. I feel as if i've found my own family in their found family. Libba Bray is a master at creating atmosphere and developing interesting character arcs. I will always treasure this series forever.

Now, i have to say that this was probably my least favorite of the series. I didn't like how 'easy' the ending was and i think the pacing was a little slow. But that might've just been the fact that i wanted to know what happened so bad that i ignored reading this on purpose, so it took me almost 2 weeks to finish this. Makes sense? Nope.

The writing as always was filled with beautiful and inspiring prose that left my heart aching for more. The themes and discussions were handled very well in my opinion.

I love where all the characters ended up emotionally and physically, but i also think there should've been more of a focus on the actual plot since this is the last book. I feel like the plot twists were obvious and the ending was packed up too neatly, which was really underwhelming. Don't get me wrong i was balling my eyes out for the last 150 pages but i still thought that the plot was lacking.

Overall, a solid end to a dazzling series that i will definitely return to many rereads in the future. If you haven't picked this series up already, you should. Like right now.

//

what do you mean no title? what do you mean no cover? wHat dO yOu mEan nO reLeasE yEAR? WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO SYNOPSIS? WHAT DO YOU M E A N ...more

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Jan 17, 2020 NReads marked it as to-read

I thought this series was over????

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Aug 07, 2018 ivy francis rated it it was amazing

Shelves: came-soon-18-20

“But if you abandoned the idea that such a paradise awaited you, and believe that you would live this life over and over again, would you not live the life you had more thoughtfully? Would you not think carefully about your choices? Would you not live with abandon —love and love and love some more?”

The real Diviner powers were the friends we made along the way.

Old joke:

i made this in two minutes in picsart and forgot to add a 'the' to the beginning but i'm proud of it so you can freak off, okay

I'm very clever, I know ...more

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Oct 29, 2019 preoccupiedbybooks rated it liked it · review of another edition

The final instalment to one of my favourite YA series ever, a series which didn't simply sit in the YA genre, but crossed into historical fiction, paranormal, and fantasy too.

This is the final book of the series, so please don't read if you haven't read:
Book 1) The Diviners⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 2) Lair of Dreams⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book 3) Before The Devil Breaks You⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I've been weighing up the pros and cons of The King of Crows for a few days now, and I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about it! Initially I did feel disa ...more

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Jan 26, 2020 Anna Luce rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, disappointing-reads, 6-so-so-reads, 2020-reviews

“Who got to decide what made somebody an American? America, the ideal of it at least, was its own form of elusive magic.”

I hate to say it, or write it, but The King of Crows wasn't a very satisfying conclusion to The Diviners series.
While it isn't as drawn-out as the finale to the Gemma Doyle series (which was around 800 pages) it struck me as being similarly anticlimactic.
In The King of Crows the pacing of the story is all over the place and the characters have very rushed and unsatisfyin ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 ;3 rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks, likeable-main-character-s, paranormal, favourites

that clip of spongebob crying into a cup and then drinking his tears and crying again was me during the last half of this book

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Apr 12, 2020 Katie added it

I 100% expected to give this 5 stars. Now I’m leaning towards 2.5 (but rounding up to 3 because I cannot fathom looking at a 2-star rating beside one of these books). I’m so SAD.

I LOVED books 2 and 3, but this one is definitely my least favorite in the series. Looking back, I’m still not really sure what happened to fill all those pages? It was all just a seemingly arbitrary and meandering journey without much payoff. Still love the characters. Love how well-researched this series is. I'm happy ...more

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Nov 24, 2020 Althea | themoonwholistens ☾ rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: thought provoking themes and high levels of charm

Shelves: rep-asian, best-audiobooks, rep-lgbtq, rep-bipoc, read-audiobook, age-young-adult, favourite-characters, favourite-narrations, 2020-releases, rep-disability

✧ You can find this review and more on my blog ✧

This series is just so well executed in my opinion.

You gotta love the books that make you fall back in love with reading so deeply. I want to create a time machine and experience this series for the first time all over again.

