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What Members Thought
Westerns and science fiction are two genres that I don't find very appealing. However, in my quest to be open-minded and to try new things, I've been trying to reach outside of my comfort zone when it comes to reading certain books. What I am learning is that setting and to some extent, plot, doesn't matter if the characters in the story are well-developed and drawn in an interesting way, which is why I really enjoyed this book.
The story is about two brothers who kill people for a living during ...more
The story is about two brothers who kill people for a living during ...more
I really loved this book. If it weren't for an anti-climactic final twenty pages, it might have become another rare and perfect novel. Yet, even with its slightly disappointing ending, I still fell very madly and deeply in love with this tale.
It was funny and sad, often simultaneously. DeWitt uses his words well, and the dialogue was spot on and beautiful. There were a few chapters in there that I will never forget, which will stay with me in all subsequent reading adventures. Here we have two c ...more
It was funny and sad, often simultaneously. DeWitt uses his words well, and the dialogue was spot on and beautiful. There were a few chapters in there that I will never forget, which will stay with me in all subsequent reading adventures. Here we have two c ...more
• I enjoyed this book – it was a pleasant read but not really a wow book
• The author did do a good job of putting his own twist to a western story and that worked well and probably helped with the award nominations – and this helped the book stand out for me
• It was a dark story and yet at the same time was comical and I was just shaking my head at some of the antics and action
• Eli was the narrator of the book and sets the tone and pacing for this book – this helped to make the book standout f ...more
• The author did do a good job of putting his own twist to a western story and that worked well and probably helped with the award nominations – and this helped the book stand out for me
• It was a dark story and yet at the same time was comical and I was just shaking my head at some of the antics and action
• Eli was the narrator of the book and sets the tone and pacing for this book – this helped to make the book standout f ...more
A quirky western -- not the shoot em up macho western -- but a shoot em up happenstance. It's the Wild West and the Sisters brothers -- Eli and Charlie Sisters -- have their orders. Their boss, the Commodore has ordered them to find Hermann Kermit Warm and kill him. The two meander their way to San Francisco where Warm was last heard to be, encountering other scoundrels, befriending a young boy alone on the trail and partying in towns along the way.
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The cover blurb says "I can't recall ever being this fond of a pair of psychopaths" and that's how I felt too. The narrator, Eli, show us his state of mind and his sensitivity, especially with regard to his less than perfect horse, Tub. And whilst Charlie seems to be cold and heartless, Eli's love and loyalty to him makes the reader want to be fond of him also.
There is a lot of violence in the story but this is the Wild West - Calamity Jane it ain't! Mind you, when Eli describes San Francisco I ...more
There is a lot of violence in the story but this is the Wild West - Calamity Jane it ain't! Mind you, when Eli describes San Francisco I ...more
I kinda liked this book.
Interesting style. It was weird. I would certainly see this as the next Tarantino's film ...
I had some laughing moments but no scary ones ... There was some build ups that unfortunately went flat.
Something was ... Missing.
But all in all, yes I would recommand. ...more
Interesting style. It was weird. I would certainly see this as the next Tarantino's film ...
I had some laughing moments but no scary ones ... There was some build ups that unfortunately went flat.
Something was ... Missing.
But all in all, yes I would recommand. ...more
Described to me as "Cormac McCarthy with a sense of humor," and I think it's apt - deWitt captures a lot of the same fatalistic themes but with a blunter edge than McCarthy's sometimes unremitting darkness. The scene with the abandoned boy and his tendency to provoke head injuries is particularly well-done on that score, and I also really enjoy the way deWitt gives Eli such a measured, precise way of speaking as a counterpoint to the wild violence of his life. Definitely among the best books I'v
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Loved this book. Such amazing, distinct characters. One of the quotes I read about the book was "Cormac McCarthy with a sense of humour" which I think really captures the feel of this book.
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Sep 12, 2011
Kristin
marked it as to-read
Feb 26, 2012
Anna
marked it as to-read
Jul 18, 2013
Ginger
marked it as to-read
Mar 30, 2015
Elizabeth
marked it as to-read
Nov 03, 2015
Denise
marked it as to-read
Oct 04, 2019
Brenda
marked it as to-read
Jun 18, 2020
Tuck
marked it as to-read
Aug 24, 2020
Kathy Jo
marked it as to-read
