Plot & characters completely mystifying
351817
Grundler, author of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Last-Exit-In-New-Jersey/dp/B003WUY33A/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Last Exit In New Jersey</a>&nbsp;has you at his/her complete mercy. Characters behave in completely incomprehensible ways. The main goal seems to be to keep the reader off balance-- in all areas. It's beyond mystery. There should be a genre for this kind of book called "Who done what to whom and why on Earth?" (Also known as "WdwtwawoE?" or "Wwww?" for short.)

* * * * SPOILER ALERT * * * *

The commenter below finds a spoiler here, so consider yourself warned! Skip to the conclusion if you want my verdict without further description of the book.

The reader doesn't know anything, and neither does the heroine (female protagonist?). Who's conspiring with whom? What are they conspiring about? Who likes/loves/hates whom? Not only does the reader not know much, the things you might think you know are constantly shifting, at the author's whim. The male protagonist is certifiable and couldn't put two coherent thoughts together, were it not for his imaginary alter ego. Actually, I'm grateful to him, since the dialog between the hero and his alter ego was the most enjoyable aspect of the book.

* * * * Conclusion * * * *

I read it all, but it was a long and bumpy trip, and I wasn't thrilled by either the journey or the destination.
1973933
Very confusing. Flashback writing has to be clear otherwise readers get lost, which is what happened to me. Too many characters, and so, very few were clearly defined or developed which meant that I began to forget who was who. Totally unbelievable police procedure which left so many gaps in the investigation , i.e. (the headline of my review) too many unanswered questions.  Also, out of the far too many characters, there was only one I found likable, Leo, the missing child's brother. I'm afraid I couldn't possibly recommend this book.
3410040
I am honestly shocked & confused about the mostly high ratings here. I wanted to quit reading, but I stuck it out, assuming there must be something worthwhile. The story is completely farfetched to the point of being ridiculous. The characters are flat and unlikeable. The violence and brutality is over the top. I will say I tend to like literary mysteries and this one is not literary...it felt like an airport or grocery store paperback...so maybe it's just not my style. My overall feeling was that I had wasted my time and would warn others away from this shallow, flat, unrealistic, gratuitously violent read.
1578049
I normally start my reviews with an encapsulating blurb - my take on the primary story line, but in this case I'm at a loss. There is no single story driving the action. It's very much an ensemble cast, and we watch them struggle to find their various ways through a turbulent period in the history of their world. That should give us lots to see and do, and it should be exciting. But it isn't. At least, not for me.

The problem is that, in order to get excited by a story, I need to become emotionally invested in the characters first. But that just never happened for me here. So many people traipse through this tale, crossing and recrossing each other's story lines, that I just kept getting lost. Who is this, again? Who is he with now and what are they doing? Never mind that there doesn't seem to be a single likeable character in the entire mix. I just can't keep them all straight long enough to bond with any of them.

So many of these characters seem to be interchangeable. There's a group of wizards, and a group of soldiers, and another group of wizards, and some thieves and some super-wizards... Most of the players in any one group seem completely indistinguishable from one another, and even characters from different groups seem equally depthless and banal. The magic system seems vague, and yet all powerful. I can't even tell how many races there are supposed to be, because it's not always clear whether this new "group" being mentioned is a race, or a religious order, or a nationality.

The first time I tried to read it, I got about 20% in and bailed. But I've read so many good reviews that I decided to give it another shot. This time I got 98% of the way in - I reached the freaking climax! - and I was so confused and so underwhelmed by the big finish that I just folded up my tent and went to watch some TV instead. If a 500 pg book can't hold me during the last 50 pages, when it is purportedly paying off that 450 pg investment, there is something seriously wrong.