The #1 historical fantasy ghost story in Best Atmosphere, Best Character Dynamics (specialized in Found Family), and Best Themes

"The way narrative, especially the stories of those who have lived these injustices first hand,

...more

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Feb 08, 2018 sofia (sam willows) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: couples-i-like, 2020, audiobooks, own, over-500-pages, lgbtq, fantasy

sometimes when a little while has passed since i read this series i kind of forget why i love it so much, but the second i pick them up again to read just a single sentence i remember how much i adore the diviners. king of crows was a beautiful conclusion to that series i love so much

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Aug 19, 2018 Elle (ellexamines) marked it as tbr

Shelves: x-tbrsequels, x-tbr2020

LADS I’m dying waiting for this

hey hey hey here's a post by my friend full of theories for how this series will end ...more

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May 05, 2018 Olivia rated it it was amazing

please let there be a second series
that epilogue has me shook

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May 10, 2020 Olivia (Stories For Coffee) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural, audiobook

I cannot believe this series is finally over. I've been reading this since high school and finally closed the door on this saga as a 22-year-old. The Diviners has been such a journey exploring a vast array of identities as an oppressive supernatural being threatens to upend society as a whole. While I didn't love this novel as much as the previous 3 installments, this one still pulled at my heartstrings, tied up loose ends, developed these characters' personalities flawlessly and continued its m ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 Clem (the villain's quest) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2020-releases, 3-stars, lgbtqia, young-adult, real-friends-stab-you-in-the-front

Instagram | youtube

2/5

i’ve been thinking about the rating for this book for way too long. im beyond conflicted.

RTC ...more

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Mar 22, 2020 Trina (Between Chapters) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, supernaturals, trigger-abusive-romance, 2020, audiobooks, historical, sci-fi

Read this series! Better yet, listen to the audiobooks!

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Jul 17, 2020 Lauren Lanz rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sobbed, 5-stars, young-adult, horror, historical-fiction

“But if you abandoned the idea that such a paradise awaited you, and believed that you would live this life over and over again, would you not live the life you had more thoughtfully?”

I’m continually impressed by Libba Bray; this finale was everything I needed and more.

The King of Crows follows the Diviners on a perilous journey away from the series’ typical 1920’s New York setting. Their journey to defeat the King of the dead and his army.
When Isaiah comes across a girl named Sarah Beth in a vision, she claims to know how to defeat the King of Crows.
After a disastrous turn of events, the Diviners are left the subject of a country-wide manhunt. In a desperate attempt at escape, the group is forced to split up and travel separately across state lines, hoping to meet in Bountiful, Nebraska. The place where Sarah Beth resides.
She may be their only hope, and with chances of success looking thin, they’ll take anything they can get.

Libba Bray’s writing throughout this entire series has been a constant positive. It’s hard to overlook the skill that comes with portraying a different time period with such finesse. Everything from the dialogue, worldbuilding and characters to the historical accuracy in events perfectly encapsulates what I’d imagine America in the 20’s to feel like.

The Diviners as characters have grown especially close to my heart in this last instalment. I loved seeing the new pairings having to travel across the country together; it made for some great new friendships and serious bonding. Ling and Jericho were an utter delight as companions. Evie, Theta, Sam and Isiah were each their own wonderful, and even better working together as a makeshift family. Henry, Bill and Memphis truly made the book for me; their chapters in south, warring with people’s racist and homophobic tendencies was heartbreaking. I never could have anticipated those three would become the trio I most love.

My only complaint is that the ending felt slightly rushed. I would have liked final battle prolonged, and the epilogue extended as well. The King of Crows’ takedown was a little bit disappointing, though I was overjoyed at who got to do it. With the way things wrapped up, there seems an opening for a new series. Libba Bray? I would be overjoyed.

“Stories were power. And whoever controlled the story controlled everything. A story could bring people together, or it could tear them apart. It could spread like a sickness, infecting people. It could lead them into battle or shake them into seeing what they had refused to see before.”

...more

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May 18, 2020 monica kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-releases

the diviners series is, i think, one of the most ambitious fantasy series i’ve read. i’ve been reading these books for so many years now, and honestly, i can’t believe it’s finally come to a close. for me, i really enjoyed this conclusion. i love how libba used it to play with the standard narrative of good vs evil, i love how she mixed the character pairings to give us a whole new range of growth, and i love everything she had to say about this country and the ghosts we still refuse to acknowle ...more

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Nov 09, 2019 Eva B. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: badass-ladies, best-romances, mental-health-rep, queer-rep-sides, friendships-are-magic, i-own-this, that-cover-though, favorites, metaphorical-tears-were-shed, 5-star

Not to be overdramatic or anything but this series changed my life. It makes me want to be a better writer and a better person, and it's literally my favorite series of all time.
The King of Crows stuck the landing. ...more

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May 04, 2018 Wren (fablesandwren) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: physical-shelf, 05-stars

sOoOoOoOoOoO... do we know anything about when book four will come out or what it is called or what it will look like or what pieces of my heart will be left after I read it?

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Apr 14, 2020 Matilda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020

Not my favourite of the series but OH JEEZ this series is something else.

