Reads like a novel, ought to be a movie
928414
This is a terrific and highly vivid work.  It reads like a novel, and I suspect that if the subject matter were better known to American audiences, someone would have optioned the movie rights ages ago.
3111021
Bernard Cornwall's task in creating this novel was to weave a plausible story line which explains how the monument at Stonehenge was created. He not only succeeds in doing this, but both his character development and plot skills excelled as he pursued that goal. For me, this book was one of those extremely enjoyable reads that I was sad to complete. His descriptions of the scenery and people made it very easy to imagine a scene in my mind. I would seriously like to see this novel made into a movie directed by, say Coppola, David Twohy or Ridley Scott. Although fiction, it's a rich tapestry of Euro-American heritage. Highly recommended.
2941894
I couldn't put this book down.  I think I read it in two days.  I can't help but feel like this would make a good movie.  I realize the story has sort of been done before, but not quite in this way.  It was more realistic than Blue Lagoon.  I have recommended this book to several friends.
4797091
This could have been the best book I've read this year.  Could have been, but wasn't.  Told from a unique perspective -- after the war, rather than during -- this story of courage and resilience hums with the brilliantly conceived (albeit a bit too wholesome) lives of its characters.  Much of the story is told with a wit and empathy which balance well against the atrocities it depicts, and I cannot agree with those who argue that its shortcoming is its lightheartedness.  No, the real gremlins here are the poorly conceived narrative structure, the authors' outworn loyalty to the epistolary form, and the failure of the book to cohere thematically.  When I was halfway through reading it, I brought it to a friend in great excitement, ecstatic to share such a gem.  She told me she had already read it, and I was in for a disappointment in the second part.  She was right.  Who wants to read the same old story about the oh-so-intelligent but laughably stubborn woman who falls in love with the oh-so-reserved but privately passionate man?  And then they suffer through a series of misunderstandings until all comes right of a sudden -- in a great whoosh of melodrama -- at the end?  Austen told this story well enough; I wish talented writers would lay it to rest.  This book should have ceased being an epistolary novel and instead adopted some other, more immediate narrative form once the protagonist arrived in Guernsey.  And it especially should not have lost sight of its major theme in the second half: the power of literature (including letters) to nurture, empower, bond, and heal.  Sadly, the authors trade in this powerful theme for a trite love story.  Even the villains (of the book's present time, not the Nazis) fail to deliver real menace or to advance the plot.  And the novel's past and present events are woefully out of sync with each other, at least in terms of emotional impact on the reader.  If the writers had conferred patiently and deeply, I think they could have written a masterpiece.  As it happens, what they wrote is quaint, quirky, and occasionally enthralling (especially in its early observations on the habits and nature of reading), but tragically middle-of-the-road.
3598421
A gripping story with good character development, reads like a movie script in A good way !  Recommend for beach book
1184325
Richly illustrated in dialogue, Hansen is an artist of the conversation.  And whether it had been written with or without the local Derry Speak, the action and dialogue show that An Embarrassment of Riches lends itself easily into a movie.  My favorite scene is when Fionnuala, wearing Jackie O-type wee veiled hat, accompanied by daughter, Siofra, who is festooned in rosary beads, enters St. Brigid's Church for confession.  This is not Fionnuala's regular church--she needs more anonymity than that provided at her local St. Moluag's.  And when the reader soaks up her confession, well then, we know why anonymity was required. Fionnuala's confession scene finishes with wee Siofra's confession.  After reading this part, I realized that Hansen's descriptions of these character's behaviors is also fabulous story telling.

Throughout the story, I laughed out loud and found myself telling friends, "you won't believe it, but this is what happened when I left off the book."  If I had more time, I would have been able to read this in a couple of sittings, but feck, me life's as complicated as some of these characters are also.  And, yes, with all the disfunction, we do see ourselves and some aspects of our own families as well.

This is dark humor--please Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino--pay attention here--the  characters develop while destroying each other. This is the hard scrapple of life. Hopefully not all of wers, but the plot squirms with all the Satan of greed and jealousy, and Proddies and Catholics, and the violence of an oppressed, colonized society, spitting back the ravages of government, and abject poverty and culture that does not wear well on the faces of its subjects.

Wer characters developed eaten' each anoller up. Wer need the sequel, where the characters grow into a happier place--but then, that's the Yank in me talking.

