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The Innocents
'They were chilldhood sweethearts and best friends. When the youngest and wildest of them dies, they are thrown together once again. Could their terrible secret be responsible for their troubles today? Or is it even more dangerous to admit to the truth?'
346 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
384 people are currently reading
4253 people want to read
About the author
Laura Lippman
112 books6,343 followersSince Laura Lippman’s debut, she has been recognized as a distinctive voice in mystery fiction and named one of the “essential” crime writers of the last 100 years. Stephen King called her “special, even extraordinary,” and Gillian Flynn wrote, “She is simply a brilliant novelist.” Her books have won most of the major awards in her field and been translated into more than twenty-five languages. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans with her teenager.
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September 12, 2024
Something happened in the woods in 1979. A man died, covered in blood, mud, and a litter of secrets. Whodunit? And why?
In late 1970s Baltimore five children join forces, the three Halloran boys and two girls, Mickey and Gwen. They are intimately connected to the death. Decades later an inebriated Gordon Halloran smashes his car into a concrete barrier and his demise summons the remaining four back together to face the past.
Laura Lippman - image from her site - Photo credit: Leslie Unruh
Laura Lippman has written a can’t-put-it-down page turner as she reveals secret after secret, building steadily to the final confrontation.
I loved her methodology, switching among the five primaries and their parents, who figure prominently. She not only reveals clues to and perspectives on the mystery, bit by bit, but constructs her characters like a hand-building potter who keeps adding clumps of clay and molding them into a final, articulated human form. This is the strength of the book. We see her characters as children and as adults, and get to see how they see each other. These are not one-dimensional artifacts, but real people with histories, regrets, joys, hopes and disappointments. The impact of their childhood experiences flows through the rest of their lives. It makes for a very rich and satisfying reading experience.
Lippman is a master of her craft and she is in fine form here. You will want to know what the most dangerous thing turns out to be and will rip through the pages until you find out.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter, Instagram and FB pages
My reviews of other books by Laura Lippman
-----2010 - I’d Know You Anywhere
-----2007 - What the Dead Know
In late 1970s Baltimore five children join forces, the three Halloran boys and two girls, Mickey and Gwen. They are intimately connected to the death. Decades later an inebriated Gordon Halloran smashes his car into a concrete barrier and his demise summons the remaining four back together to face the past.
Laura Lippman - image from her site - Photo credit: Leslie Unruh
Laura Lippman has written a can’t-put-it-down page turner as she reveals secret after secret, building steadily to the final confrontation.
I loved her methodology, switching among the five primaries and their parents, who figure prominently. She not only reveals clues to and perspectives on the mystery, bit by bit, but constructs her characters like a hand-building potter who keeps adding clumps of clay and molding them into a final, articulated human form. This is the strength of the book. We see her characters as children and as adults, and get to see how they see each other. These are not one-dimensional artifacts, but real people with histories, regrets, joys, hopes and disappointments. The impact of their childhood experiences flows through the rest of their lives. It makes for a very rich and satisfying reading experience.
Lippman is a master of her craft and she is in fine form here. You will want to know what the most dangerous thing turns out to be and will rip through the pages until you find out.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter, Instagram and FB pages
My reviews of other books by Laura Lippman
-----2010 - I’d Know You Anywhere
-----2007 - What the Dead Know
March 3, 2018
“And this is a story about things we wished had gone differently. Aren’t all stories.”
This is one of those books that makes you feel a bit gross, it shows the grimmest parts of human nature, and is a far from comfortable read.
We follow 5 children aged between 9 and 14. Sean, Tim, Gwen, Mickey and Go Go. While exploring the woods near to their house they come across a cabin, and the strange man who lives there. One night there is a terrible hurricane, and what happens in the woods that night changes them all forever.
It’s a story of growing up, of how some parts of our childhood stay with us always, that nothing remains secret forever.
The youngest - Go Go, dies aged 40 and it brings the group back together, to face the secrets of that night and to question if what they told their parents was actually the truth. What did happen there?
It was an interesting concept, however there were a lot of unnecessary chapters that I felt didn’t add much to the plot. We follow the kids, then their parents. Then follow the children all grown up and then switch back to their elderly parents again. I felt some of the POVs weren’t really needed.
“Contentment is pretty good if you’ve never been particularly happy.”
Also the first section following the children is written in first person plural - so ‘we did this’ etc. But there is no sixth child, everyone is named so it doesn’t make logical sense to say ‘we’ as there is no other character who could possibly be narrating?!
Finally, the ending wasn’t particularly satisfying.
Overall, it was an ok character driven mystery/thriller, but not particularly twisty and left me with a sour taste.
“But it was us, in our naïveté and heedlessness, who were to be feared. We were the most dangerous thing in the woods.”
This is one of those books that makes you feel a bit gross, it shows the grimmest parts of human nature, and is a far from comfortable read.
We follow 5 children aged between 9 and 14. Sean, Tim, Gwen, Mickey and Go Go. While exploring the woods near to their house they come across a cabin, and the strange man who lives there. One night there is a terrible hurricane, and what happens in the woods that night changes them all forever.
It’s a story of growing up, of how some parts of our childhood stay with us always, that nothing remains secret forever.
The youngest - Go Go, dies aged 40 and it brings the group back together, to face the secrets of that night and to question if what they told their parents was actually the truth. What did happen there?
It was an interesting concept, however there were a lot of unnecessary chapters that I felt didn’t add much to the plot. We follow the kids, then their parents. Then follow the children all grown up and then switch back to their elderly parents again. I felt some of the POVs weren’t really needed.
“Contentment is pretty good if you’ve never been particularly happy.”
Also the first section following the children is written in first person plural - so ‘we did this’ etc. But there is no sixth child, everyone is named so it doesn’t make logical sense to say ‘we’ as there is no other character who could possibly be narrating?!
Finally, the ending wasn’t particularly satisfying.
Overall, it was an ok character driven mystery/thriller, but not particularly twisty and left me with a sour taste.
“But it was us, in our naïveté and heedlessness, who were to be feared. We were the most dangerous thing in the woods.”
September 9, 2011
This is a story of five friends who grew up in the same neighborhood and what happened one summer night that changed not only their friendship but also their lives. It is the death of one of the five that brings them all back together and it is once they all meet that each of them starts to wonder how different their lives would have been if that one event had not taken place years ago.
Reading the synopsis I thought the book looked interesting, but as I read on I found myself quickly skimming the pages. The story leading up to the summer mystery was long-winded and boring, anticlimactic, not to mention that once the mystery was revealed, it didn’t seem like a big deal. In fact, I found it to be ridiculous. I really didn’t enjoy the way the story was told – in the first person and third person. As for the characters themselves, I didn’t like any of them. I thought they were all petty, selfish, spoiled and just plain annoying. I found it totally unconvincing that the characters became the adults they did just because of what happened that summer. In the end, I found the story to be very unoriginal and unappealing.
Reading the synopsis I thought the book looked interesting, but as I read on I found myself quickly skimming the pages. The story leading up to the summer mystery was long-winded and boring, anticlimactic, not to mention that once the mystery was revealed, it didn’t seem like a big deal. In fact, I found it to be ridiculous. I really didn’t enjoy the way the story was told – in the first person and third person. As for the characters themselves, I didn’t like any of them. I thought they were all petty, selfish, spoiled and just plain annoying. I found it totally unconvincing that the characters became the adults they did just because of what happened that summer. In the end, I found the story to be very unoriginal and unappealing.
