Customer Reviews

The Ryer Avenue Story

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

 

 

I love to read, and one day I picked up this book because I'd read everything else in the house. It wound up being one of the best books I have ever read. The story takes you through the lives of each character, from the time they were young to the time they are old (or die). You become so familiar with the characters, they are almost like your friends. Although the single event that ties everyone together is not as horrible as the characters think, their lives are remarkable, mysterious, courageous. I did not want this book to end. It would make a fantastic mini series!

I obtained The Ryer Avenue Story in 1993 and it has sat in my bookcase until recently. The experience of reading this book proves the veracity of the old adage, "Good things come to those who wait." The Ryer Avenue Story is a saga that spans about four decades and reaches beyond a murder at its center toward greater truths about family, guilt, and ambition. It is an excellent book and perhaps Uhnak's best to-date. Although The Ryer Avnenue Story is not a fast read, it holds your interest from beginning to end and has a variety of well-developed, believable characters that will stay in your memory well after you finish the book. Do yourself a favor and try to find a copy of this book -- I think you'll enjoy The Ryer Avenue Story very much.

Former NYPD detective turned author Dorothy Uhnak tries for suspense in this would-be thriller about a group of neighborhood kids who know more than they're telling about a brutal murder. The characters are believable, however the storyline is too formulaic and the conclusion comes from way out of left field. No surprises here, unfortunately. I had hoped for much better from Ms. Uhnak.

On a cold December night in late December, 1935, six kids from the Bronx flee a murder scene and vow to each other never to speak about what went down that evening. Witnesses testify that they saw one of the boys' fathers kill his childhood friend. The suspect, an alcoholic in a drunken stupor, confesses and is eventually electrocuted for the crime. The events of that long ago night will haunt each member of the group as they grow through adolescence to become major movers and shakers in their communities and country. Their dark secret will continue to taint their lives, and those of the people they love, until the denouement in the final chapters.

Again, the characters are well portrayed, but the tale of kids who witness/participate in a gruesome event, keep a lifelong secret which effects them all, and reunite as adults when the "truth" is revealed at last, is not a new one. The period, the Great Depression through the 1950's, and the settings, the Bronx, post WWII Germany, Washington DC, Israel and Hollywood give the novel a bit of needed pizzazz. Overall, this is just an average read, good for a long plane or train ride.
JANA

This tale fails completely because the central premise, and therefore conclusion, is utterly transparent and predictable. The characters are of the variety you can find in any typical soap novel by Danielle Steele and Jackie Collins. I would elaborate, but I don't think it deserves a longer review. Just skip this one.