Hansen's writing makes me feel that we want more from this author of the dark side of life.  This is Ireland.  Will there ever be a happy ending?
2238863
An interesting read. Would love to see it turned into a movie.
2236035
I was a lawyer involved with one of the murder cases.  For 20 years I have fantasized about putting this story together in a book or movie script.  I knew, sadly, that I had neither the time nor the talent.  This author does and it was assembled brilliantly.  It reads like a novel and that is because the story sounds too incredulous to be true.  But it is.  BUY IT
941318
"The Sisters Brothers" is a book that I liked a lot. However, I am still in the process of figuring out how much I liked it. It is a quick and engaging read and I was never bored or reluctant to read it when I picked it up. I will reread it again someday, and I am going to read the author's (Patrick DeWitt) other novel. So that means the text is a success. I am just not sure how big a success it is.
To begin with, there are many things about "The Sisters Brothers" that I enjoyed. I loved the stylistic choice of elevated language (reminds me a lot of "True Grit" in that way) and the voice of the novel's narrator Eli (one half of a pair of brothers who serve as hired killers for a mysterious man known as the "Commodore"). The novel also has a quick pace that flows nicely, and the surface story is interesting with enough symbolism and intriguing (and unexplained) moments to allow the reader to do some interesting thinking and discussing about the text. The relationship between the brothers of the title is also well rendered, and though at first glance they both seem to be one way, as you read on and the characterizations get a little more rounded you see that neither of the Sisters brothers is easy to categorize.
A criticism with the text is that the elevated language and sharp wit seems to be a trait that every character in the book has. Not one character sounds uneducated, stupid, or even less than well read. That is simply not a realistic portrait of the west coast of the United Sates in the early 1850s. Varying character voices would have greatly aided the novel.
Many readers of this book have said that it feels like a story the Coen brothers would film, and I have to back up that assessment. I have a feeling this novel will become a film someday and I would be very curious to see who ends up making it.
One thing I appreciated about the text was that this dark story ends with a feeling of redemption, and moving on from the sins of one's past. This might seem a little too tidy for some readers, but the novel ends with a sense of purpose and hope and I found it appropriate.
"The Sisters Brothers" is a good story on the literal and metaphorical level, and would be an excellent choice for a book club. Read it before someone makes a movie of it and does this excellent novel a probable disservice.
1396267
Great story... I'd love to see a movie adaptation.
2489679
I think a lot of the problems people have reading this book arise out of our expectations of what a novel should be like, ie with a plot that (usually) follows the hero's journey.  Once you accept that the narrator  has chosen this form of flowing narration (and for good reasons, realism  being one) it is possible to enjoy the novel.  The beautifully evoked  settings and concentration on day to day non-events, and detailed  description of a cohort of insignificant-yet-significant characters,  reminds me of the experience one gets from a Steinbeck novel.  The main  difference is that My Antonia is far more idealistic and optimistic in tone  than say, The Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden, although there is suicide  and illness, death and decline.  It is very bouyant, and written with a  loving eye and expressive pen.
1089795
Until I read this book, I generally avoided novels.  Not so much any more.  This is a beautifully written book to which I enthusiastically turned whenever the chance occurred.  It held me throughout, and when I was finished, I found myself disappointed that I could  no longer look forward to more reading.  Kind of like the feeling when you've eaten that last piece of cake, and wish there was more.

I am reluctant to offer any criticism, lest I discourage a potential reader from enjoying the experience., so let me offer this thought as a "comment" which may help your reading. There are a lot of characters, some of whom appear and then leave the plot line, others of whom keep reappearing.  I was occasionally reminded of the difficulties in reading a Russian novel, and, in retrospect, wished I had prepared a list of the characters which might have had made it easier to keep track of, and better understand the meaning of, their comings and goings.  And the large cast in a story about a long cattle drive, from Texas to Montana, requires quite a few unlikely coincidences.  But thees are well done, and apparent to the reader only in revisiting the story--as I read on, it all made lots of sense.

If I sound over-enthused, I will note that it did receive a Pulitzer Prize.  Deservedly
1894470
This book read like a novel, highly entertaining as it was, with plenty of excitement and suspense to keep it lively.  Based on the life of a Polish Jew around the turn of the (20th) century, it can be easily enjoyed by anyone, whether interested in this period or in Jewish history.
2998638
I have to admit I have a soft spot for crime novels or thrillers set amidst the backdrop of World War II, which is why I picked this one up. The story is set on the tiny island of Malta (which lies roughly 50 miles south of Sicily, 150 miles east of Tunisia, and is roughly double the size of the city of Washington, DC) in 1942, as daily Luftwaffe raids seek to pound the British garrison into submission. Along with the garrison, there are a coterie of British civil servants, including the titularly titled Max, who is basically a glorified head of propaganda, tasked with maintaining morale among the Maltese locals (Malta was a British possession until 1964), many of whom are pro-Italian.