April 8, 2012
I saw the author on Craig Ferguson the other night, and she seemed smart and reasonable. She also said that "the most dangerous thing" is finally revealed in the last sentence of the book. That sounded like careful planning to me, so I thought I'd give it a try. She told the truth--it IS revealed in the last sentence. Trouble is, nobody, including the reader, was asking the question. I counted at least 13 major characters in this book, each major enough to get at least one chapter told from his/her point of view. Several chapters are also told in first person (we thought that...) as if the author were included in the set of five close, close friends around whom the story revolves. But the "we" was never explained, and I wonder if it was just an artifact of an earlier draft of the book. There is much extraneous detail, apropos of nothing in particular, and the central horrifying event is only hinted at and gingerly circled around for so long that I lost interest. There are a couple of red herrings that had me partially interested for a while, but essentially this is a mystery with no clear mystery and a thriller with no thrills.
July 2, 2012
You know I'm never shy when I review a book and those I love I tell everyone and their cousins about it because I feel like authors are undervalued. More people should be absorbed in books and the value of a good book in under appreciated. Unfortunately, that's not the case so much here.
What makes this hard is that technically speaking, Laura Lippman is a great writer. She isn't addicted to adjectives, her writing flows and it's easy to read. The problem with this book is that after every single chapter I was irritated wondering when the story would start. She spends CHAPTERS on character development, switching from present to past tense so you know the dynamic between the characters, and it was just too much. It felt... melodramatic. I was so frustrated by the time it got to what the "dark secret" was and when I read it, I was disappointed. It basically left me wondering "really, that's it??".
One of my biggest pet peeves with real life people, but also fictional characters, who let things from their past dictate their future. I am a big believer that everything that happens to you in the is meant to shape your future but it shouldn't hinder it. I think people are too afraid sometimes to make a wrong decision so they rely on what is comfortable. Why go against the grain of life when it's just easy to do what you've always done? So when I read books with characters whose entire life are based on a moment in time so far in the past and they chose not to deal with it? I feel kind of stabby and I instantly dislike them.
So, overall I didn't love the book. I was left feel underwhelmed and disappointed. Is that to say you won't read it and just love it? No. I thing if you really like books that have the thread about history dictating your future and what poor choices over a life time can do, then you will love this book. I am only the second blogger on this tour, but go HERE to see what other blogs are reviewing this book as well. You can also go to the author's website HERE to learn more about the book, her previous works, and author information. She also has a Facebook page HERE if you want to check that out.
What makes this hard is that technically speaking, Laura Lippman is a great writer. She isn't addicted to adjectives, her writing flows and it's easy to read. The problem with this book is that after every single chapter I was irritated wondering when the story would start. She spends CHAPTERS on character development, switching from present to past tense so you know the dynamic between the characters, and it was just too much. It felt... melodramatic. I was so frustrated by the time it got to what the "dark secret" was and when I read it, I was disappointed. It basically left me wondering "really, that's it??".
One of my biggest pet peeves with real life people, but also fictional characters, who let things from their past dictate their future. I am a big believer that everything that happens to you in the is meant to shape your future but it shouldn't hinder it. I think people are too afraid sometimes to make a wrong decision so they rely on what is comfortable. Why go against the grain of life when it's just easy to do what you've always done? So when I read books with characters whose entire life are based on a moment in time so far in the past and they chose not to deal with it? I feel kind of stabby and I instantly dislike them.
So, overall I didn't love the book. I was left feel underwhelmed and disappointed. Is that to say you won't read it and just love it? No. I thing if you really like books that have the thread about history dictating your future and what poor choices over a life time can do, then you will love this book. I am only the second blogger on this tour, but go HERE to see what other blogs are reviewing this book as well. You can also go to the author's website HERE to learn more about the book, her previous works, and author information. She also has a Facebook page HERE if you want to check that out.
August 20, 2011
I recently listened to I'd Know You Anywhere and really liked Lippman's style. I was thrilled to have won this through FirstReads. I just finished reading it and realized that it's not even due to be released for another four days.
I tend to take a book with me to work to read at lunchtime. This is one that I had to leave at home because I knew that I wouldn't get any work done if I took it with me. The past and present story lines mesh together so well and nothing is as it seems.
I really like some of Lippman's narrative choices here. For some of the past scenes, she used the first person plural viewpoint. It's an interesting choice because the "we" is five kids, but you never know which one is narrating. It's as if they are narrating together as a third party. I don't even think I can explain it right, but it really works. I like how she tells the story from a variety of angles: the children as children, the children as adults, the parents when the children are young, and the parents when the children are middle-aged. It shows how every viewpoint is partly right and partly wrong.
I couldn't put this book down and I'm really looking forward to reading more of Lippman's work.
I tend to take a book with me to work to read at lunchtime. This is one that I had to leave at home because I knew that I wouldn't get any work done if I took it with me. The past and present story lines mesh together so well and nothing is as it seems.
I really like some of Lippman's narrative choices here. For some of the past scenes, she used the first person plural viewpoint. It's an interesting choice because the "we" is five kids, but you never know which one is narrating. It's as if they are narrating together as a third party. I don't even think I can explain it right, but it really works. I like how she tells the story from a variety of angles: the children as children, the children as adults, the parents when the children are young, and the parents when the children are middle-aged. It shows how every viewpoint is partly right and partly wrong.
I couldn't put this book down and I'm really looking forward to reading more of Lippman's work.
April 14, 2015
December 9, 2012
This is going to make me sound like a horrible person, but I might as well put it up front: I didn't enjoy this as much as some other Lippman books I've read recently, because the people aren't nearly so awful. In her usual way she's exploring how events in the past are never hidden, how they rise up again in the present, and how secrets can wreck lives. But none of these characters is irredeemable, everyone is doing the best they can with the information they have at the time, and no one choice defines your life. Well, that's the sort of thing I love in novels, generally. I like an author who is kind and sympathetic to her characters, even as she mocks their worst traits.
Don't get me wrong, I was fully engaged in the reading, and deeply resentful of life intruding in the last hundred pages. I'm just feeling a little let down because I was expecting more noir. Expecting Jim Thompson, I instead got Anne Tyler. Okay, not really, it wasn't that warm and quirky, but it was very humane. In the long run I'll probably consider this my favorite of Lippman's novels. But right now, I'm missing the evil.
Library copy.
This is going to make me sound like a horrible person, but I might as well put it up front: I didn't enjoy this as much as some other Lippman books I've read recently, because the people aren't nearly so awful. In her usual way she's exploring how events in the past are never hidden, how they rise up again in the present, and how secrets can wreck lives. But none of these characters is irredeemable, everyone is doing the best they can with the information they have at the time, and no one choice defines your life. Well, that's the sort of thing I love in novels, generally. I like an author who is kind and sympathetic to her characters, even as she mocks their worst traits.
Don't get me wrong, I was fully engaged in the reading, and deeply resentful of life intruding in the last hundred pages. I'm just feeling a little let down because I was expecting more noir. Expecting Jim Thompson, I instead got Anne Tyler. Okay, not really, it wasn't that warm and quirky, but it was very humane. In the long run I'll probably consider this my favorite of Lippman's novels. But right now, I'm missing the evil.
Library copy.
August 26, 2011
Secrets of what happened in the woods the night of a hurricane in 1979 come back to haunt four adults when they reunite after all these years for the death of one of their friends. Needless to say, this was a very sad, dark, depressing, mystery.
