The Burning Women of Far Cry [Hardcover]

Rick Demarinis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this coming-of-age tale, narrator Jack's sexy mother marries the proprietor of the dairy in Far Cry and immediately cuckolds him. According to PW, the book by the author of Under the Wheat "never really attains the level of consistently zany humor it is searching for."
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This work is meant to be a coming-of-age story about Jack, a shiftless young man in a very odd family. Its members include his seductive sister LaDonna, a brilliant would-be scientist; his mother, a perpetually dissatisfied woman who destroys the men who fall under her spell; and the men themselves, a mostly pitiful lot. What begins as a truly humorous story about an interesting family is eventually spoiled by the author's self-indulgent whining. Jack's unsuccessful attempts at a life on his own and his ultimate return home and supposed maturity at the book's end are simply not as interesting as the family dynamics. The irreverent style will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut, and the like, but sadly DeMarinis neglects to tell a story. Susan Avallone, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: Arbor House Pub Co; 2nd edition (November 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877958157
• ISBN-13: 978-0877958154
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,083,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 24, 2001

By 

Jeff Dixon (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burning Women of Far Cry (Hardcover)

A friend turned me on to this book while I was trying to decide if I wanted to buy "A Clod of Wayward Marl" from the superb independent publisher Dennis Mcmillan. After reading this I decided I would. This book melds noir with the contemporary and pulls it off. Children smoking, talking breasts, and humanoid babies, it's got it all --- and it isn't even science fiction.

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great find!, March 3, 2010

By 

Big Sack Jack - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Burning Women of Far Cry (Contemporary American fiction) (Paperback)

I found this at a local goodwill store and I probably over paid considering it's only a penny on amazon haha. This is a gem of a book. The characters are fully fleshed out and they are all interesting. This is one of the better coming of age books I have read. It doesn't have the gravity that Catcher in the Rye had. It's more of a dark comedy type story that has some serious overtones to it, but not as heavy handed as Catcher in the Rye. I'm not even finished with it but I was compelled to write a review to give the author credit for some great writing. The main character, Jack, has to wade through some murky waters in his teenage years and really doesn't have great male role models to help him a long. So he makes some mistakes along the way and the reader really can't fault him for it, but deep down, he's a good man and remembers the values his mother taught him. I gave this 5 stars because the book kept me engaged all the way through, the characters were well rounded, the storyline crisp and moved along at a good pace and the writer was consistent in sequence of events.