A timely read today, unfortunately. Making abortion illegal does not stop abortion. It just makes for desperate & criminal behavior.
A timely read today, unfortunately. Making abortion illegal does not stop abortion. It just makes for desperate & criminal behavior.
From the very beginning I felt tense , had butterflies. I loved the desert setting. I loved the surprises along the way , Thankyou @vivastory for recommending I go in blind… I went in knowing nothing and it made all the difference. I was fascinated as the story unfolded and at the draw , the force , that brought certain characters together. What an excellent book. I‘ll definitely try In A Lonely Place next.
I‘ve found a little gem in Dorothy B Hughes. Walter Mosley sums it nicely in the afterword, “Her novels are carefully crafted pieces, ahead of their time in their use of psychological suspense and their piercing observations about class and race.”
I think this is such a well done piece of noir fiction. Atmospheric writing, told with a great sense of dread, it held my attention to the very end. Recommend!
I wasn‘t able to get a copy of this book when #NYRBbookclub read it last year, but @Eyelit sent it as her choice for our #LGP2E book club and I‘m so glad!
I admittedly don‘t read a lot of noir, but I loved this slow burn mystery. The story has an undercurrent of doom to it, so even going in knowing nothing about it, I could tell from the first pages I was in for some discomfort and drama. Just fantastic writing.
Spoilerish stuff in comments. ⬇️
Tried to get this one read in time for #nyrbbookclub but December was just too busy. Almost done now, though, and I'm enjoying it. I lived in the Mojave Desert for several years (about 2 hrs north of Indio, CA/ Palm Springs) so I completely understand why he picked her up. No choice, really. It's brutal out there.
I'm so glad I managed to finish this in Dec for the #NYRBbookclub. As mentioned in other fantastic reviews & responses to the brilliant discussion, this isn't a whodunit but a simmering piece of noir. And it's about waiting. That sounds boring, but it isn't. The pace of the novel, the temporal space we enter, is that of a paranoia brought on by the racial order. It's so subtly done & exquisitely done, a delicate puzzle that involves its reader. ⬇️
I love the way this is written, especially the unsettling way that Hughes challenges the reader‘s assumptions. She also writes about the ways class and race affect the justice system in a way that is every bit as relevant now as it was when she wrote it more than fifty years ago. I only wish the mystery itself had a little more bite and, well, mystery.
Sorry to be late with this #NYRBBookClub pick but December never goes quite as planned!
Here is my #bookreport for this week. Five books finished. Two were for book clubs. I‘m feeling lazy tonight. 🤷🏼♀️
I have had a horrible headache since last night, so I‘m taking it easy with our #nyrbbookclub book this morning and taking the chance to cuddle one of our new Guinea pigs , Winter.
We‘re new to gps but loving them!
#NYRBBookClub Question 5/5:
Eleanor Gold wrote, “Noir does not present a puzzle to be solved. We can expect no easy answers, because the answer is not the point.“ Do you agree?
@BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi @GatheringBooks @LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen @merelybookish @MicheleinPhilly @mklong @saresmoore @sisilia @sprainedbrain @Theaelizabet @vivastory @youneverarrived @Aimeesue @batsy @Billypar @Cinfhen @JenniferP @Reviewsbylola @Suet624
#NYRBBookClub Question 4/5:
How much of an influence do you think film noir has had on noir novels? And vice versa?
@BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi @GatheringBooks @LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen @merelybookish @MicheleinPhilly @mklong @saresmoore @sisilia @sprainedbrain @Theaelizabet @vivastory @youneverarrived @Aimeesue @batsy @Billypar @Cinfhen @JenniferP @Reviewsbylola @Suet624
#NYRBBookClub Question 3/5:
What characteristics of hard-boiled crime fiction are used in this novel? Which are subverted?
@BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi @GatheringBooks @LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen @merelybookish @MicheleinPhilly @mklong @saresmoore @sisilia @sprainedbrain @Theaelizabet @vivastory @youneverarrived @Aimeesue @batsy @Billypar @Cinfhen @JenniferP @Reviewsbylola @Suet624
#NYRBBookClub Question 2/5:
Hughes depicts several different forms of “otherness“ - for example, race, class, gender - which do you think is the most effective?
@BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi @GatheringBooks @LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen @merelybookish @MicheleinPhilly @mklong @saresmoore @sisilia @sprainedbrain @Theaelizabet @vivastory @youneverarrived @Aimeesue @batsy @Billypar @Cinfhen @JenniferP @Reviewsbylola @Suet624
#NYRBBookClub Question 1/5:
Were you surprised by the big reveal?
@BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi @GatheringBooks @LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen @merelybookish @MicheleinPhilly @mklong @saresmoore @sisilia @sprainedbrain @Theaelizabet @vivastory @youneverarrived @Aimeesue @batsy @Billypar @Cinfhen @JenniferP @Reviewsbylola @Suet624
Interesting time capsule of a novel: Hughes writes with gritty realism about taboo subjects of her time: undisguised racism on the cusp of the Civil Rights era and the world of back-alley abortions. It was intense to see the MC forced into the detective role to protect both his freedom and reputation. I only wish I enjoyed the mystery itself, which seemed a little flat. I might have liked the ending more if I wasn't reading it as a mystery novel.
