1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sex and Drugs in the Olden Days, December 14, 2008
I enjoyed the book a lot. I guess it was a historical novel, but it was also a study of the world of drug addiction. Here are some of my miscellaneous thoughts about the book:
1. Many books are great along the way and it's not the destination that is so good, but the journey getting there. I would say that the destination in this book, where our main 19 year old opium addicted call girl realizes finally, that her whole existence and actions were seriously tainted by her addiction, was the thing that makes the book work so well. I knew that her actions were tainted by drugs along the way, but the final chapters somehow made the whole book more relevant and topical and good to me as this revelation comes to her.
2. The historical parts were excellent. The descriptions of the reactions to different murders, how the "law" operated, the tolerance for bad behavior, good men seeing call girls, good women being "flashers", and just how ribald the times really were in these mining towns, were insightful and seemed correct. Almost laughable and somehow endearing compared to today.
3. I loved the relationship Dol has with each of the other flashgirls. There is a "Sex in the City" element here that was very enjoyable and sometimes touching.
4. Dol, our narrator, is a hilarious and very intelligent girl with her insights into human behavior and comments about living the sober life away from the all night drug enhanced parties she is part of. Made me wonder if I've been too sober myself.
5. The grittiness of travel with handcarts, covered wagons through mud and muck, up huge mountain ranges in the desert was well done. In a way, it didn't fit in with the light natured life they lived otherwise, but it added to the believability of the book.
6. Dol's relationship with her mother was very interesting and insightful. We want things to be different for both of them, but it was a huge struggle for Dol and obviously for the mother. There was no sugar coating to be found in the book.
I gave the book 3 stars instead of 4 because I felt the plot sometimes moved along too slowly with some of the main themes being repeated over and over again. And yet, as I re-read my own review, I think if you read the book, you will find a lot of great and rewarding stuff.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every sentence is a gift, August 7, 2008
Man, this guy can turn a phrase. It's always impressive when a writer is able to completely voice a character (especially of the opposite sex) believably. But here, it's so much more than just that. Dol is a fascinating character, and every sentence that she spews forth has layers of meaning. The plot is fast-paced, and the story is told with great economy, and yet the pay-off is complete and totally satisfying.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Boring & predictable - don't be misled like me, December 30, 2008
The description of this book & the positive reviews (especially the one from Entertainment Weekly in which they said, "An adventure so hair-raising it makes Deadwood look positively staid in comparison. There hasn't been a fictional character this appealing and outrageous in a long, long time.") led me to purchase this book. Unfortunately, after reading the book, I feel completely misled & would caution everyone else before purchasing. I did not find the story hair-raising or exciting at all. It was rather dull & predictable. I've seen Deadwood & there is nothing new or more exciting in this story. The lead character, Dol, while different & sometimes interesting, is not appealing or outrageous in any enjoyable way. I did not care about her or her fate. I actually ended up more interested in her friend Ness & would have enjoyed her story more. The book had potential, but fell completely flat for me. Don't be enticed by reviews that mention a sizzling plot or a lovable hooker - the book was none of those things. Plus, at $24 (retail) for a 300 page book I think it is a complete rip off. At least wait for it to come out in paperback.
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