The author told the story from the perspectives of many characters in the first narrative switching between past and present. Doing so actually gave a lot of insight into nature of each person and made for a rich, deeper story. You learn so much about their lives and how each of them viewed the same situations and people differently. It seemed like they knew the truth about each other and the real person they were when they didin't know the same themselves.
The group of five kids that used to play together in the woods were three brothers (Sean, Tim, and Go-Go in chronological age) and two girls that were best friends (Gwen and Mickey). Gwen is the pretty girl with a father who is a doctor and a stay at home mother. The boys's father jumps from job to job because of his hot temper and their mother tries to keep up the house with no help. Sean is the cautious one, Tim is jealous of Sean, and Go-Go is weak and fragile. Mickey doesn't have as much money as the others and she doesn't have a stable family life. Her mother's boyfriend acts as her step-father so she has a lot of anger and resentment. A lot of this attitude is what leads the group to seek adventure in the woods which becomes the root of their secrets.
The thing I like most about this book was learning how people really see and feel about each other. How one best friend sees and really feels about the other. How a wife sees and really feels about her husband. How parents really see and feel about their kids. It is scary how much people keep their real feelings hidden. To me, those were the most interesting secrets. Even though the book was leading up to the reveal of the big secrets, these secrets were interwoven all throughout the story. And in the end, you are supposed to believe that some secrets should stay that way because they will only hurt others and that revealing them only absolves you.
The author said in the afterword that this was a very personal book for her and her most autobiographical. I wonder if this is her way of revealing her own secrets so they won't hurt others but will absolve her.
The author told the story from the perspectives of many characters in the first narrative switching between past and present. Doing so actually gave a lot of insight into nature of each person and made for a rich, deeper story. You learn so much about their lives and how each of them viewed the same situations and people differently. It seemed like they knew the truth about each other and the real person they were when they didin't know the same themselves.
The group of five kids that used to play together in the woods were three brothers (Sean, Tim, and Go-Go in chronological age) and two girls that were best friends (Gwen and Mickey). Gwen is the pretty girl with a father who is a doctor and a stay at home mother. The boys's father jumps from job to job because of his hot temper and their mother tries to keep up the house with no help. Sean is the cautious one, Tim is jealous of Sean, and Go-Go is weak and fragile. Mickey doesn't have as much money as the others and she doesn't have a stable family life. Her mother's boyfriend acts as her step-father so she has a lot of anger and resentment. A lot of this attitude is what leads the group to seek adventure in the woods which becomes the root of their secrets.
The thing I like most about this book was learning how people really see and feel about each other. How one best friend sees and really feels about the other. How a wife sees and really feels about her husband. How parents really see and feel about their kids. It is scary how much people keep their real feelings hidden. To me, those were the most interesting secrets. Even though the book was leading up to the reveal of the big secrets, these secrets were interwoven all throughout the story. And in the end, you are supposed to believe that some secrets should stay that way because they will only hurt others and that revealing them only absolves you.
The author said in the afterword that this was a very personal book for her and her most autobiographical. I wonder if this is her way of revealing her own secrets so they won't hurt others but will absolve her.
May 25, 2012
Getting up from your mistakes and trying to live well today; to try again.
I struggled with this book; not because it was bad, but rather it is a break in style from what I expect from Laura Lippman. I can genuinely claim Lippman is in my top 5 favourite authors, and I anxiously await each new release. The Most Dangerous Thing has her taking risk with her voice and unfortunately that collided with my preconceived notions. I believe this is an acquired taste and could prove to be one of her best books.
That said there are plenty of things I did love in the book. Given my background in psychology (and family science) I am always intrigued when an author successfully demonstrates the consequences of a quirk in human nature. In this book all the main characters act out of a perceived interest of the needs of the others, but yet no one talks with each other. Too often the stumbling blocks in life are not random, they typically are caused by our assumptions and general fear of confronting difficult situations.
The Most Dangerous Thing features five friends, their parents, a priest, and a homeless man. Lock into the prison a small neighborhood creates they all go about forging relationships built on secrets and distrust. That is pretty standard fare for most people, but their situation is brought to a head with the death of the homeless man. The events of that night are banished from the memories of all involved, never to be discussed again. Something isn't right, and everyone stirs with those problems, but yet remain silent out of solidarity to the other. Each assuming they are the only one struggling.
This plan works well, or at least passably until the youngest of the group some 30 years later, who has relapsed once again into alcoholism, is killed in a single vehicle accident; or maybe it was suicide. This brings all the surviving characters together once again, and this time the past won't stay silent. Truth, no matter how hard will win out eventually.
With this tale Lippman has revealed a great life lesson. Problems must be dealt with, the sooner the better. Either you deal with them in the present when they are at their smallest, or you postpone them to face later when they are bigger, accumulating more baggage and inflicting more damage as they steadily roll along. The best you can hope for is a miserable life and death before the truth finds you.
A recent This American Life detailed the story of Jeff Smith, a state senator from Missouri, who made a small mistake (a slap on the wrist crime) but decided to lie about it. He spent a year in Federal prison by the time he was done. Or we have the numerous examples of professional athletes that used illegal steroids from BALCO who thought it would be a good idea to lie to federal investigators. They still lost their reputations and all their officially recognized accomplishments, and now they went to jail too.
The beauty of what Lippman has done is create a complex interwoven tale of lies and secrets that will leave you pondering just what happened, why it happened, and just who is at fault. The reality is no one and everyone are at fault, much like the problems in our life. Happiness is not found in blame, because that is like pushing the river trying to get it right. Rather happiness is found in forgiveness and living in the now. Getting up from your mistakes and trying to live well today; to try again.
The only downside for me was the method of telling the story. Typically a book will start with the action, the big event, then spend the rest of the story explaining it. Lippman starts with the past and jumps to the future, switching perspective between all the main characters every chapter. The whole time she circles the main event in ever tightening circles until she finally gets there in the last pages. This had me wondering where we were going the whole time, and this ambiguity left me feeling uncomfortable. That is more of a statement about me, always liking to know where we are going, not wanting to give up control. I think a second read would much more satisfying, knowing all the spoilers. But again that's my personality and not a statement about the quality of the book.
I struggled with this book; not because it was bad, but rather it is a break in style from what I expect from Laura Lippman. I can genuinely claim Lippman is in my top 5 favourite authors, and I anxiously await each new release. The Most Dangerous Thing has her taking risk with her voice and unfortunately that collided with my preconceived notions. I believe this is an acquired taste and could prove to be one of her best books.
That said there are plenty of things I did love in the book. Given my background in psychology (and family science) I am always intrigued when an author successfully demonstrates the consequences of a quirk in human nature. In this book all the main characters act out of a perceived interest of the needs of the others, but yet no one talks with each other. Too often the stumbling blocks in life are not random, they typically are caused by our assumptions and general fear of confronting difficult situations.
The Most Dangerous Thing features five friends, their parents, a priest, and a homeless man. Lock into the prison a small neighborhood creates they all go about forging relationships built on secrets and distrust. That is pretty standard fare for most people, but their situation is brought to a head with the death of the homeless man. The events of that night are banished from the memories of all involved, never to be discussed again. Something isn't right, and everyone stirs with those problems, but yet remain silent out of solidarity to the other. Each assuming they are the only one struggling.
This plan works well, or at least passably until the youngest of the group some 30 years later, who has relapsed once again into alcoholism, is killed in a single vehicle accident; or maybe it was suicide. This brings all the surviving characters together once again, and this time the past won't stay silent. Truth, no matter how hard will win out eventually.
