The Given Day: A Novel | Dennis Lehane | very satisfying historical novel

The Given Day: A Novel | Dennis Lehane | don't want it end

books:

The Given Day: A N...

	The Given Day: A Novel Dennis Lehane William Morrow, 2008 - 720 pages average customer review:based on 94 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

very satisfying historical novel

What a satisfying experience it was to read Lehane's historical novel set in Boston during the turbulent times of 1917-1919. If you've been looking for the big novel that you can get lost in for several days, this is the one. I haven't been caught up in such a terrific reading experience since the last Harry Potter book came out. Lehane does a superb job of developing the characters and setting the story in an authentic fashion. Can't recommend this book highly enough.

don't want it end

Ever read a book and you want to keep reading but also want to take your time because you know you'll be sad when you're done? This is one of those books for me. I'm not done yet but don't want it to end. I give this book 8 stars. Given I've so far enjoyed every book Lehane has written, I can't wait for his next one.

for more information click here

Wonderful!

A great sequel to "Mystic River". I couldn't put it down. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I am a Bostonian and a member of Red Sox Nation. Just a great read! Harriet Z.

Highly Anticipated...

This book was one I was waiting to be published for about three years once I heard it was in the works. I was so excited when it was released that I jumped right into it. For me, it was DaVinci Code-esque and that usually brings the book down a couple notches from overanticipation.

This was a masterpiece when I think of all the historical research and time it took to create the characters, plot, setting, etc. I enjoyed how the story alternated between Danny, Luther, and Babe with intersections of the characters as the story progresses. There is alot going on throughout the book with many of the character relationships and these are strong undercurrents to keep the story moving along. The story progresses into some pretty intense scenes after the midpoint and I found myself enthralled in the book at several junctures.

For me, the main struggle of the book was vocabulary. I found myself needing to look up more than a few words which caused for pauses and interruptions. I do read alot but this book was just seemed to be a bit over-my-head with unknown words. This might have contributed to my feeling that the book was a bit too long. Lastly, the ending wasn't as enjoyable as I was hoping.

I assume this book will be made into a movie. I think alot can be done with the 1918 Boston setting, the love story, and the Danny/Luther relationship to make it into a solid dramatic feature.

Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors. I hope he writes another book sooner than the time it took for this one to be published. Given the 700+ pages, I do understand why this one took so long to finish.

for more information click here

a schizophrenic approach

Dennis Lehane never resolves the question of whether he is writing a historic novel, or a novel set during an important historic event. When he needs to set the background for the story, his characters, their actions and language, become very stilted and unnatural; they become props to advance the historical narrative and never provide the depth of character development, nor the intense passion of their interactions, which was such a hallmark of his previous books. Only in a few instances did Lehane focus on this aspect: some scenes between Danny and Nora, some confrontations between Thomas Coughlin and his sons - that teased the reader into thinking that there would be more depth to the book, but alas, such was not the case.
Perhaps the most unexpected surprise in the book, was the extraordinary description of Babe Ruth and baseball - some of the most memorable sports writing I can remember.

for more information click here