RaveThe Washington Independent Review of Books... a sensitive and balanced telling ... The subject of Canellos’ book isn’t just one man, but also the incredibly strange, heartbreaking complexity of race relations in America during that man’s lifetime ... engrossing.
Jess Walter
RaveWashington Independent Review of BooksSome of the dialogue is heavy on vernacular not found in Webster’s or any other dictionary: “rustle boxer,” “batty-fanged,” “jangle girls.” But Walter uses the slang ably, in such a context that the reader understands its meaning despite the unfamiliarity. It’s high praise for any writer to be mentioned in the same sentence with McGuane and, in that spirit, one might say Walter’s use of lingo is as good as [Thomas] McGuane’s in the short story \'Cowboy\' ... [a] marvelous story by an author now ensconced, rightfully, in the highest rank of American novelists.
Walter Thompson-Hernandez
MixedWashington Independent Review of Books... mixed authorial roles are problematic. They make for a narrative that can be all over the place, and the story that worked so well as a magazine piece is stretched too thin for a book. It is scattershot and often hard to follow. The one thing that does come through with clarity, though, is the magic of horses ... small details, so important when giving characters color and depth, are presented with a purpose that is sometimes a mystery, or are, themselves, befuddling ... An editor could (and should) have addressed these and other distracting flaws. All of them are evidence of a young writer with promise who, notwithstanding the imprimatur of the New York Times on his résumé, is still learning his craft.
Peter Moore
PositiveThe Washington Independent Review of Books... splendid ... A sign of our times is that contemporary history books are weighted heavily with critical judgments about prominent figures based on the assumption that our modern values and morality, higher and more sensitive in every way, trump theirs...Moore’s book charts a course less followed, while still pointing out that Captain Cook’s Endeavour was not and is not viewed as benign by all ... The book’s ultimate point, though, is well made.
James Lee Burke
PositiveWashington Independent Review of Books\"Few of these plot pieces are new to Burke’s books, but it’s what he does within his own framework that is so pleasing. The violence and the strong language are not for the faint of heart, but Burke’s prose (especially his dialogue) is wonderful, well-suited to describing the ambience of a south Louisiana blues club, or the third-century Christian martyrs Felicity and Perpetua, or cruelty...\
Marty Crump
PositiveThe Washington Independent Review of BooksScientists who can write for the layperson with both intelligence and intelligibility, with verve and wit and perhaps a bit of self-effacement, are to be treasured ... Marty Crump...can write ably for a general audience without dumbing down her subjects ... the point of Crump’s almanac is not rigid factual accuracy, but rather to entertain and to provide food for thought. And, for the most part, her three or four paragraphs for every day are good enough for her purposes. The book is shallow but broad—and there’s nothing wrong with that ... If Crump had stuck to writing bits of amusing trivia, her almanac—even lacking a central theme—would be fun, in the way of trivia games. The book’s daily entries do, though, have a propensity to end with some kind of preachy platitude that becomes tiresome around July or August ... But any such irritants are redeemed by Crump’s obvious regard for all earthly things, and by poignant entries [.]
Laurie Gwen Shapiro
PositiveThe Washington Independent Review of BooksShapiro’s writing is serviceable, though not a model of elegance, and she sometimes opts for a 'gee-whillikers' tone ('How Billy yearned for a taste of dangers, hardships, thrills on the ice'). But this takes little away from the merits of a book that would make a perfect gift for a spirited, adventure-seeking adolescent.