With this tale Lippman has revealed a great life lesson. Problems must be dealt with, the sooner the better. Either you deal with them in the present when they are at their smallest, or you postpone them to face later when they are bigger, accumulating more baggage and inflicting more damage as they steadily roll along. The best you can hope for is a miserable life and death before the truth finds you.
A recent This American Life detailed the story of Jeff Smith, a state senator from Missouri, who made a small mistake (a slap on the wrist crime) but decided to lie about it. He spent a year in Federal prison by the time he was done. Or we have the numerous examples of professional athletes that used illegal steroids from BALCO who thought it would be a good idea to lie to federal investigators. They still lost their reputations and all their officially recognized accomplishments, and now they went to jail too.
The beauty of what Lippman has done is create a complex interwoven tale of lies and secrets that will leave you pondering just what happened, why it happened, and just who is at fault. The reality is no one and everyone are at fault, much like the problems in our life. Happiness is not found in blame, because that is like pushing the river trying to get it right. Rather happiness is found in forgiveness and living in the now. Getting up from your mistakes and trying to live well today; to try again.
The only downside for me was the method of telling the story. Typically a book will start with the action, the big event, then spend the rest of the story explaining it. Lippman starts with the past and jumps to the future, switching perspective between all the main characters every chapter. The whole time she circles the main event in ever tightening circles until she finally gets there in the last pages. This had me wondering where we were going the whole time, and this ambiguity left me feeling uncomfortable. That is more of a statement about me, always liking to know where we are going, not wanting to give up control. I think a second read would much more satisfying, knowing all the spoilers. But again that's my personality and not a statement about the quality of the book.
January 30, 2012
I can't wait for this book to finish so I can forget I ever lost time reading it.
What a piece of sanctimonious trash! All of the characters are completely unlikeable, each mother is stereotyped as secretly wishing for any other life but the one their in, not to mention deeply resenting or out-rightly hating their children. The child molester is at once to be pitied and loathed. God what a mess this book is.
I really don't care for the narrator for this audio book, either. Her name is Linda Emond. She somehow manages to install a condensending note to all the adults' dialog and idiocy to the childrens'.
Even in the past the childrens' bond with each other is poorly constructed and, as presented, not believable at all.
This book had potential to really pack a powerful message and it failed on all levels. And I haven't even finished it yet. Blah.
Okay the ending was just as bad as the rest of it. Oh, you molested my little brother? Then when you were caught you let an innocent guy die for it? And by the way, you had high school boys join in on your sick games and allowed them to molest my little brother, too? Oh, you felt left out, I see. Don't worry we still love you, even though we barely liked you 20 years ago, and we'll stand by you and forgive you -I guess because she's a female she can do the most despicable acts and in the end not have to take responsibility for it or any sort of punishment. Ugh, this book sucked!
What a piece of sanctimonious trash! All of the characters are completely unlikeable, each mother is stereotyped as secretly wishing for any other life but the one their in, not to mention deeply resenting or out-rightly hating their children. The child molester is at once to be pitied and loathed. God what a mess this book is.
I really don't care for the narrator for this audio book, either. Her name is Linda Emond. She somehow manages to install a condensending note to all the adults' dialog and idiocy to the childrens'.
Even in the past the childrens' bond with each other is poorly constructed and, as presented, not believable at all.
This book had potential to really pack a powerful message and it failed on all levels. And I haven't even finished it yet. Blah.
Okay the ending was just as bad as the rest of it. Oh, you molested my little brother? Then when you were caught you let an innocent guy die for it? And by the way, you had high school boys join in on your sick games and allowed them to molest my little brother, too? Oh, you felt left out, I see. Don't worry we still love you, even though we barely liked you 20 years ago, and we'll stand by you and forgive you -I guess because she's a female she can do the most despicable acts and in the end not have to take responsibility for it or any sort of punishment. Ugh, this book sucked!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2016
I did not like this book anywhere near as much as I’ve liked Lippman’s other novels. She states that this is the most personal book she’s written, setting it in the area she grew up in, and I think the plot suffers for it.
The story follows the adult versions of childhood friends Gwen, McKey (nee Mickey), Tim, and Sean, awkwardly brought together after the death of the boys’ younger brother, Gordon. They are all keeping a terrible secret, which is supposed to be revealed to us in drips and drabs along the way, both through the present and the past.
The point of view jumps from character to character, which does not bother me at all. However, during the parts from the point of view of the children, the point of view is an unspecified “we”. It’s not like it’s one of the children and it’s a simple switch to first person – it’s apparent that it’s not any particular one of them. Those sections drove me crazy, and completely distracted me from the story.
The plot meanders along, and really struggled. By the end, it was difficult to muster any strong emotions about the “big” secret. It felt like Lippman really wanted to use this setting, but had a hard time finding a story to go along with it. I think she was too close to it.
The story follows the adult versions of childhood friends Gwen, McKey (nee Mickey), Tim, and Sean, awkwardly brought together after the death of the boys’ younger brother, Gordon. They are all keeping a terrible secret, which is supposed to be revealed to us in drips and drabs along the way, both through the present and the past.
The point of view jumps from character to character, which does not bother me at all. However, during the parts from the point of view of the children, the point of view is an unspecified “we”. It’s not like it’s one of the children and it’s a simple switch to first person – it’s apparent that it’s not any particular one of them. Those sections drove me crazy, and completely distracted me from the story.
The plot meanders along, and really struggled. By the end, it was difficult to muster any strong emotions about the “big” secret. It felt like Lippman really wanted to use this setting, but had a hard time finding a story to go along with it. I think she was too close to it.
October 13, 2014
I at least SOMEWHAT enjoyed I'd Know You Anywhere, and I've had a few other Lippman books on my list for a couple of years now, so I thought I'd check out another one. I think I'm giving up. For mystery-thrillers, there's just very little of both (in either of her books I've read). I should have put this one down the moment it started to irk me (about 2-3 chapters in). The biggest issue I had with the book at first was the constantly changing storytelling mode. Changing from "we" to "they" - it was like a schizophrenic omniscient narrator (is that a storytelling mode)? The sheer number of characters who were given equal attention was overwhelming - and I truly didn't care about any of the parents stories (the entire middle third of the book). None of the characters were relatable (I think we were supposed to relate to Gwen somehow, maybe?), and the actual resolution to the mystery turned out to be just sad and disturbing. Ugh. Sad I wasted a perfectly good Sunday on this one.
July 16, 2011
Laura Lippman admits that this is the most biographical novel she's written, setting it in what is essentially her childhood neighborhood. But that's where the similarity stops--the only secrets she's keeping is how she comes up with such riveting fiction time and time again.
Her characters in "The Most Dangerous Thing", however, have been keeping a secret for many, many years. Something happened to the little neighborhood collection of five once inseparable children that that formed them into the long estranged adults they have become. That secret clearly haunts them still, especially as four of them gather for the fifth's funeral, all wondering if it was really an accidental car crash or if it was suicide by the one person they think was most scarred by the secret that they keep. Flashbacks to their childhoods help move the present day psychological suspense at a rather quick pace, pages turn rapidly as the puzzle pieces come together and they learn that they are not the only ones who have been keeping secrets. This book is truly Lippman at her finest.
Her characters in "The Most Dangerous Thing", however, have been keeping a secret for many, many years. Something happened to the little neighborhood collection of five once inseparable children that that formed them into the long estranged adults they have become. That secret clearly haunts them still, especially as four of them gather for the fifth's funeral, all wondering if it was really an accidental car crash or if it was suicide by the one person they think was most scarred by the secret that they keep. Flashbacks to their childhoods help move the present day psychological suspense at a rather quick pace, pages turn rapidly as the puzzle pieces come together and they learn that they are not the only ones who have been keeping secrets. This book is truly Lippman at her finest.
