Good But Really Depressing
359496
Written in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle, but sprinkled so liberally with such long strings of quotes from the actual Holmes stories that I got the feeling the author was just padding the book out. But it was seamless, by which I mean, I saw almost no stylistic difference between the original quotes and this book.

This is the story of how Sherlock Holmes was not able to solve the Whitechapel murders and what it did to him intellectually and emotionally. Since the actual Jack the Ripper murders took place during the same time as Holmes in his prime, this story shows Holmes solving his actual (fictional) cases while simultaneously trying to figure out who's killing the streetwalkers -- the actual (real) case. It does get a little confusing going back and forth between the real and the fictional, but it's very well-written and it only gets horribly depressing near the very end.

I'm not sure how much else I can say without giving away the ending, although the idea that I could give away the ending might surprise those of you reading this review, because we all know that Jack the Ripper was never caught.
3488259
The CD has amazing music, but the mood of the whole thing is completely depressing. The only song I'd say is not very good is "Life and Love and Why". Most of the songs have a more rock-ish tone compared to "Learning to Breathe", "New Way to Be Human", and "Beautiful Letdown".
2990252
I enjoyed the book until the last few chapters when it got real depressing and had a very bad ending.
2934605
Being from St. Louis, I enjoyed the reference to the St. Louis sites and the different sayings that we use in Missouri, that was very realistic. I thought the writing was very good and heartfelt. It was sad and depressing as it was about a unemployed editor who goes home to care for his now widowed and ill mother suffering from dementia and major health problems. His courage and dedication was wonderful. His description of the weather and the town they lived in was very realistic and put the reader right where he was, exactly in that room.  It was a sad and depressing story though, so only the healthy should read it.
3248980
This book is very well-written, especially for a first novel, but I found the content to be very sad.  I found myself wanting to finish it, not because I loved it, but because it depressed me.
1148780
I really liked the main character.  I was in the dark about her 'monster' until near the end, which was good.  However, the book was just too dark and depressing to me.  There was never any lighter moments. But perhaps there could not be for the victim.  I was still hoping at the end that she would find her happy ever after.
3363012
I read this book fairly quickly because I found it interesting.  At the same time I gave it only three stars because I found it depressing.
895845
I know it's very factual but it was depressing throughout the whole book.  Wish someone could help our soldiers, anyone!!!!
3664582
The book was very interesting but became depressing with so many stories of the childhood years and how hard they were.  I would have preferred fewer childhood stories and more about the effects of the upbringing as the children became adults.
588301
I use to read post apocalyptic books years ago and this one sounded really good so I had to check it out. It was good, it was realistic, graphic, honest.... It was exactly what I guess I was expecting, but this book just made the scenario of what could be so real it, to me, it was kind of depressing. It tells what I believe would be the truth though so hell yea, read it, suck it up and realize a future that could be.
3621027
I really liked parts of this book. The concept is great, the first section of the book was really good, and there were some really nice moments through out.
I also disliked some parts of this book. Its really sad, probably too sad. I actually almost stopped reading the book after the first part because I could tell that it was going to become really depressing. I put it down for a day but decided it would be worth finishing. I didn't regret my decision until the end, which was not at all pleasing. I was really not happy with the end. Two minor problems were ethnic stereotyping (it doesn't come off as racist but is sort of comical in a bad way) and an overabundance of sex.
I would probably recommend this book to others because I was really grabbed by it emotionally BUT I would be wary of doing so because there is a real possibility that a person wouldn't like this book at all.
4694374
This book nearly drove me to tears right from the beginning.  The story is written smoothly and goes along without a hitch but the subject matter is just so depressing.  The author actually brings out the characters emotions quite vividly and you can't help but get sucked in.

Mimi is in her sixties and is aging faster than the normal person but given her life history you will see why.  Unfortunately for Mimi she doesn't see that part of her problem isn't just old age but it's actually a bunch of little things that are going on that just push her buttons the right way and cause physical side effects that are going undetected.

Let me tell you if I had a daughter like Cassie I would back hand her across the back of the head for talking to me like this.  Good gosh!  Mimi's sisters are all there for her and the bunch of them minus the two who have passes are rehashing life's memories for a genealogy project that will leave all their children with family background.

This story hit me hard since my dad came from a very large family, him being number seven of eleven.  His father was an Irish immigrant and his mother was English and Scottish.  My dad would tell me stories of the poverty and how life was for him and his siblings as a child and it just is so similar to Mimi's story that my heart aches.  I miss my dad so and yes I have the stories and know my background and normally don't have a problem with it but it's stories like this one that can really retch your soul in pieces.

I gave this a three star only because the selling part that you read to determine if you might enjoy this or not wasn't really enough to give me fair warning that this might be a heart wrencher.  The author did a good job writing but I just wasn't prepared for the emotional beating.
2067277
At it's core it is a terribly depressing story but I found myself crying more at the happy moments.  Beautifully written!
2142343
For all of the talent displayed in the actual writing of this book it's too bad that it had to be so depressing even to the end.  Never a real price for the people who inflicted all of the pain during the course of the story the only ones who suffer are the children.  Whereas I found the author completely capable and talented, it would have been nice to have read a different story than this one.
2865346
I had a very hard time getting into this novel.  It is a dark and depressing world created by the author.  One in which constant storms have forced much of the gulf coast to be abandoned by governmental decree.  You follow along with a man who stays in this forsaken land after the mandatory evacuations and who is forced to confront his past.

The story is beautifully written.  It flows wonderfully.  The characters--both villains and heroes--are full of depth.  But I just felt I was drowning in their despair.  The story was depressing, and I felt drenched in the characters' tragedy.  I trudged through the novel as if I was facing the same storms as the characters.  I would like to believe that was the author's intent.  If so, he succeeded, but not in a way in which I enjoyed reading it when I put the book down.

I was taken down this dark river of misery, but it did not exposed me to any new views on the darkness in man.  Besides a few surprises, the plot is relatively straightforward. Furthermore, the mechanism of endless storms seems a bit unrealistic and contrived.  Maybe a comment on climate change while still framing the story?  I am not sure it was needed.

Maybe I was just not in the mood for this type of book.  However, I did not put this book down feeling enlightened; it just left me depressed.
521552
Well written with a big dose of heart breaking treatment. The heroin takes her constant mistreatment stoically. I gave it 4 stars because it was just so depressing! Anytime things would change for the better the author came back and made it worse than before with a severe consequence! I like the mix of civilizations, capabilities, and evolution that struggle to coexist peacefully.
4516490
I want to start out by just saying, I hate sad endings. Reality sucks way too much and when I read a book, I really just want to pull for the happy ending and when it doesn't happen, it sucks. Yes I know that's not really realistic but that's why it's fiction. I don't want to pay for something that's going to make me depressed in the end.
I almost wish I would have kind of asked around before reading it and had someone tell me, the end is depressing. I probably would have avoided it.
Yes the writing is good. The story was so good. The whole way through I loved the characters and the plot and I really just wanted him to change his mind. When he didn't, I was heart broken. I cried crocodile tears while at work.
If you like being depressed then yes, this book is for you, but if you'd rather not sob helplessly while wishing life didn't suck so bad, you might want to skip with one.