Rating: 
Summary: Read it as a mystery or read it as literature but read it!
Review: I go through lots of books in a year and am lucky to find one
or two that I can rave about. This new (to me) author has
written a knockout first book that works on several levels.
On a mystery level it is excellent with an unusual proantagonist
- you have to be nuts not to like Rommulus Ledbetter. On a level of fine literature it is an attempt to explore and relate
our world as seen thru the eyes of a mentally challenged being.
I can't call Romulus nuts but he doesn't see what we do.
This is a good story well told. Watch out for x rays!
Rating: 
Summary: Quite good -- some flaws -- a fast read.
Review: I stumbled onto this book when searching for good mystery authors...I heard that this book won the Edgar award and so I found it at my library. Now I hear that it has recently been turned into a movie with Samuel L. Jackson...all I can say is, you need to read this book because the movie cannot possibly do it justice. A unique twist on a protaganist and a poetic writing style make this book far different from most formulaic detective novels. I was reminded of the beautiful poetic style of Ray Bradbury combined with the twists and turns of a Jeffery Deaver mystery. Most of the book revolves around the fascinating, and almost sane, interior ramblings of the main character, which could never be duplicated on the silver screen. An excellent first novel.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book...because the movie will never do it justice.
Review: I stumbled onto this book when searching for good mystery authors...I heard that this book won the Edgar award and so I found it at my library. Now I hear that it has recently been turned into a movie with Samuel L. Jackson...all I can say is, you need to read this book because the movie cannot possibly do it justice. A unique twist on a protaganist and a poetic writing style make this book far different from most formulaic detective novels. I was reminded of the beautiful poetic style of Ray Bradbury combined with the twists and turns of a Jeffery Deaver mystery. Most of the book revolves around the fascinating, and almost sane, interior ramblings of the main character, which could never be duplicated on the silver screen. An excellent first novel.
Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile journey
Review: I truly enjoyed this book and would love to re-read this book at a later time. Mr. Green not only gave us a story with a plot but true character development. Romulus Ledbetter, the main character, gives prime literary heroism in this psycho-suspense drama. Although Romulus is a mentally-ill, music genius, father and husband that happens to live in a park cave; he is a social critic on the many issues that arise in this novel. This book is definitely worth your attention.
Rating:
Summary: Romulus Ledbetter-my new favorite detective
Review: I'm glad I read Green's "The Juror" before I read "The Caveman's Valentine." I enjoyed "Juror" but I would have been so disappointed with it after having read "Caveman". I guess I would have been expecting another wonderfully quirky, insane protagonist. I was thinking "Fisher King" by p. 30. Romulus is a homeless man who lives in a cave. His demons are Stuyvesant and y-rays. He's also a brilliant pianist...a Julliard drop-out. But when a dead man is left at his door, he tries to get his head straight to solve the mystery for his friend Weasel. I really loved the main characters in this book. I only hope the author will get back to something like this, instead of trying to please the mainstream readers.
Rating:
Summary: Just when you think you've read it all....
Review: Just when you think you've read it all, George Dawes Green comes up with something completely new. This is your basic murder mystery, where someone finds a body, the cops write it off, but there's one stolwart citizen who's out to find the truth. The catch is, the protagonist is Romulus Ledbetter, a former musical genius turned homeless schizophrenic. Called the caveman, he gets a nasty shock when someone dumps a body outside of his cave. Convinced this is the work of Cornelius Stuyvesant, the nefarious and imaginary source of all societies ills, Romulus sets out on a quest to find the truth in the heart of evil, civilization. Green's prose is colorful and funny, and he keeps his chapters short and sharp. Told mostly from the perspective of Romulus, the reader is never quite sure what is truth and what is the result of Romulus' paranoia. Still, Green's style keeps it real and draws the reader into this partial imagined world and although there are scenes when Romulus seems to function much better than one would expect from a schizophrenic homeless person, the suspension of disbelief holds and keeps this mystery going. A superb read, a must for murder mystery fans.
Rating:
Summary: Just when you think you've read it all....
Review: Just when you think you've read it all, George Dawes Green comes up with something completely new. This is your basic murder mystery, where someone finds a body, the cops write it off, but there's one stolwart citizen who's out to find the truth. The catch is, the protagonist is Romulus Ledbetter, a former musical genius turned homeless schizophrenic. Called the caveman, he gets a nasty shock when someone dumps a body outside of his cave. Convinced this is the work of Cornelius Stuyvesant, the nefarious and imaginary source of all societies ills, Romulus sets out on a quest to find the truth in the heart of evil, civilization. Green's prose is colorful and funny, and he keeps his chapters short and sharp. Told mostly from the perspective of Romulus, the reader is never quite sure what is truth and what is the result of Romulus' paranoia. Still, Green's style keeps it real and draws the reader into this partial imagined world and although there are scenes when Romulus seems to function much better than one would expect from a schizophrenic homeless person, the suspension of disbelief holds and keeps this mystery going. A superb read, a must for murder mystery fans.
Rating:
Summary: Murder Mystery meets Alternative Fiction
Review: One of the best books I have ever read. It is enthralling, both for it's plot and it's author's ability to capture the mind of a madman with his vivid prose.Romulus Ledbetter is an extraordinary protagonist with an overwhelming personality, whose mad ramblings and desperate attempts to regain himself are hysterical, tragic and brilliantly compelling. The character study alone would be reason to buy this book, but this is also a first class murder mystery. The authors brilliant prose makes every bit ring true.
Rating: 
Summary: A lousy, exploitive novel about the most neglected minority
Review: Romulus Ledbetter is the undiscussed relative of his upper-class black family. He's a paranoid schizophrenic who lives in a cave and is a brilliant pianist, able to make the "Mr. Clean" jingle touching (whoever is scoring the movie is going to go through hell pulling THAT one off.) He also lives in a cave. He's a homeless man with pride. This mystery is some really sharp stuff. Green writes with a great skill for placing words and creates some often hysterical vignettes and exchanges, but he's very careful, burying clues, motivations, and other crucial information in the text in such a way that it doesn't seem important until you finish and realize there are no cracks in the armor. It's meticulous and excellent. This is definitely worth a read. It's off the beaten path and a good example of technique, well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent mystery with an unconventional character
Review: Romulus Ledbetter is the undiscussed relative of his upper-class black family. He's a paranoid schizophrenic who lives in a cave and is a brilliant pianist, able to make the "Mr. Clean" jingle touching (whoever is scoring the movie is going to go through hell pulling THAT one off.) He also lives in a cave. He's a homeless man with pride. This mystery is some really sharp stuff. Green writes with a great skill for placing words and creates some often hysterical vignettes and exchanges, but he's very careful, burying clues, motivations, and other crucial information in the text in such a way that it doesn't seem important until you finish and realize there are no cracks in the armor. It's meticulous and excellent. This is definitely worth a read. It's off the beaten path and a good example of technique, well worth the money.
|
