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Summary: Joe Lansdale's Best
Review: The Bottoms is simply one of the best books I have ever read. Granted, Lansdale's other novles about monsters and boogie men are fantastically entertaining, but The Bottoms puts him up there with literature's greatest writers. It's beautifully written and the characters are well drawn and complex like none I've seen in a long time. The mystery is easy to solve, and I blame part of that on the time we live in and the fact the news isn't afraid to report what a decade ago was somehwat unmentionable. But aside from the mystery, it's the coming of age story that blew me away. When i read the part about young Harry listening to his father cry because he couldn't protect his black friend against an angry Klan mob, and realizing that his father was not a protector and provider but a simple man with feelings, I knew this book was one I'd recomment to all my friends. Well deserving of it's Edgar winning prize of Best Novel of the Year, The Bottoms deserves to go down inthe annals of literrary history. Though i recommend his other stories for their sheer enterataining value, everybody should read The Bottoms for its piognant theme...you never really know who a person is until you see them at their finest and their worst.
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Summary: the bottoms
Review: Not flawless, but the best read I've found in a couple of years!
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Summary: Wonderful
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I am a huge fan of his work and would recommend most of his stuff!
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Summary: This Century's To Kill A Mockingbird....
Review: ...I will give my thoughts on the novel. I think this story might be one of the best written stories I have ever read. It isn't perfect, and it tries entirely too hard to be cleaver and cute at the same time, but thankfully it works the majority of the time.
The story is a great morality tale with a suspenseful twist. It is an exceptionally easy read and most people could finish it in less than a week.
This book won't be for everyone, but I loved it and it will stay with me for a while. It isn't the kind of profound book that becomes apart of you, but it is a great read and a wonderful tale of innocence lost and the pains of growing up.
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Summary: Moody southern yarn
Review: Damn good moody, dark southern yarn. The atmosphere and storytellign ability of Joe is great. The killer in the end had me whistling mayberry theme,,,,but it was cool.
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Summary: To Kill a Mockingbird
Review: Joe Lansdale, I know "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Bottoms is NO " Mockingbird." I will grant you that it is a good read--but it is not a great read. I knew who "The Goatman" was fairly early in the game, although the identity of the "real killer" was not clear to me until the end. The book has its moments--most notably the run and chase ending--but it also has too much of the feel of pulp fiction trying to be something more. The fathrer's quick recovery from drinking and the early insight of a black physician into the work of Kraft-Ebbing is a little too much to believe. But it does have its moments and it is not to be ignored.
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Summary: Bottoms is the Tops
Review: Easily one of the best book's that I have ever read. The characters are simple yet very interesting. The story hits the ground running and does not stop until the last page. A trip back into the past that erases whatever rose colored misconceptions that we may have about the past reminding us that the "good ole' day's" weren't really that good. A must read for any fan of fiction, and a great introduction to those that are unfamiliar with Joe R. Lansdale.
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Summary: Echoes of To Kill a Mockingbird
Review: A friend recommended this book to me. I knew Lansdale was a fellow Texan, and that he was also a favorite of Andrew Vachss (I never miss one of Vachss's books), so I picked it up. Lansdale is one of the best storytellers I've read lately. I could almost hear the book in my head as I read. "The Bottoms" is somewhat like "To Kill a Mockingbird", but it's definitely its own story. It combines an analysis of the evils of racism with a young boy's coming-of-age story. There are elements of mystery and horror in the book as well. Give it a chance. I think you'll enjoy it.
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Summary: Coming of age, Lansdale style
Review: It seems like many authors that write a bunch of books end up doing a coming of age book at some point. The Bottoms is Lansdale's coming of age book. And in typical fashion for Lansdale he does it in his own way.The story follows Harry Crane, a young boy who discovers a dead body in a river. Harry's father, the local constable, starts an investigation that proceeds to change Harry's life and viewpoint of life. As with most of Lansdale's books, this one is ripe with vivid images, rich characters, unexpected violence and the unique southern charm that makes Lansdale's book his own. As a period book set during the Great Depression, it carries across a lifestyle that is hard to believe. Hard because the descriptions are so real that it is impossible to not see or imagine them, especially when compared to the modern conveniences that we have now. As is usual, I can highly recommend this book for everyone to read and enjoy.
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Summary: Yes, it is like "Mockingbird", but it's Mojo Style!
Review: If there were any justice in American Letters, Joe R. Lansdale would be racking up some seriously high sales across the country. But true justice, as in his most mainstream novel yet, poves to be hard to come by. The Bottoms tells the tale of one boy's harsh coming of age in Depression era East Texas. A serial killer is at work on colored prostitutes and the boy's struggling father is the constable in charge of the case. Since the victims are colored, no one but the constable really cares who is doing the killing. But when it's discovered that one victim wasn't colored, then the temperment changes and fast. The tone of the novel is more melancholic than the gonzo black humor laced tales which made Lansdale famous, but it fits the novel's sad events perfectly. Valuable things are lost as the nastier side of life is slowly revealed to the narrator. Another thing I would like to point out is the beautiful and understated writing. Lansdale has become of master of less is more description. He paints a gritty, yet beautiful picture of the region and the people. As a twenty plus year Lansdale fan, I give The Bottoms a high recommendation.
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