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Feb 21, 2020 Melinda rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

Ahhh I can’t believe this is over...!
Libba Bray wrecked me.
But!
I BELIEVE IN THE VOICE OF TOMORROW. 🖤
I really recommend to read this series, this is one of my favourites!

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Feb 21, 2020 Shaun Hutchinson rated it it was amazing

A lovely ending to one of my favorite series of the past few years. I loved getting to spend time with these divine Diviners.

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Oct 05, 2018 bella farren marked it as to-read

Shelves: desperately-awaiting

2020?

I don't even know what to do with myself right now. that cliffhanger. I still haven't recovered.

but that cover is giving me life ...more

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Dec 07, 2020 Lucy Tonks rated it liked it

I am disappointed. This was such an unsatisfying conclusion. I loved the first three books, but this was just not it. There was so much build up, in the first three book and the first half of this book, they were so good and than comes the ending, which was so meh. I had such high hopes and such high expectations and they just where not met.

I really like the first half of the book. The book started immediately unlike the first books, which took their sweet time until we got into the plot. The f I am disappointed. This was such an unsatisfying conclusion. I loved the first three books, but this was just not it. There was so much build up, in the first three book and the first half of this book, they were so good and than comes the ending, which was so meh. I had such high hopes and such high expectations and they just where not met.

I really like the first half of the book. The book started immediately unlike the first books, which took their sweet time until we got into the plot. The first half was so amazing and entertaining, then comes the second half which was so boring, until the last 50 pages. It dragged so much. This book could have been so much shorter, but sadly the author decided to let the plot drag in the end.

I loved the characters, I always loved them and I'll forever love them. This book does not exist in my mind, it's separate from the other books. I considered The Diviners a favourite series until this book, now I cannot do that since this kind of ruined my enjoyment for this series.

I may be harsher than I should be, but thsi is actually how I feel. I wish this was better. I've read the first books nad their were phenomenal, and my question is why couldn't this be the same. Not only that this book dragged a lot, but it was also very predictable. We had so much build up in the first books for this epic finale, the diviners had to defeat this extremely powerful entity, this King of Crows and I feel like in the end it was so easy to defeat it. This charatcers faced so much shit for this, seriously?! It just didn't felt right and it flet so unsatisfying.

I really wish that I loved this book more than I actually did, but sadly this was a pretty big disappointment. I still recommend the first three books in the series, but sadly I cannot recommend this book too.

Now I'll go a bit into spoilers so if you haven't read this book and you don't want to get spoiled, do not read further. I need to talk about something and I cannot do it without spoilers so I can't stress it enough, if you haven't read this book yet, DO NOT READ FURTHER.

So I predicted that Sarah Beth was in league with the King of Crows. It was so freaking obvious. She was against anything that the deviners wanted to do. And she also mentioned that she talked with the King of Crows in the past and by how childish she was it was impossible for her to have gone against the King of Crows. And she was also talking about her gentlemen a lot. It was way TOO OBVIOUS.

Jericho's death was also predictable. Like he has lived for half of his life on borrowed time. It was inevitable that he will die in the end. This was something I predicted from the moment we were told that he lives because of what Marlowe did to him.

I hate how this two things, the first one an important plot twits, the big plot twist in this book, and the second one something that was supposed to be shocking were both so predictable. You could have seen both from a mile away! ...more

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May 19, 2020 Sara (sarawithoutanH) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2020

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

I hate to say this was my least favorite in the series. Although I love the characters and I liked the ending overall, there was just something off about the pacing for this book. It just didn't hit the same as the other books. I think series enders are just hard to do.

I'd still *highly* recommend reading this series because the themes and characters are just too good! This series brought me to tears and laughter more than once.

I read this as part of the #DivinersClub reada ...more

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May 26, 2020 Drewthereader20 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: library-books, new-releases, completed-series, audiobook, buddy-reads, hardcover, tbr-shelf, 2020-favorites, 2020-reads

OMG MY FAVORITE IN THIS SERIES!(:
RTC!(:

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The Procrastinato...: The King of Crows (November 2020) Buddy Read Discusison ~ Alex, Mina, Michelle, Jen K	27	20	Nov 29, 2020 04:14PM
Last chapters felt rushed, anyone else agree? (spoilers ahead)	3	135	Feb 17, 2020 06:51PM

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About Libba Bray

Libba Bray

14,651 followers

What is it about writing an author bio that gives me that deer-in-headlights feeling? It's not exactly like I'm going to say "I was born in Alabama…" and somebody's going to jump up and snarl, "Oh yeah? Prove it!" At least I hope not.

I think what gets me feeling itchy is all that emphasis on the facts of a life, while all the juicy, relevant, human oddity stuff gets left on the cutting room floor. ...more