Customer Reviews

When the Levee Breaks

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just finished reading "When The Levee Breaks" and truly enjoyed it. I am glad the book made its way to Midland. I thought the character development and plot was well thought out and developed. Now that my kids are older, I am able to read more books. All too often, I can guess what is coming
next in a book. However, I wasn't able to in When The Levee Breaks. I think this book would make a great movie. What an enjoyable book. I hope Patrick Chalfant writes many, many more books in the future.
Emily  Midland, TX

Great read! I would have finished it faster but I was interrupted often by laughing fits. This book brought back so many memories! So many of Alec's words and actions remind me of my own father as I was growing up. The family scenes are so very real. Chalfant paints great pictures in the mind. I love the characters, especially Devin. This book is terrific. I can't wait for Chalfant's next novel.

I can not say that I am quite as enthusiastic as the previous reviewers. Yes this book has a very engaging cast of characters, particularly the precocious Devin Carlyle, and an interesting plot line, but there were a couple things that lessened my overall impression. First, several aspects of the story stretch the bounds of credibility and believability. For example and this is a very, very minor one in comparison to some of the others, but does not spoil for those who have yet to read while giving you some notion of the "believability gap" - Grandad Carlyle - a long time Oklahoma rancher and by all accounts "on top of things" who does not know what marijuana looks like - please!

Second, the narrative structure is compromised several times by the convienent writer's lifesaver of throwing in from out of the blue aspects of the book reality that have had no prior introduction in the text but that appear just in time to advance or redirect the plot. I will credit Chalifant with an excellent counter example to this with the Joker card on the 'frig however.

My final criticism has less to do with the writing itself but with one of the major crucibles of the plot, the financial contortions undertaken by Alec Carlyle, again a single example - dire financial staights for many years - one good year - purchase 250 more acres of pasture, with the only mention of rational - to avoid paying taxes on income. Yes this is a reasonable way to avoid the tax man but hardly consistent with Alec being such a good manager when he was mortagaged and remortaged well above his eyeballs.

This book is funny and deep and almost magical in how it carries you along in a world that's bitterly real. Patrick Chalfant is a name worth watching! Great job. A fan from Oklahoma.

This really is a great read. After a slow start, it took me a while to read the first 100 pages but I devoured the last 100, it really was an enjoyable.
The story gives a great insight into farming in the heartland of America, describing in some detail the hazards and perils of life on the farm, some natural and some man mad.
I guess I never really believed characters like Mr Finken are really out there is this part of the world but I am sure they are now.
The book, written through the eyes of Hadley Carlyle, gives a great insight into the struggles of this way of life but there is a humorous side to this story as well, which is skilfully incorporated.
After I finished the book it somehow left me wanting more, so come on lets have a sequel and soon.

I read the first two chapters of "When The Levee Breaks" from the web
site and was intrigued, so I ordered the book online. The anticipation
was there when it arrived in my mail box and I could not wait to
continue my read. I wanted to know more about the people living behind
the doors of the house on the cover. Not only was I in store for a
captivating tale of a young man exploring the depths of reality, but I
was captured by the unpeeled naked truth of the lost innocence Hadley
encounters when he becomes a man. I was truly spellbound by the novel
when I grasped the difficult path that the Carlyle family chose to take
as a solution to their financial problems with the corrupt banker. I
started the book within an hour of arrival and continued my read until
finished at 4:00 a.m. that night. After I laid down the book, I felt
contentment. Not only did it appeal to my rural roots, Alec Carlyle took
me into the soul of a family that still believes in the values of the
old world, the values that made America great. This book would make a
great movie. I want to read more...
T. Worthington
formerly of Pocahontas, Arkansas

I started reading "When The Levee Breaks" on Saturday morning around 7:30 with my first cup of coffee, and finished it around 2:15 that afternoon. I was starving by the time I closed the book because I couldn't put it down long enough to make me something to eat! The twists at the end really took me by surprise, and the story is written so well I reacted to everything! I even laughed so hard a few times that I scared my dog, who eventually left the couch for a quieter space! Thanks, Patrick, for a truly great story!

I just finished the book...WOW. I really liked it. It was easy to read
and follow. I tried to imagine the ranch and the descriptions made it
easy and real. The characters were easy to visualize as well. The story
line was very rich, especially for those who have experienced similar
events in their communities. I'm certainly not a critic, but I think
that this is a fantastic novel.
Pat  Phoenix, AZ

Wow, great book! I don't read much, but my wife, who's an avid reader brought this book home from the bookstore on Saturday afternoon and made the mistake of setting it down on our coffee table. I picked it up and began gazing through it. Before long, I caught myself reading the book. Since I grew up in a small town, I could relate to the characters. The book took me back to when I was a child, reminding me of thoughts and emotions I haven't felt in years! Whamo, the next thing I know, it's two o'clock in the morning and I'm still reading! This is very uncommon for me because I haven't read a fiction book in years.

It's a fantastic novel. I simply couldn't put it down. I told my wife about it and she read it the next day. She too loved it. Mr. Chalfant, please write another!!