April 10, 2012
Couldn't finish it. Author took too long for me to get to the point ... (Goodreads should have a "Date I gave up on this book" instead of just a "Date I finished this book")
December 23, 2013
I could not finish this. I didn't like anyone and didn't care what happened to them or in the story. This was my first Laura Lippman and possibly my last.
July 1, 2020
Did I really read this whole book to have it be "The person you thought was your friend molested and helped some older boys molest your nine year old brother and as a result your parents killed an innocent black man and the brother killed himself over the lie; but things like this just happens in life so we forgive you." Fuck this shit man. Disgusting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2019
Uh...we went through all of that to end where we did?
Okay.
Okay.
September 15, 2011
THE MOST DANGEROUS THING by Laura Lippman
08/11 - HarperCollins Publishers - Hardcover, 352 pages
Could you take a life altering secret to your grave?
It was a different time growing up in the 70’s and 80’s you had the freedom to roam unsupervised and be independent in a way that will never happen again. A group of children met one summer with different backgrounds, home environments, and sexes never giving any of that a thought, only worrying about the next great adventure and challenge the parental boundaries.
Tim, Sean and Gordon or “Go-Go” to everyone who knew him were the wild Halloran brothers who befriended two girls Mickey and Gwen and all of their lives took on new meaning. They were young when the escapades started and grew up together experimenting with finding out as much about each other as they did themselves. Go-Go was never as fast or quite as bright as the rest but he kept up even when they tried to lose him. They got into all manner of mischief including the discovery of an abandoned cabin with a strange man living inside. This man had no name and the mystery of who he was and where he came from was too intoxicating to this fearless five. The kids believed he was harmless, but that is the problem when you are young you trust everyone, sometimes the wrong one. Growing up was painful, when they parted it was with bitterness.
After years of separation, the building of lives independent from each other they are reunited by Go-Go’s sudden and horrific death. No one wants to believe it could be suicide but everyone thinks that his actions don’t add up to accidental death. When the group of five now down to four start to remember the events of their time in the woods some of the secrets that should have stayed buried start to surface. Each of them knows something they don’t want to share but no one can keep a secret and the four of them are determined to piece together what factor drove them apart and the one thing each of them wished had gone in a different direction.
There was jealousy, manipulation, and some strange behavior but did any of that make the night of storm less real and more imagined?
This book took me completely by surprise. Not that I did not think I was going to like the book as I am a Laura Lippman fan, but that she had taken her writing in a different direction. This book is gripping, suspenseful and feels too real for comfort but you can’t put it down. Childhood stories are usually told as happy and wonderful times which is the white-washed version we remember, but when you peel back the layer what you find is not quite as innocent as we thought it was. My only objection was with some loose ends that did not get tied up enough for me but I am a close the book, close the story, and not have questions type of reader.
08/11 - HarperCollins Publishers - Hardcover, 352 pages
Could you take a life altering secret to your grave?
It was a different time growing up in the 70’s and 80’s you had the freedom to roam unsupervised and be independent in a way that will never happen again. A group of children met one summer with different backgrounds, home environments, and sexes never giving any of that a thought, only worrying about the next great adventure and challenge the parental boundaries.
Tim, Sean and Gordon or “Go-Go” to everyone who knew him were the wild Halloran brothers who befriended two girls Mickey and Gwen and all of their lives took on new meaning. They were young when the escapades started and grew up together experimenting with finding out as much about each other as they did themselves. Go-Go was never as fast or quite as bright as the rest but he kept up even when they tried to lose him. They got into all manner of mischief including the discovery of an abandoned cabin with a strange man living inside. This man had no name and the mystery of who he was and where he came from was too intoxicating to this fearless five. The kids believed he was harmless, but that is the problem when you are young you trust everyone, sometimes the wrong one. Growing up was painful, when they parted it was with bitterness.
After years of separation, the building of lives independent from each other they are reunited by Go-Go’s sudden and horrific death. No one wants to believe it could be suicide but everyone thinks that his actions don’t add up to accidental death. When the group of five now down to four start to remember the events of their time in the woods some of the secrets that should have stayed buried start to surface. Each of them knows something they don’t want to share but no one can keep a secret and the four of them are determined to piece together what factor drove them apart and the one thing each of them wished had gone in a different direction.
There was jealousy, manipulation, and some strange behavior but did any of that make the night of storm less real and more imagined?
This book took me completely by surprise. Not that I did not think I was going to like the book as I am a Laura Lippman fan, but that she had taken her writing in a different direction. This book is gripping, suspenseful and feels too real for comfort but you can’t put it down. Childhood stories are usually told as happy and wonderful times which is the white-washed version we remember, but when you peel back the layer what you find is not quite as innocent as we thought it was. My only objection was with some loose ends that did not get tied up enough for me but I am a close the book, close the story, and not have questions type of reader.
April 6, 2012
I have such mixed feelings about this novel. Something Bad happened back in the late 70s to a group kids, 3 brothers, 2 neighboring girls, friends for a year or so, who live in a Baltimore suburb during a time when kids still had the freedom to roam unsupervised for most of the day. The story unspools from differing points of view, switching back and forth between the past and present, with lots of introspection and weighing of choices, motives and consequences by all involved, including the parents but never, ever, GoGo (Gordon) around whom the great mystery revolves and whose death raises the introspection and weighing of choices to a new level. Much consideration is given to the mutual and unvoiced decision to never, ever talk about The Bad Thing and how that has played out in individual lives. What is the most dangerous thing? A secret? Talking or not talking about It - the truth? Well meaning intentions - motivations for actions as well as inaction? That's all good to think about but I have some buts:
Who in the heck is the narrator? User of the royal we? It doesn't appear to me to be any of the actual characters, including GoGo - as if from the Great Beyond. I found it somewhat irritating. At first I thought it would be different views of each of the kids but no, it became quite apparent when they were "speaking." Then I started wondering if there had been a sixth, unknown observer of the group's activities. Not so.
GoGo - this kid is crazy before The Bad Thing but why is never really expressed. Undiagnosed ADHD? Was it just his role in the family? His mother covers up some of his behaviors, she believes to protect him but really, is his previous behavior so outlandish that no one ever questions the fact that this kid is not only suddenly wetting his bed but is torturing cats? I wanted to slap somebody. Apparently the collective guilt and unspoken pact to never discuss It did not leave room for considering that this child might need a little something more than silence.
And the great reveal at the end, after such a long, slow and agonized build up just did not ring true to me. I really can't see the brothers, after an evening of booze and cheap candy, being able to just shrug off the events and forgive the one who has held the key to all of this for more than 20 years. Granted there is more than just the one factor but is it supposed to be such a relief to have their own guilt and fears relieved that they can instantly forgive not just the abuse of their brother but very likely the actions that led to his probable suicide? Seriously, I want to know because I don't think it's as simple as "we were friends once, we were there, we'll be here for you now.
Who in the heck is the narrator? User of the royal we? It doesn't appear to me to be any of the actual characters, including GoGo - as if from the Great Beyond. I found it somewhat irritating. At first I thought it would be different views of each of the kids but no, it became quite apparent when they were "speaking." Then I started wondering if there had been a sixth, unknown observer of the group's activities. Not so.