A number of people have told me that it really starts coming together in book 2 or maybe book 3, but I'm just not willing to wade through 1000 or more pages of confusing crap to get to the good stuff. And frankly, I have a hard time believing there's anything in the future other than more confusing actions being conducted by interchangeable cardboard characters that I have come to loathe. So why on earth would I want to keep reading about them?
1697284
Yes, it's well written (tho plagued with typos). And yes, it's exciting.  But the plot is terribly convoluted, and the author introduces tons of twists and turns that never get resolved. When I finished the book I was actually MAD at how unsatisfying the ending was, as well as all the unanswered questions that remained in my mind. I guess she's setting herself up for the next book in the series; but there's a big difference between a cliffhanger and total confusion.

It was really super gory, with graphic, oozing descriptions of eleven-teen different ways to torture flesh.  I suppose that's a positive aspect of this book if you like that sort of thing, but I sure don't - blech!

I've read all this book's other reviews, and it sure looks to me like the first half - the 5-star reviews - are fakes that the author got her friends to submit; and the real reviews are the ones from my fellow 2- and 3-star reviewers. I say that because many of the things the 5-star reviews said about this book just aren't true, whereas the low reviews point out the legitimate flaws.

I advise this author to go back to the drawing board and significantly revise this book.  It's a good start, especially for a first-time novel, but needs a LOT of work.
3744111
For the price, I was able to muddle through the writing issues of the first book, but from the very beginning of this book, it was impossible to figure out what the heck was going on.  There are so many excellent story elements in this book, but it's nearly impossible to enjoy them because all of the details are just thrown at the reader like a limp spaghetti noodle, and the reader is left to determine what is supposed to stick and what isn't.  Oftentimes, I had to reread pages to figure out what the author was intending to describe, but was often left with confusion.  What exactly do Ming vases in a beach rental house have to do with accounting fraud?  Who the heck knows - and by the time this potentially great story is completely trampled with choppy writing and basic grammar errors (then/than misused), it's hard for the reader to even care anymore.  By the time you get to the most cliche last line in a book ever, you can only roll your eyes.  The last line is best suited for a B Horror movie, not a potentially good book with great characters.
2767228
I completely agree with previous reviewers who expressed disappointment in this novel.  The writing was choppy and the plot was incomprehensible.  I understand that historical fiction is fiction (I do not need an authorial note to remind me of that, Ms. Erickson), but this take on Mary Stuart was bizarre.  The Rome, Flanders, and Amy Dudley's casket chapters especially disappointed me--Mary was not an action hero, for goodness sake. Also, I find it hard to believe that after years of freedom in France, she would willingly head to London.  Plus, if Cecil had spies everywhere, how did he not find Mary in Normandy (an area of France just across the Channel from England).  I am happy to suspend my disbelief when I read historical fiction, but this book was just too far out there!
734876
A puzzle that never completlely comes together...many big pieces still missing at the end.  3 of the main characters were interchangeable & it was hard keeping them straight. Main female protagonist was unappealing and nearly impossible to sympathise with.
The event that started 20 years of mystery & murder was never described in detail. Read author's previous work which was similarly distasteful in plot line & characters.. virtually everyone in TOF was damaged, insane, homicidal and/or without any conscience whatsoever. Could have been an intriguing story...but it was a mess.
1761990
The plot was, at its core, somewhat promising; but it quickly became a ludicrous collection of absurd coincidences & larger than life dangerous & heroic actions performed by ordinary people. It simply became more so with each succeeding chapter. The writing is horrific! There's absolutely no style whatsoever, no vivid descriptions of anyone or anything. It is merely a declarative recitation of events & conversations, many of which were tedious, extremely far-fetched, and often quite awkwardly worded. There's certainly no life or emotion conveyed in any of the language.  No offense to 6th or 7th grade students, but it was much like a book report written by a student of that age: first he did this, then he did that & then someone told him thus & so. Blah, blah, blah! My very last book by this author!!
2196271
I'm almost at a loss for how to review this book without spoilers...but I think I can do it.

Well, for one, I find it hard to believe the reader, with no more information than the book's characters, will not figure out what's going on (at least enough to call in the feds) long before the characters do.  I hate purposefully stupid characters. "Air borne?" Gimme a break!

Fights, chases, and escapes that are so unrealistic that this reader felt cheated.

