Friday, October 22, 2010

CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER

Author:  Tom Franklin
Genre:  Southern Mystery, Standalone
Published:  2010
Personal Rating: 4.5/5 (excellent)
Yearly Count:  95



Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is about two boys, one white and one black, that grow up in Mississippi as secret friends in the late 70s. A couple of devastating events occur - one at the beginning of a 20 year span, which separates the boys and the other at the end that reunites them as men. Between alternating chapters of the past and present, how the events continue to effect their lives is gradually revealed.

I wish I had longer lengths of time to devote to this book. Life, in general, continually yanked me out of its Mississippi drama every chapter or so, and I would lose some of the flow. However, due to the in-depth characters, intricate story line and detailed setting being incredibly engrossing, I was successfully transported back each time.  It would have been so nice to have the picture reel in my mind continue to roll without so many interruptions, though.  Ultimately, it was an excellent southern character study, with a mystery at its core.

18 comments:

  1. This sounds like a great book. Thanks for a terrific review, as I probably would have passed on this one before.

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  2. I can't wait to read this book! I'm glad to see you loved it.

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  3. Bibliophile By the Sea ~ If you enjoy southern novels and mysteries, I imagine you will like this one. It really feels like you are in Mississippi.

    Bermudaonion ~ I hope you have it at the top of your TBR pile. :)

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  4. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it. As you know, I love this book. I'm planning on re-reading it after I pass it along to The Hubster and my Sister-in-Law. There are so many gems of phrases and paragraphs in there.

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  5. I read another great review of this one and with your 4.5 rating I WILL be reading this one!!!!!!!!!!!

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  6. Suzi ~ I'm not going to reread it - too many other books I want to explore. HOWEVER, I can certainly see why one would want to. Even though I read it slowly, I didn't get the time to appreciate those gems as much as I would have liked.

    Staci ~ It's not an easy book to describe because it's a relatively slow book in nature, but peeks your curiosity and makes you want to turn those pages. Sort of an oxymoron. Slow, fast read. :) The sense of place is enveloping.

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  7. You mean yanked out by something outside of reading or because of the storyline? I started reading this and haven't had a chance to finish. I liked it so far!

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  8. Jenny ~ Daily life was the cause of the yanking. I will fix my post to make that clear. :) I hope you enjoy the remaining portion of the book.

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  9. I've heard a lot of positive buzz about this book, but I tend to dislike Southern settings because I'm an escapist, so I'll probably avoid it. Great review!

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  10. Bookfool ~ I understand. :)

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  11. Well, I see you agree with the masses on this one. I admit I'm really intrigued by this one, but I tend to let these "hot" books cool a bit before actually getting to it. Did you listen or read? Love Southern Lit!

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  12. It's on the top of my stack! I'll make sure to plan ahead so I can spend an entire weekend reading with no interruptions. Glad to hear you loved it.

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  13. Trish ~ I read it and yes, I guess I am jumping on the bandwagon with this one. :) Although, I have to admit that I did waver on my rating. It almost was a 4.25/5 (better than very good). Mainly because there wasn't one real exciting climax. However, I'm trying not to judge all my excellent reads against heart-pounding thrillers. :)

    Les ~ Obviously, I still enjoyed it even though it was chopped up by my reading schedule, but I do recommend allowing yourself gobs of time so you can get soaked up. :) I look forward to reading your thoughts.

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  14. I seem to like Southern books lately, so this one really intrigues me.

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  15. I liked this one too. I'm posting a review tomorrow, I think. I was expecting more of a mystery but ended up really enjoying the story.

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  16. Kris ~ It's perfect for a Southern read.

    Nicola ~ Ditto! :)

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  17. I've got this on order at my library. Glad you liked it!

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  18. 3m ~ Oh good. I hope you enjoy it. Btw - it's so good to see you back. :)

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Thank you for taking the time to comment. :)

I hope you have a great day and ...
Happy Reading!