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10+ teosta 240 jäsentä 9 arvostelua 1 Favorited

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Image credit: Dave Janetta

Tekijän teokset

Associated Works

The Best American Short Stories 1998 (1998) — Avustaja — 405 kappaletta
The Best American Essays 2006 (2006) — Avustaja — 300 kappaletta

Merkitty avainsanalla

Yleistieto

Syntymäaika
1955
Sukupuoli
male
Kansalaisuus
USA
Asuinpaikat
Chadron, Nebraska, USA

Jäseniä

Kirja-arvosteluja

Interesting read. Does skip around somewhat but very interesting. Homicide, at least that’s my perception, was never solved. Crime in a 5000 person small town. Pretty interesting ideas in book.
 
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Leessa | 4 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Sep 3, 2022 |
Ballantine is far and away the most lyrical nonfiction writer I've ever read. Readers looking for a standard true crime book will be disappointed, but readers looking for good writing will be delighted over and over and over again.
 
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IVLeafClover | 4 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Jun 21, 2022 |
Edgar is 18 and loves surfing, drugs, and girls with equal measure. He also works in a nursing home with mostly forgotten residents. On the surface, the title seems to refer to the sad demise of the nursing home residents, left alone to die grueling deaths from a variety of unsympathetic diseases. Edgar seems more interested in the sexual exploits with his female coworkers than caring for the patients. He has sexual relationships with two nurses, one married and the other a single, teenage mother. He dreams of surfing in Australia, not a career in elder care.

On deeper reflection after finishing the novel, if humans are made in God's image, then Edgar's lack of wisdom, selfish sexual gratification, and carelessness in giving LSD to an elderly coworker clobbers his friendships and relationships, a reflection of his youthful ignorance to the consequences of his actions. His reckless abandon with the people around him, though not malicious, is devastating nonetheless.

Ballantine's prose is exquisite and poetic at times. My only gripe is that it is WAY too sophisticated and complex coming from an 18-year old, as the narrative is told in first person, present tense. If it was told in first person, past tense, as an older Edgar reflecting on this youthful passage with the wisdom that comes with age, then I would have enjoyed it more. This narrative strategy was very distracting to me. I kept thinking that no matter how intelligent this 18-year old could have been, he never, ever would have spoken like this: "... the illusion of ease and the impenetrability of his feable idealism up in that eagle's nest bedroom..."

Even with this slight misstep, I loved this novel very much. Ballantine is a master wordsmith. I look forward to reading more of his work in addition to what I've read in The Sun.
… (lisätietoja)
 
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scott_semegran | 1 muu arvostelu | Jan 29, 2018 |
This is a portrait of the small northwestern Nebraska town of Chadron, a true crime mystery, and a memoir. There are so many funny characters and poignant reflections intermingled throughout the book that it is hard to define. The author's neighbor disappears and is missing for months while everyone in the small town develops an explanation for what happened to him. Ballantine describes the town, his own family and life, and the challenges of raising a child who might be autistic. There is not really a "story line" because of the meandering style of writing, but the book is definitely worth reading.… (lisätietoja)
½
 
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terran | 4 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Jul 18, 2015 |

Palkinnot

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Tilastot

Teokset
10
Also by
2
Jäseniä
240
Suosituimmuussija
#94,569
Arvio (tähdet)
3.9
Kirja-arvosteluja
9
ISBN:t
23
Kuinka monen suosikki
1

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