A Mystery Man whose identity is a yawn when revealed...and a reason for mystery that makes NO sense whatsoever.

There are other twists that don't hang together nicely--turns in a character's behavior that make no sense except to clean up the plot.

Life is too short to spend on a book like this.
2308033
This book was not what I expected at all.  I expected some sort of witty romp in a cosy mystery type of style.

Instead, The Rabbit Back Literature Society is odd, surreal and impossible to pigeonhole.  The plot is inconclusive and ambiguous, with a most unsatisfactory conclusion that explains nothing.  The style is disjointed and jarring.  The characters are flawed to the point of unlikeability.

There is a dreamlike quality to the prose, and also to the logic of the plot; for example, why would the truth-telling of The Game provoke such extreme physical reactions in the participants?  Obviously there is a lot of symbolism here, but it is presented as if realism, which makes for a disconnect in the reader expectations.

Yet despite these apparently insurmountable objections... I did enjoy reading it to some extent.  I couldn't stop reading; I wanted to know what happened next, what the answers were.  The lack of clear answers forthcoming left me working out my own, which meant engaging with the text in a way that I normally wouldn't otherwise with such detached characterisation.  I felt somewhat disappointed at the conclusion that none of the various mystery threads are resolved at all, and many that were introduced do not even get started (i.e. Ella's fertility).  Leaving everything to the reader's imagination (real, or paranormal) is an interesting literary device, but does not result in a satisfying reading experience!

I would recommend this one as a book group read, as there is loads of discussion fodder here, but would say that otherwise it is a quirky, difficult and somewhat unrewarding read.

Everybody knows that no healthy person would take up writing novels. Healthy people do healthy things. All this darned hoopla and hot air about literaturewhat is it really but mental derangement run through a printing press?

 Pasi Ilmari Jskelinen, The Rabbit Back Literature Society

(Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog)
1306344
Way too artificial... full of contradictions in the two characters in many aspects, sane and insane, rational and emotional, moral and immoral, intelligent and nonsense, mature and nave... very difficult to follow the plot for any reader who likes to make sense of it.

Is it just a fantasy or a product came from the pressure of the writer's contract? Even a fantasy story has to be rooted by some real life principles in order to connect the human readers in some way.

Going to the fiction section in a library, most of books are found about `thrillers' or 'murders', I wonder, is it that a novel has to be about those blizzard characters in order to sell? I'd like to read something dramatic but believable, smart or inspiring (please recommend some to me)... perhaps it's too demanding to those writers who keep writing for a living.
533178
Chris Bohjalian creates a claustrophobic atmosphere in this novel. That's about the best you can say. The story is a complicated plot and is meant to be character driven,yet is overwhelmed by the ruminations of one of the main characters, the seemingly doomed Chip, an airline pilot overcome by a tragic accident in which his plane goes down and all the passengers, but for 10, are killed. Chip's voice is an insistent one, in fact, we relive the plane crash over and over and over, ad nauseum, until you just start to zone out and skip over those parts. In addition, the narration of the crash is changed to the second person form, which really, to this reader at least, doesn't add much immediacy to the story, and is completely intrusive and aggravating, like a car alarm that you just can't tune out or turn off.

This novel has a cast of thousands, you are drowning in actors here. Yet the characters with the most potential, Reseda,Emily, and the girls, are sketchily drawn, even though much time is taken up with their entries into the story. They are bland, with scarcely much that is unique to say about themselves, not plucky, not engaging, simply, as in, for example, Reseda's case, smugly placed to move the action along.

At the same time, there are odd little unresolved moments, some sexy time between two of the main characters, 39 bolts on the basement door, equaling the number of crash victims, strange wallpaper, etc. Bits and pieces of detail that rival Stephen King's artifice, yet are just placed there, as if to say, "look what I did there, I bet you didn't expect that!" None of these details are ever resolved, nor do they contribute to the plot, they're just there, as if Mr. B's magic author wand spat out some sparkle for the audience to applaud.

