Redbird57

Outstanding!

Revisado: 04-29-25

This a work of fiction written by Ed Burns. I understand that he admits that he's borrowed from his own childhood, but he describes with perfection that story of a 12 year old boy who is growing up on Long Island in 1980. If you want to get inside the mind of a 12 year old and how he relates to his parents, older brother and extended family, this is it. He is very funny and irreverent at times but also finds a way to be touching. It's just a great story.

I have listened to over 500 audio books in my life, Ed Burns' performance in narrating this book may be the VERY BEST I've ever heard. His voice, inflection, enthusiasm, etc., could not be more perfect. He is a real pro and you know that it's not just some dude they found at an audition and threw a book at him to read.

I'm sure I'll listen to it again and I don't do that often with fiction. Kudos, Ed Burns!

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Most interesting Story

Revisado: 04-29-25

I had never heard of Billy Walters. However, he is one of the most successful sports gamblers of all time. He takes you through his life, which as you can imagine has been a wild ride that included several years in a federal penitentiary. It's a very interesting and engaging story.

As wealthy as he is, Mr. Walters would have done well to have a professional narrator read this book. I'm not trying to be overly critical, but he probably doesn't realize that he slurs many words and you'll need to listen a half an hour or more before you finally pick up the cadence and become a accustomed to his voice.

Otherwise, a great listen.

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Very Engaging Story

Revisado: 02-20-25

First, let me say that I think Mr. Vlautin is an excellent writer. What I mean is that he writes books that keep me interested. His dialogue is also very engaging. This is the second one of his books that I have read, the other being "The Horse."

Second, the man writes sober, melancholy and sad books. He writes them well. Most of us don't like to think about it, but much of our life is spent on the negative and challenging parts of the human existence. We should relish the moments of bliss, but realize that not everyone is enjoying those emotions.

The two books I have read by the author both have to do with depression, drug usage and (what I would characterize as) living on the margins of life. Someone needs to tell those stories and Willie Vlautin does it well. So be prepared to read an engaging, yet sad and sobering book. And hopefully, realize the need to be nice to somebody today, because everybody is having a tough time.

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A bit disjointed

Revisado: 11-19-24

This is a novel that revolves around three people in a small town. They are very complicated characters and it's hard to follow at times. Their stories basically come together at the end, but in a gritty sort of way that I didn't think played well. I think the writer was going for a realistic and dramatic conclusion but in my view, missed the mark. However, I do think Mr. Jaworowski is a talented story teller/author.

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It's an Underwhelming Conclusion.

Revisado: 10-10-24

I've been a Matt Scudder and Lawrence Block fan for 25 years. I think I've read all of the Scudder series and many of Block's other books, like Evan Tanner and Bernie Rhodenbar. He's one of my favorites.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this -- which Block has said will be his final book -- was a bit disappointing. It takes you back to Matt's childhood and a little about his parents. The vast majority of the book is spent on his first few years out of the NYPD Academy and his years with Vince Mahaffey, who was only an historic character in the other Scudder novels. You find how Matt met his first wife, Anita, their courtship and how they started their family in Wysockett. There's a few lines of how the the sons, Michael and Andy turn out.

There is very little treatment of people like the Armstrong brothers or Mick Ballew. They are mentioned briefly. Matt's final compatriot in the latter novels, young CJ, is only mentioned in the final few pages where we find he's now married and lives in the suburbs.

All of that said, Lawrence Block is a wonderful writer. Now in his latter 80's he has said he has retired from writing. I hope he enjoys the final phase of his life. Mine is left poorer with the knowledge that there will be no more Block books to read!

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Disappointing

Revisado: 10-10-24

I've listed to the first four of the Prescott series and found this one disappointing. The writing was a bit flat compared to the others and the characters just not very compelling. This is about Thomas traveling to Bolivia with a hired team to attempt to rescue an old girlfriend, Gina, who has been kidnaped. About 85% of the story is about Thomas and these undeveloped characters he's with, tramping through the jungle. Pirog's humor falls a bit flat as well. It's just not very interesting.

Then he gets bogged down educating the reader with technical mumbo jumbo on the treatments for auto immune diseases. I feel he must have a loved one with MS or another such malady. If so, I'm sympathetic to his plight.

The narrator is excellent. He's the same one who has narrated the other Prescott books and does a good job trying to make the story interesting, but he has his work cut out for him on this one. I hope for better in future books.

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A Sucker Born Every Minute!

Revisado: 08-01-24

First, this review will be blunt. I don’t mean for it to be mean spirited, so please don’t interpret it that way. Blunt, not hateful.

Second, I read a lot of books, but review very few, so here goes.

This is a most compelling book and truly holds your attention if you are into “con-man” examination. I am. How some “confidence men” are able to pull the wool over others’ eyes is fascinating to me.

This is a story of a guy who hoodwinked a number of ladies online and caused them to fall “in love” with him without ever actually meeting any of them. According to the three females involved in the writing, the total number of females bamboozled by this dude exceeds ten.

These ladies are very educated, and at least Ms. Akbari (the only one you can find photos of) is VERY attractive. Reasonably speaking, hot! But it proves that education is not a proxy for intelligence. I concede that these events take place in the early days of online dating and that “catfishing” was not a well-known phenomenon at the time. However, I remember what my father said to me many years before Al Gore invented the internet, “If someone who you have never previously met tells you they love you after three hours at the skating rink, that’s not the real thing.” Evidently no one told these women.

This guy was somewhat slick. He really laid it on thick to these women and one woman after the other were IN LOVE with him without ever having met him. They were emotional and love sick (literally) over him. Can’t eat or sleep, etc. It’s ludicrous actually for anyone to be so emotionally attached to someone they have never actually met. I do give credit to Ms. Akbari for putting it out there and bearing the humiliation of this behavior for all the world to read.

Some of these girls actually made me laugh out loud with their heartbreak over this guy. I’m sorry, some people or infinitely gullible.

But, now, here’s the clincher – this guy it is finally discovered, is not ACTUALLY a guy at all! It is another woman posing as a guy! And this WOMAN is a medical student who actually completes her training and is a practicing OB/GYN physician in the United States! Go figure. So, 75% of the way through the book, you learn that this SOB guy (Ethan) who has broken hearts on both sides of the Atlantic, isn’t a guy at all and is a seriously disturbed woman. It’s almost as if these women all deserve each other!

So read it. It’s interesting. It DID hold my attention and I did laugh. And if you are an online dater, the moral of the story is to at least wait until you ACTUALLY meet someone before you give your heart away! I would say that’s solid advice!

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Good Old Fashioned Adventure

Revisado: 01-23-23

This book was written in 1964. You can tell some of the datedness in the writing. But fun, adventure books such as these, where there’s a mystery, a damsel in distress and a hero are timeless. Have fun!

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Great info in one place

Revisado: 12-17-22

18 separate views into a bad world system. Great resource. Worth the read for anyone interested.

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Weak for laughs

Revisado: 08-19-22

I'm a connoisseur of sophomore humor. Done well, I can laugh for days. I'm talking about Eastbound and Down, Dumb and Dumber, Ricky Bobby and Walk Hard.

I wanted to like this book. But this author (and I'm not trying to be so hard on him) just doesn't get near the works noted above. He tries. He even brought a smile to my face a few time, but he just doesn't get there. That's what he's going for, but some just have that gift and others do not.

This story just didn't translate well into that genre.

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