Susan Tunis

Sometimes FREE is too much to pay

Revisado: 08-18-20

While this only wasted three minutes of my life, I truly have to wonder why this is even on offer. I'm sure Mr. Carroll is skilled at whatever it is he does, but the man is completely inarticulate. This was incoherent, cliche-filled babble. I can't delete it fast enough.

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A nostalgia trip

Revisado: 08-14-20 El oyente recibió este título gratis

One of the great disappointments of my life is that I was too young to see Jaws in its original theatrical run. I was six. So this novel set during the summer of 1975 was appealingly nostalgic. All that was missing was a reference to the Hustle.


Do not be fooled into thinking this is a murder mystery. Yeah, it opens with a murder, and you don't find out who done it 'til near the end of the book, but this is no mystery. It's a coming of age novel about a 19-year-old working in a movie theater the summer Jaws came out.

Nate's a likeable everyman, and you'll root for him. He views the world through a cinematic lens, seeing characters out of Cool Hand Luke here, violence reminding him of Dracula there. In another novel I'd call it lazy writing, but here it's completely appropriate for the character.

The writing here is adequate. Smith's prose isn't going to win any literary awards, and there's an occasional clunky line of dialogue that may make you cringe, but for the most part it's pleasant, easy reading. The narration is fine. Clark captures Nate's youthful voice well, and does a good job with the female characters, too. I would not describe this as a fast paced novel. It's a gentle stroll down memory lane. As I write this in the midst of a global pandemic, I can imagine plenty less pleasant ways to spend a few hours than revisiting a simpler and happier time.

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There's no excuse for how much I enjoyed this book

Revisado: 08-07-18

Full disclosure: I am a 49-year-old childless woman, and I LOVED this novel. I read it the first time because of my job as a bookseller... but I read it the second time purely for my own pleasure. When our sales rep came to pitch this title to us at the bookstore, he basically called it "the next Harry Potter." Yeah, I've heard that before. But honestly, of all the middle grade fantasies I've read in recent years, it most captures that same sense of fun and wonder of the Harry Potter novels.

The story is about Morrigan Crow, a young girl who is not only cursed, but doomed. She is saved from her fate at the last minute by an eccentric character named Jupiter North and whisked away to Nevermoor. There she lives in Jupiter's hotel, which is populated by giant talking cats, dwarf vampires, and other colorful and highly entertaining characters. But there's a catch--in order for her to remain safely in Nevermoor, she must compete for one of the few coveted spots in the Wundrous Society.

This first novel in the series is a great introduction to Morrigan's world, and it's denizens. Gemma Whelan does a great job with the performance--highly animated, but not cartoonish. I absolutely love putting this book in my customers' hands. And clearly I am a very immature woman, because I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the second book in the series!

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For those unafraid of the dark

Revisado: 04-17-18

What did you love best about Ill Will?

Dan Chaon is that rarest of novelists, he writes true literary thrillers. While his subject matter is dark as hell, his language is as gorgeous as his is tale compelling.

What other book might you compare Ill Will to and why?

Honestly, this book doesn't remind me of any other work, even Mr. Chaon's previous novels. It stands alone.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The use of multiple narrators for the many different point of view characters was really effective. The diverse characters certainly would come across as richly on the page, but when read this way with multiple voices there's a kind of, almost, theatricality to the tale.

If you could take any character from Ill Will out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I think it would have to be Dustin Tillman's wife. We're close in age, and she seems rather more centered than her husband!

Any additional comments?

I've already mentioned twice that this is a dark novel, but I think it bears repeating. I'm not necessarily attracted to the dark, but the story Mr. Chaon tells is like a slow motion train wreck that you can't possibly look away from. I love that the author doesn't answer every last question that come up in the story, leaving me with food for thought and a desire to visit the book again. I read hundreds of books each year, and this one made my annual Top 10 List. Loved it!

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