My #bathandbook tonight is super fun and colorful!
I‘m in the middle of the tagged book right now for #nyrbbookclub. The bad news is I won‘t finish it in time for tomorrow‘s discussion. The good news is it‘s my favorite NYRB title ever (so far).
I thought this was brilliantly done. Written with the same practiced restraint that defined the main character and told with finesse. It‘s a commentary on many things: human perception, bigotry & prejudice, the tension of development vs. progress. But more than that, I think it‘s just a damn good story. #NYRBBookClub
It‘s Christmas Eve and Crosby‘s in bed ,
With visions of cat toys dancing in his head.
Me ,reading a mystery,my #NYRBbookClub read,
to finish before Saturday,that‘s what I need.
If you celebrate Christmas,I know some of you do,
Eat,drink ,and be merry,and may all your holiday wishes come true.❄️📚☮️🎄🎅
I don‘t know where this is going, but I don‘t like it! #NYRBBookClub
Sometimes doing a kind thing will get you in some really hot water. Hughes kept me interested after revealing some details, ones that changed the story for me and also reminded me to challenge myself when making assumptions. So much is at stake for the main character as he endeavors to protect himself. The descriptions of time and place held me in the heat of the southern summer and the feeling of being in a small town.
#NYRBbookclub
I had to force myself off the jolly holiday reads to start this but I‘m now on chapter three and thoroughly engrossed. 👍🏻
#NYRBBookClub
@vivastory @Liz_M
#nyrbbookclub
I never heard of this phrase, but I like it and may begin using it 😁
I'm giving up. 🤷 I've been trying to read this for a few weeks now but still only 50 pages in. I find the writing tedious and the plot is making me anxious. Maybe that's the point but it's also probaly why I don't read much crime fiction.
Sorry #nyrbbookclub! This is my Sleepless Nights. @vivastory @Liz_M
Reading this #nyrb book for the December group read and totally wrapped up in it. I think it will be a quick read. #nyrbbookclub
#NYRBbookclub I‘m embarrassed to admit that until I neared the end I thought the title of this book was The Expandable Man. I even questioned why Hughes would have titled the book in such a way. I looked at the cover often and still read it incorrectly. My eyes played tricks on me repeatedly and I‘m still feeling a bit spooked by it. 🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
Crosby is ready for bed .Even though it‘s late I need to start my #NYRBBookclub title.📚I read In a Lonely Place about a year ago and loved it.High hopes for this one too!
3⭐️ Hugh Densmore was just being helpful. Unfortunately, his kind heart didn‘t receive good things in return. I‘m sure most of us have been in such situation. How annoying, right?! I was rooting for Hugh all the way, and I found it pleasant that such simple story line could jack up my anxiety. The ending is missing that additional oomph, though. I wish it was not that anti-climatic 😑 #nyrbbookclub
Oopsie again
Mixing it up with this #NYRBclassic and a #Persephone bookmark- two favs 💞
#NYRBBookclub
Oops, stationery vs stationary mistake here
#NYRBbookclub Free shipping offer expires at 11:59 PM on December 2, 2019 @vivastory @batsy @sprainedbrain @LeahBergen @saresmoore @youneverarrived @merelybookish @mklong @BarbaraBB @Suet624 @Liz_M @MicheleinPhilly @Leftcoastzen @emilyhaldi @Reviewsbylola @GatheringBooks @sisilia
I knew nothing about this book except that some of my peers here recommend it (looking at you @Liz_M 😀) and that I can‘t resist Persephone. Diving in unprepared is what made this highly suspenseful noir so powerful. I can‘t say too much. Just read it. And don‘t read reviews on forehand. Dorothy Hughes made me feel how the main character must have felt. Impressive!
#ReadIngUSA2019 #Arizona
(Pic: San Francisco)
Living in NYC, I have managed to amass 121 #nyrb books, 103 of which are unread. 😁 Pictured are some of my favorites. @vivastory #nyrbbookclub
My top 20 for 2017. I read history, books about and featuring and written by amazing women, some great audiobooks, and some surprising mysteries.
Endpaper from the Persephone Books edition of The Expendable Man. I agree with @LeahBergen -- Persephone really knows their stuff endpaper-wise!
#readjanuary
This was so good! A book that you can't put down because you need to find out what happens, but one that you need to put down in order to catch your breath. Hughes is an excellent writer of suspense.
For some reason I am astounded to find a Persephone Books edition of a novel at my public library. It's so pretty! Had to borrow it despite it not being on my tbr list 😁
New York Review of Books is having a summer sale and of course I had to partake. I got the One# the Run Thrillers and World War II in Fiction bundles. Completely opposite sides of the spectrum but 2 of my favorite kinds of books. Not my typical book choices but they all seem interesting so why not expand my reading :-)