I know, I know, there's a thread for books on here already. I feel that I have to get this out to the masses so that we can discuss this 'book'.
I cannot decide if I was punked by all of the posters in the book thread telling me how great this book was or if there's nothing more than a bunch of folks on the mental level of Odell that really think it is a great book. Hell, the Amazon reviews LOVE this book and I just don't get it.
Pros
- Some really strong and dynamic characters. Lamar, Odell and Richard are pretty much the only reason I finished, that and wanting to see how the crap show would end.
- Nothing else.
Cons
- Stephen Hunter is not a good author. I remember seeing Shooter on a movie channel with my wife and it was TERRIBLE. I didn't know it was based on a book, because I thought no one could write that poorly, I just thought it was a terrible director and script. No sir, after reading DWB, I feel like Shooter was a masterpiece.
- Bud, Holly, their family and everyone else reads flat and stale. Nothing interesting about them at all.
- The way the author addresses the affairs in the book is just insane. You've got to be able to suspend belief while reading, but if you can find 10 women that would act like Holly, Jen and the Stepford wife, I would be amazed. "Sorry". "It's ok". Awful.
- The last two scenes in the book may be the most clichéd things I've ever read. Everyone was talking about how hilarious the book was. To me, the only things I laughed at, were these two passages.
If you like violence and want to read an author that can command your imagination, go read Blood Meridian. Don't waste your time with this soap opera/pulp bullshit.
On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being CBS' wizard cap and 1 being Jamies Winston's speeches in Communications class, this book gets a solid 3, and only because Lamar figures he's worth 4 or 5 by himself.