GoGo - this kid is crazy before The Bad Thing but why is never really expressed. Undiagnosed ADHD? Was it just his role in the family? His mother covers up some of his behaviors, she believes to protect him but really, is his previous behavior so outlandish that no one ever questions the fact that this kid is not only suddenly wetting his bed but is torturing cats? I wanted to slap somebody. Apparently the collective guilt and unspoken pact to never discuss It did not leave room for considering that this child might need a little something more than silence.
And the great reveal at the end, after such a long, slow and agonized build up just did not ring true to me. I really can't see the brothers, after an evening of booze and cheap candy, being able to just shrug off the events and forgive the one who has held the key to all of this for more than 20 years. Granted there is more than just the one factor but is it supposed to be such a relief to have their own guilt and fears relieved that they can instantly forgive not just the abuse of their brother but very likely the actions that led to his probable suicide? Seriously, I want to know because I don't think it's as simple as "we were friends once, we were there, we'll be here for you now.
August 28, 2011
The Most Dangerous Thing is a book about the lives of five friends and how the events of one summer affected the rest of their lives. Mickey, Gwen, Tim, Sean and “Go-Go” live in the same neighborhood and are all friends in the mid-1970s, but their friendship changes drastically one night. Twenty years later, the death of “Go-Go” brings everyone back together again and they all find themselves asking if their lives would have been more fulfilling if they had made different decisions the night of the hurricane.
I have been very curious about this author for awhile now so I was very excited to receive a giveaway copy from Goodreads First Reads. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I had trouble keeping track of some of the characters (mainly the parents), but my main frustration was the writing style. It was very distracting to me and I didn’t always know who was speaking. I don’t think that I will be picking this author again.
I have been very curious about this author for awhile now so I was very excited to receive a giveaway copy from Goodreads First Reads. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I had trouble keeping track of some of the characters (mainly the parents), but my main frustration was the writing style. It was very distracting to me and I didn’t always know who was speaking. I don’t think that I will be picking this author again.
September 29, 2011
I generally avoid authors whose m.o. involves writing multiple books centered around one main character. Our local library seems to love Laura Lippman, who I remembered focuses her attention on the detective Tess Monaghan in most of her novels. This was sitting forlornly in the "New Releases" bin...saw in the jacket blurb that this was a "stand-alone" novel (meaning, I guess, no Tess Monaghan) so I thought I'd give it a try.
I'm glad I did; "The Most Dangerous Thing", while having not exactly the most original concept in the mystery genre, still managed to keep me interested throughout it, and exemplified Ms. Lippman's creative talent by taking a rather old and hackneyed plot device (the old "Something BAD Happens to a Group of Friends in Their Childhood...See How They Make it to Adulthood" device) and making it her own (uniquely told) story. An obvious surface comparison of her style could be made to that of Dennis Lehane's (given both convey a strong sense of place: Lehane's Boston- vs. Lippman's Baltimore-centricity, for starters) but it would be like comparing apples to oranges (or...ahem...Fenway Park to Camden Yards). Her novel starts with the tragic event (in this case, the murky circumstances surrounding a pentad of childhood friends' encounter with a homeless man during their explorations of vast Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park in Baltimore.) Ms. Lippman lets the mystery surrounding this event burble and percolate under the surface for a while, then fast-forwards to the present, predictably, to gauge how the friends have dealt with this event in their adult lives. She then, quite unpredictably, turns the mystery upon itself again as the parents of the kids in question are examined with fine-toothed detail. Suddenly the mystery transforms itself into a fantastically moving (yet broody and somber) multi-generational exhibition of family dynamics. Her characterizations are sharp, indelible, vivid portraits of the three extended families in question (again, with the sordid mystery kinda bubbling in the background, shaping and defining the characters from afar, sotto voce).
It's probably a good thing that this off-kilter, ever-so-slightly warped mystery shifted gears: the mystery itself (and its resolution) is arguably the weakest part of the novel. It feels like a old retread wheeled out on shiny chrome wheels. I do applaud Ms. Lippman's effort; even though it seemed all-too-familiar, the story never failed to keep my attention riveted, thanks to Ms. Lippman's genre-upheaval and overall peculiar (in a good way) writing style. I intend to explore some of her other stand-alone titles to see if they're similarly compelling.
(***Spoiler Alert***) (though a teensy tiny one:) for those of you who can't get enough of Ms. Lippman's Tess Monaghan P.I. character, fear not...she makes an interesting cameo appearance...
(***Side Note for those who've already read this: did you notice how, in the flashback sequences in the first section, called "US", the narration was provided by an Omniscient First Person, someone who was a spokesperson for the collective of five friends, but was, in fact, none of the five friends? (though consistently using the "collective we", indicating the narrator was indeed one of the friends, but by process of elimination, couldn't possibly have been one of the five main friends.) Given that Ms. Lippman indicates in the end Acknowledgments this is her most autobiographical novel to date, I'm wondering: who is this mystery 6th friend? Ms. Lippman herself? Quite intriguing, indeed.)
I'm glad I did; "The Most Dangerous Thing", while having not exactly the most original concept in the mystery genre, still managed to keep me interested throughout it, and exemplified Ms. Lippman's creative talent by taking a rather old and hackneyed plot device (the old "Something BAD Happens to a Group of Friends in Their Childhood...See How They Make it to Adulthood" device) and making it her own (uniquely told) story. An obvious surface comparison of her style could be made to that of Dennis Lehane's (given both convey a strong sense of place: Lehane's Boston- vs. Lippman's Baltimore-centricity, for starters) but it would be like comparing apples to oranges (or...ahem...Fenway Park to Camden Yards). Her novel starts with the tragic event (in this case, the murky circumstances surrounding a pentad of childhood friends' encounter with a homeless man during their explorations of vast Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park in Baltimore.) Ms. Lippman lets the mystery surrounding this event burble and percolate under the surface for a while, then fast-forwards to the present, predictably, to gauge how the friends have dealt with this event in their adult lives. She then, quite unpredictably, turns the mystery upon itself again as the parents of the kids in question are examined with fine-toothed detail. Suddenly the mystery transforms itself into a fantastically moving (yet broody and somber) multi-generational exhibition of family dynamics. Her characterizations are sharp, indelible, vivid portraits of the three extended families in question (again, with the sordid mystery kinda bubbling in the background, shaping and defining the characters from afar, sotto voce).
It's probably a good thing that this off-kilter, ever-so-slightly warped mystery shifted gears: the mystery itself (and its resolution) is arguably the weakest part of the novel. It feels like a old retread wheeled out on shiny chrome wheels. I do applaud Ms. Lippman's effort; even though it seemed all-too-familiar, the story never failed to keep my attention riveted, thanks to Ms. Lippman's genre-upheaval and overall peculiar (in a good way) writing style. I intend to explore some of her other stand-alone titles to see if they're similarly compelling.
(***Spoiler Alert***) (though a teensy tiny one:) for those of you who can't get enough of Ms. Lippman's Tess Monaghan P.I. character, fear not...she makes an interesting cameo appearance...
(***Side Note for those who've already read this: did you notice how, in the flashback sequences in the first section, called "US", the narration was provided by an Omniscient First Person, someone who was a spokesperson for the collective of five friends, but was, in fact, none of the five friends? (though consistently using the "collective we", indicating the narrator was indeed one of the friends, but by process of elimination, couldn't possibly have been one of the five main friends.) Given that Ms. Lippman indicates in the end Acknowledgments this is her most autobiographical novel to date, I'm wondering: who is this mystery 6th friend? Ms. Lippman herself? Quite intriguing, indeed.)