In fact, that's what bugs me the most about this book. I feel taken advantage of, and condescended to. "Dear reader:" the novelist seems to say, "I will direct this movie as I see fit, and if you can follow along, then goody for you." There is no space for the reader to feel intrigued, sucked into the mysteries of the story, or seduced by a contrary, eccentric character here or there; it's all overexplained, the clues are patently obvious and the writer seems almost to greet the reader with a smug tone, as if to make sure that we see EVERY footprint, EVERY ghostly appearance, EVERY clue that will lead us down the lane to the final plot twist, a CB specialty, or so I hear. In short, it's so complacently baroque that by the time you've reached the end, after a seemingly inexhaustible recitation of the plane's final moments again and again, you don't really give a crap about whatever twisty and turny denouement CB has in store for you. And for all that, it's just as well, for the ending is as ungenerous as the rest of the book.

No surprise, I suppose, after all.
3315542
What, wow, for real? Wow... this book had a good plot & kept me turning pages. The author did a good job making the book flow. The characters in this book are all a hot mess. I wish donte & Monica would get it together. If they can passed the bs they'll be good. Everybody else of course is a trip. I highly recommend this book. It was worth my break time reading it...
1054416
The year is 2060 & the plot revolves around virtual gaming. The games creator is killed very quickly in the first chapter. You pretty much know what happened & how. But, how is it possible?
The cops chase their tails. They realize later what happened & chase the culprit. By that time, you've read through constant repetitive dialogue where nothing is happening. Most of the middle book is filled with this repitition. By the time the author gets to the meat of the story I no longer cared. I, like others, have doubts if Nora Roberts/JD Robb wrote this. Many of her trademarks simply aren't there.
Having trouble falling asleep? Just pick this novel up. It'll put you out

I wonder if the manuscript was proof read or copy edited. There are numerous very noticeable mistakes. Even the editing falls short in this novel.
1814527
An enjoyable mystery in so far as plotting goes, but found it very hard to block out the very weird characterization of American heroine, Lily.  While the first view of her seems consistent with an American heiress of the 1920's, she quickly descends into 19th century Unsinkable Molly Brown territory, which does no favors to the tone or authenticity of the story.  It makes sense that she can shoot, but it makes no sense at all that she speaks, out loud and in internal monologues, in such a caracaturized American way.  Maybe author Cleverly is totally unfamiliar with American history and mores, or in writing American characters, but her off-kilter portrayal of the most important female character in the book definitely made me cringe, and absolutely spoiled the book for me.  Just kept shaking my head, thinking 'what is she doing here'? and 'She can't be serious'!  And should be noted that Joe is off stage a lot, and has mostly a quite secondary role throughout, which was surprising and a bit off-putting.  Especially when the cringeworthy Lily took his place with her god awful internal monologues.  So, two stars only, and stay away from writing Americans, Barbara!
4215756
The basic plot revolves around an unnamed narrator who is a new arrival at a boarding school for orphaned boys. He has strange experiences at the school right from the start: no one seems to like him, but they act like they know him, there are weird voices in the night, the principal is definitely a wacko, and his assignment with garden duty turns out to be downright horrific.

But what is really going on at this school? And can he trust anyone to help him figure out the mystery?

Right from the start, this book is utterly disquieting. There is just something off, not quite right. The register is very erudite, but the narrator is supposed to be a young boy. The narrative begins quite abruptly. It is difficult to pin down exactly where this is occurring. And all the characters seem to know more than they are letting on, or perhaps it is our narrator that we can't trust. . .

You see where I'm going.

It gets under your skin. I just wanted to know what exactly was going on and who I could trust!

The book very much reminded me of Lord of the Fliesthough there are a few adults, the boys seem to be the ones in control, making the rules, and there is an insular and heightened quality to the story, as though it is going on in a bubble outside of everything else.

It definitely is not a straightforward narrative. This book is more in the realm of a high literary fever dream. Though it has a (mostly) conclusive ending, there is not any hand-holding going on here. You are going to have to dig in and work a little to read this one.

My thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this to read and review.