Customer Reviews

Further Lane: A Novel

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Brady seems to think that a liberal amount of name dropping surrounded by his fantasy world of journalism makes for a good read. I still can't figure out whether the book was a poorly disguised attempt at kissing up to Parade magazine (we're to believe the narrator and protagonist of Further Lane has left Newsweek to write for Parade - supposedly a step up) or simply bad writing. The fact that Brady has chosen to write about the place where he lives (or lived) simply magnifies the fact that he has no imagination whatsoever. This book is nothing more than a collection of whodunit cliches and rip-offs. How ironic that one of Brady's characters makes the same criticism of Hannah Cutting, the victim of the "savage stabbing" that our narrator is out to report on.

Brady's characters are two dimensional at best, his story is unimaginative, and his writing would be hard pressed to challenge a fourth grader. If anyone seriously recommends this book, reconsider your relationship with this person.

Thankfully I borrowed, rather than bought, this book for the flight home over Thanksgiving. I should have known I'd made a bad choice when the owner told me I didn't need to bother to return it. I suspect she was embarrassed to even own it. Flights usually go relatively fast if I'm reading, however this made two relatively short flights seem like a transatlantic journey. Given a chance to do it over again, I would rather repeatedly read the airplane safety brochure than read Further Lane.

This is a real beach book. It is set on the beaches and villages of the East End of Long Island, mostly in the celebrity ridden Easthampton village. The protagonist is a descendent of the original settlers who thinks of himself as a local. He is really just a summer person who has contempt for the people who really live and work on the East End. The female character, Lady Dunraven is a one dimensional cartoon version of a woman as are many of the local people. The murder mystery, however is good and moves quickly. It is a pretty good choice for a beach read or to read on the Jitney on your way to The Hamptons.

I grew up in New York and often spent summers in the Hamptons so I thought this would be a fun romp for me through my old stomping grounds with some moviestar names thrown about. Not only was this book tedious; it was DULL. It reminded me of Sander's McNally series but instead of Palm Beach, Florida as the setting, we have the Hamptons.....another place where old money or lack of old money rules. While Beecher Stowe and Alix Dunraven have some promise, the story didn't. I bought this book based on a People Magazine recommendation that it would be a "good summer read." It wasn't.

This is a real beach book. It is set on the beaches and villages of the East End of Long Island, mostly in the celebrity ridden Easthampton village. The protagonist is a descendent of the original settlers who thinks of himself as a local. He is really just a summer person who has contempt for the people who really live and work on the East End. The female character, Lady Dunraven is a one dimensional cartoon version of a woman as are many of the local people. The murder mystery, however is good and moves quickly. It is a pretty good choice for a beach read or to read on the Jitney on your way to The Hamptons.

Several typos in the book. Got too frustrated. In the paper back on page 50 he tells of how Hannah died of a stab "would"...don't know what that is. On page 138, where I finally threw in the towel, was a sentence that made no sense. Something about Rose Thrall putting a glass on her head and swallowing. I was very confused. There were other goofy uses of "were" instead of "was" that made me nuts. Can't recommend this book. Wish they would clean it up and then I'd read it I would like to know who killed Hannah.

This light-hearted who-dunnit serves as the wheels for James Brady to give the reader on a guided tour of the Hamptons he knows so well, and the characters who populate them. It will certainly be the beach book of the season, regardless of the patch of sand you dent. If you've ever thought about driving a sharpened chunk of privet hedge through the heart of a famous shaper of the social scene, you won't be disappointed