September 13, 2011
I always find semi-biographical novels fascinating. There's something special that happens when a writer taps a place that she knows that intimately. Usually you avoid those places, for fear of using some detail or character that a friend or family member will point to and say "There! That's me! How could she?" In that way, this is a brave book. The characters are all likable to a point, but also distressingly human. They fail, they make human choices, they acknowledge their mistakes and frailties. And sure, they succeed too, in their own way. Every relationship feels real and possible, and all the more heartbreaking for it.
I found it easy to picture the setting, having driven through that area of the city looking for shortcuts between my aunt's house and my own. I think even if I didn't have that mental picture the setting would have been vivid enough.
I also enjoyed the unusual structure: present tense, two different time periods, and multiple narrators, including one that I think is not a human at all, but merely the center of a five pointed star, "we" come to life as a separate entity from any of the individuals that make up the group. Solid stuff.
I found it easy to picture the setting, having driven through that area of the city looking for shortcuts between my aunt's house and my own. I think even if I didn't have that mental picture the setting would have been vivid enough.
I also enjoyed the unusual structure: present tense, two different time periods, and multiple narrators, including one that I think is not a human at all, but merely the center of a five pointed star, "we" come to life as a separate entity from any of the individuals that make up the group. Solid stuff.
September 2, 2011
I am always thrilled when a new Laura Lippman comes out-it usually means a free trip back to Baltimore and often it's to the Baltimore of my childhood/young adulthood. The Most Dangerous Thing is no exception in that regard but it is not quite what I've come to expect from Ms Lippman. It is well written and certainly evokes the freedom, almost wildness, of childhood in the late 70s. But while the writing is in many ways excellent, I did have some difficulties. The transitions from present to past are well done but some scenes are done in 1st person plural point of view and the transitions into and out of that POV are jarring. The sense of dread that is skillfully built up justs deflates and falls flat at the end. And finally, I just didn't like any of the characters. I guess that may have been the point, a childhood experience causing harm to the psyche in adulthood, and that we are all flawed. But there are likable flawed people and unlikable flawed people and these characters were not likeable enough for me to care if they addressed or resolved their childhood demons.
June 2, 2014
The shifts from first person to third person to omniscient viewpoint drove me crazy, especially since you are in the heads of so many different characters.
It's an interesting group of characters all living in a small town. You learn about their lives over a period of years, but there's no true protagonist, only the tragic death of one character and the mysterious death of another.
I got frustrated with the story because I didn't see a compelling reason to move forward. I wasn't invested enough in the characters to care about them. the plot drivers were weak, so I found it easy to put the book down, which isn't true of Lippman's other books.
I like Laura Lippman's plots, but I have found that I often don't find her characters sympathetic, and that's very important to me in the books I like. I have the same problem with some of Elmore Leonard's books. I say this because I know that this isn't important to every reader, and it is a personal bias.
It's an interesting group of characters all living in a small town. You learn about their lives over a period of years, but there's no true protagonist, only the tragic death of one character and the mysterious death of another.
I got frustrated with the story because I didn't see a compelling reason to move forward. I wasn't invested enough in the characters to care about them. the plot drivers were weak, so I found it easy to put the book down, which isn't true of Lippman's other books.
I like Laura Lippman's plots, but I have found that I often don't find her characters sympathetic, and that's very important to me in the books I like. I have the same problem with some of Elmore Leonard's books. I say this because I know that this isn't important to every reader, and it is a personal bias.
January 22, 2019
I have not read Ms Lippman before but since she has an impressive catalogue, i thought ok let's read her work.
Err...... maybe i picked the wrong one to start with. I was upset at 30% of the way through and kept asking what is the point of this "Whodunnit?" ..and why do I have to keep up with so many POVs?
Lippman writes well. Some of her sentences are beautiful string of pearls. But this plot is way to convoluted the way it was being told. Readers will lose interest somewhere in the quagmire of facts and the characters' nostalgia and emotions.
In the end it was not such a startling tale after all. Not a convincing read, although i thought the plot was rather original......... but wayyy to long to get there.
Err...... maybe i picked the wrong one to start with. I was upset at 30% of the way through and kept asking what is the point of this "Whodunnit?" ..and why do I have to keep up with so many POVs?
Lippman writes well. Some of her sentences are beautiful string of pearls. But this plot is way to convoluted the way it was being told. Readers will lose interest somewhere in the quagmire of facts and the characters' nostalgia and emotions.
In the end it was not such a startling tale after all. Not a convincing read, although i thought the plot was rather original......... but wayyy to long to get there.
December 29, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book is very well written and explores childhood friendships and especially childhood secrets.
The story goes back and forth from the late 70's to the present and the chapters are frequently narrated by a different character. Laura Lippman does a terrific job of writing the story from the viewpoint of each character and the storyline is easy to follow. There is even a cameo by Tess Monaghan!
A quick read with some depth!
The story goes back and forth from the late 70's to the present and the chapters are frequently narrated by a different character. Laura Lippman does a terrific job of writing the story from the viewpoint of each character and the storyline is easy to follow. There is even a cameo by Tess Monaghan!
A quick read with some depth!
August 23, 2024
2024: enjoyable with interesting character. Yet falls short with way to many plot lines and a very unsatisfying conclusion. 4.3/5
55th book read in 2012.
Number 32 out of 287 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOTSTT...
55th book read in 2012.
Number 32 out of 287 on my all time book list.
Follow the link below to see my video review:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOTSTT...
abandoned
May 31, 2014DNF
I can't take this anymore. I'm giving up. And I'm disgusted that a woman wrote this (and that makes me angry and disappointed).
I can't take this anymore. I'm giving up. And I'm disgusted that a woman wrote this (and that makes me angry and disappointed).
March 23, 2014
This audio version of the book," The Most Dangerous Thing", was written by Laura Lippman and read by Linda Emond.
This story is told in the present with flashbacks to the 1970's and 80's. The story begins in the present with Gordon ('Go Go') Halloran, a forty year old very troubled, recovering alcoholic who has just recently 'fallen off the wagon'. Instead of attending his usual AA meeting, he made his way to a bar; after having a few drinks, he got into his car and started driving at a high rate of speed. Unsurprisingly, Gordon was involved in a horrible accident. Gordon's accident was the catalyst for the characters in this story.... Gwen, Mickey, Shawn and Tim (Gordon's brothers), who were all childhood friends, to come together and finally face a troubling incident and a secret from their past once and for all.
As the story progresses, the reader is introduced to each character... each of the characters tells his story and relates his memories in his own words. Sometimes, the stories are told as flashbacks to the time they were children; and sometimes, the characters are inviting the reader into their present day lives, allowing for them to be seen as who they are today. What the reader learns is that, as children, Gwen, Mickey, Shawn, Tim and Gordon lived in the same neighborhood in Dickeyville, Maryland and spent the summers 'hanging out'.. doing what kids do to ward off boredom. They played kickball games and started their own hiking club... hiking through the forested area at the end of their street. Each day, the gang would venture further and further into the woods, knowing their parents would not approve.... of course, THAT was part of the appeal!. One day, their paths crossed with that of a transient, who was living in a thrown together shack deep in the woods. The kids developed a relationship of sorts with this man they called 'Chicken George' and continued to visit him... until one day, something unexpected and terrible happened. I don't want to ruin the mystery of sorts that develops over the course of the story , but I will say that what happened that particular day, changed the lives of everyone involved. This group that had been so close, broke apart shortly thereafter, and all went their separate ways... until Gordon's accident 30 years later.