Amidst the fearsome bombing campaign (which was far more intense than the legendary London Blitz), Max dashes around the island on a rickety motorcycle seeking out stories, meeting with newspeople, and trading quips with other Brits over drinks. And soon enough, he has to decide whether or not to cover-up the serial killings of bar hostesses, where the only clue is a British submariner's badge. Told over the course of nine days, the story should be a fast-paced thriller, but somehow manages not to be. Part of the problem is that there are too many subplots: Max is embroiled in not one, but two romantic situations, then there's the question as to whether the British naval presence will retreat to Alexandria, the separate question of whether or not the relief forces of Spitfires will arrive before the Germans invade, and finally, the presence of a German spy on the island.

Another significant problem is the large cast of thinly developed characters -- including Max himself. In attempting to create a crowd of potential suspects, the author doesn't do any of them justice, and we are left with types, instead of people. Unfortunately, his efforts at misdirection are somewhat clumsy and many readers will have figured out the killer well in advance of Max. Finally, in his worthy attempt to tell the story of Malta under siege, the author loses track of the central drama of the killings, and the story bogs down. It's an excellent portrait of a place and people under severe physical and psychological stress, but the storytelling is crowded out. Ultimately, a passable beach or airplane read, but little more. If you have a particular interest in Malta, it may have a little more resonance.
578829
This was one of the best books I have read in recent memory.  While reading the summary, I had a sense of how it may play out, but it was so much more than I had expected.  It would make a great story line for a movie!
3064068
I'm a sucker for these kinda popcorn books. It reads like a screenplay to me. It's a fun read and kinda a good roller coaster ride. Another reviewer mentioned Tarintino and it did feel like "From Dusk to Dawn" to me, but all the plot points made it a much tighter story. It would make a great movie. Funny, action packed, and a good page turner. I say it on a "recommended shelf" at the airport book store in Heathrow and made a note to pick it up when I got home, Really glad I did.

This book led me into reading all the Dresden Files series.

Writing this note about this book reminds me to grab the next book " Eye of the Moon" to see if it's as fun. Some times you just want a quick action book when your on a coast to coast flight. Too many books, too little time.
3471026
Gorham's novel starts with an 'epic' feel, bouncing around between characters and settings, with a plane crash that rivals just about anything on screen in terms of excitement and drama. It's set up nicely, making us care about the characters involved, and then is played out extremely well.

Once we get beyond the plane crash, however, our scope slowly begins to narrow until we really get to the heart of the novel - Kyle's long walk home and his wife's struggle to believe in his return. It's a story telling device that works particularly well, allowing us to follow that most intimate of tales, the struggle for one man's survival against the most overwhelming odds, while at the same time granting us some perspective on the overall situation, through a small-town microcosm of America.

Kyle and Jennifer are both well-developed characters, loving spouses who are suddenly confronted with a physical separation that mirrors their emotional distance of the last few years. Neither knows whether the other is truly alive, and both are faced with temptations throughout their ordeal. Even if Kyle does reveal a few personality flaws along the way, it's entirely unrealistic to expect anybody to be a candidate for sainthood after having spent months walking across the country. The subplot of Jennifer's stalker is, perhaps, a bit too typical of the genre, but it's handled well . . . and sets up a final resolution that really puts the emotional cap on the story.

If I had one complaint about the novel, it's the way in which the political sub-plot seems to just fade away. There's a significant focus early on around one US Senator that seemed to have some potential, but just when I thought she was being left behind like the other victims, she resurfaces for an oddly-placed scene, only to be forgotten again - this time for good. I would have liked to see more of her story, or else not go back to her at all that last time, but it's my only real quibble.

This was an exciting, fast-paced, nicely detailed story. Gorham never goes over-the-top in his descriptions of the horrors and the gore, which makes the darker elements all the more effective. He balances the emotions of the situation well, contrasting fear with courage, despair with hope, and animal lust with human love. The few human interactions Kyle encounters on his journey are nicely balanced as well, driving home the fact that the odds are truly against him, but also recognizing the fact that there are good people in any situation.

[I recieved a complimentary copy of the book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.]