When the group meets up these 30 years later, they realize that the past has never really stayed behind. They had to face up to the fact that you have to deal with the past and own up to the mistakes that you made.
I found this story interesting for a couple of reasons. I enjoyed the characters' flashbacks to the 1970's and 80's as I also grew up in those decades and could relate to many of the cultural references..... the music, the clothes, the hairstyles! I also could appreciate the characters' willingness to engage in self-examination and reflection... these reflections allowed for the reader to clearly see the characters' personal growth which had occurred over those 30 years. Although the 'mystery' aspect of the story wasn't , to me, much of a mystery as I figured out what was really going on fairly early on in the story, the characters WERE well-drawn and kept me interested in hearing more of the story and learning how it all turned out.
This story is told in the present with flashbacks to the 1970's and 80's. The story begins in the present with Gordon ('Go Go') Halloran, a forty year old very troubled, recovering alcoholic who has just recently 'fallen off the wagon'. Instead of attending his usual AA meeting, he made his way to a bar; after having a few drinks, he got into his car and started driving at a high rate of speed. Unsurprisingly, Gordon was involved in a horrible accident. Gordon's accident was the catalyst for the characters in this story.... Gwen, Mickey, Shawn and Tim (Gordon's brothers), who were all childhood friends, to come together and finally face a troubling incident and a secret from their past once and for all.
As the story progresses, the reader is introduced to each character... each of the characters tells his story and relates his memories in his own words. Sometimes, the stories are told as flashbacks to the time they were children; and sometimes, the characters are inviting the reader into their present day lives, allowing for them to be seen as who they are today. What the reader learns is that, as children, Gwen, Mickey, Shawn, Tim and Gordon lived in the same neighborhood in Dickeyville, Maryland and spent the summers 'hanging out'.. doing what kids do to ward off boredom. They played kickball games and started their own hiking club... hiking through the forested area at the end of their street. Each day, the gang would venture further and further into the woods, knowing their parents would not approve.... of course, THAT was part of the appeal!. One day, their paths crossed with that of a transient, who was living in a thrown together shack deep in the woods. The kids developed a relationship of sorts with this man they called 'Chicken George' and continued to visit him... until one day, something unexpected and terrible happened. I don't want to ruin the mystery of sorts that develops over the course of the story , but I will say that what happened that particular day, changed the lives of everyone involved. This group that had been so close, broke apart shortly thereafter, and all went their separate ways... until Gordon's accident 30 years later.
When the group meets up these 30 years later, they realize that the past has never really stayed behind. They had to face up to the fact that you have to deal with the past and own up to the mistakes that you made.
I found this story interesting for a couple of reasons. I enjoyed the characters' flashbacks to the 1970's and 80's as I also grew up in those decades and could relate to many of the cultural references..... the music, the clothes, the hairstyles! I also could appreciate the characters' willingness to engage in self-examination and reflection... these reflections allowed for the reader to clearly see the characters' personal growth which had occurred over those 30 years. Although the 'mystery' aspect of the story wasn't , to me, much of a mystery as I figured out what was really going on fairly early on in the story, the characters WERE well-drawn and kept me interested in hearing more of the story and learning how it all turned out.
June 20, 2012
Gordon “Go-Go” Halloran finds himself drunk after two years of sobriety and proceeds to drive himself into a concrete wall. After his death, his group of friends that played together as kids, as well as their parents, reevaluate their youth and the secrets that could have caused Go-Go’s demise. The Most Dangerous Thing takes place in the late 1970’s as well as present day. In the 1970’s, the group of friends included the three Halloran boys, Tim, Sean, and Go-Go and two neighbor girls, Gwen and Mickey. After an accident, Sean and Gwen start a teenage romance, which has devastating effects on their group. The group also meets a mysterious man that lives in the woods, and their lives will never been the same. In the present day, the survivors try to piece together what exactly took place when they were children that may have haunted Go-Go.
Two of my favorite books of 2011 were by Laura Lippman, The Girl in the Green Raincoat and I’d Know you Anywhere. Unfortunately, The Most Dangerous Thing fell flat for me. The book was okay, but not excellent like the previous two novels. I think the flaw was that there were too many characters with the children and adults given their own sections and not enough detail to make me truly care about anyone. A lot of the storyline was never resolved. I also really disliked the narration in the 1970’s section about the kids. It seemed to be narrated first person by one of them, but they were also all referred to in the third person. It drove me crazy. The book moved really slow for me, but did pick up steam by the end . . . only to really annoy me.
SPOILER ALERT
Was anyone else that read the book also annoyed by the end? Poor nine year old Go-Go was molested, but once everyone found out it was “only” 14-year old (at the time) Mickey and the two high school boys she brought along, it was okay. I’m pretty sure it was not okay. It was a giant let down that they all seemed to be okay with this and just move on. The fact that Mickey not only molested (and brought along molesters) poor Go-Go at the time, but also harassed him in adulthood and probably drove him to his death at least deserved a verbal dress-down from Go-Go’s brothers. I mean Mickey actually went so far as to go to Go-Go’s AA meetings so he wouldn’t talk about his abuse as a child. Nice.
SPOILER END
Overall, the book did pick up by the end and did get a passionate response from me, but I didn’t really enjoy this book. I didn’t like or feel a connection with any of the characters. The one section I did enjoy was a brief appearance of Tess Monaghan (from A Girl in the Green Raincoat). It was nice to see she was back to work with little Scout in tow. That one section had a spark that was missing from the rest of the book. I am interested to see what others thought of this book.
I received this book for review from William Morrow Publishers and reviewed it as part of the TLC Book Tours. This review was originally posted on my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2012/...
Two of my favorite books of 2011 were by Laura Lippman, The Girl in the Green Raincoat and I’d Know you Anywhere. Unfortunately, The Most Dangerous Thing fell flat for me. The book was okay, but not excellent like the previous two novels. I think the flaw was that there were too many characters with the children and adults given their own sections and not enough detail to make me truly care about anyone. A lot of the storyline was never resolved. I also really disliked the narration in the 1970’s section about the kids. It seemed to be narrated first person by one of them, but they were also all referred to in the third person. It drove me crazy. The book moved really slow for me, but did pick up steam by the end . . . only to really annoy me.
SPOILER ALERT
Was anyone else that read the book also annoyed by the end? Poor nine year old Go-Go was molested, but once everyone found out it was “only” 14-year old (at the time) Mickey and the two high school boys she brought along, it was okay. I’m pretty sure it was not okay. It was a giant let down that they all seemed to be okay with this and just move on. The fact that Mickey not only molested (and brought along molesters) poor Go-Go at the time, but also harassed him in adulthood and probably drove him to his death at least deserved a verbal dress-down from Go-Go’s brothers. I mean Mickey actually went so far as to go to Go-Go’s AA meetings so he wouldn’t talk about his abuse as a child. Nice.
SPOILER END
Overall, the book did pick up by the end and did get a passionate response from me, but I didn’t really enjoy this book. I didn’t like or feel a connection with any of the characters. The one section I did enjoy was a brief appearance of Tess Monaghan (from A Girl in the Green Raincoat). It was nice to see she was back to work with little Scout in tow. That one section had a spark that was missing from the rest of the book. I am interested to see what others thought of this book.
I received this book for review from William Morrow Publishers and reviewed it as part of the TLC Book Tours. This review was originally posted on my blog at: http://lauragerold.blogspot.com/2012/...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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