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Boonville: A Novel
Pages: 272, Paperback, Harper Perennial

Brand: Harper Perennial
Sales rank: 312394
Usually ships in 24 hours

Books / Subjects / Literature & Fiction / World Literature / United States


Customer Ratings & Reviews (most recent first)
Average Customer Rating: 3.0 (out of 5)
Number Of Ratings: 20

20) funny & quirky light reading
This is a great "beach book" full of some laughs. It's certainly not great literature & is not expected to be taken as such. It's odd that some of the "Boontlings" have taken it so seriously & are offended. All little towns are like this, not just Boonville & they should be delighted that someone found them charming enough to create a story with them as the main character. For heaven's sake, lighten up & get a life!!
Rating: 4
Submitted: 6/17/2008

19) Fun read
I don't know anything about the real-life basis of this book and I don't really care. I picked it up as a quick read, with no expectations. It's not the Great American Novel

Downside: It needs some editing. The storyline with Balostrasi went nowhere, served no purpose, and should have been left out. Sarah's character never filled out beyond the descriptions on the page. There were a few too many undifferentiated rednecks. It's a bit wordy (I didn't mind this but I some people might). The last chapter could have been omitted completely; it tied up ends that didn't need any more tying-up.

Upside: It was funny (people, get over yourselves). Even the characters that other reviewers have complained were mocked earned a measure of the author's and protagonist's affection and admiration (and the protagonist himself is mock-able). Anyone who thinks the characters were over-the-top doesn't get out enough; I know plenty of people who are this eccentric and more. The descriptions and ideas, while overwritten, are entertaining and sometimes insightful.
Rating: 4
Submitted: 5/10/2007

18) Best novel I've read in years
Captures the essence of Northern Cal coastal towns -- at least as they were in the 80s when I toured the area.

The only other book I've read in recent years in the same league is The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. But the subject matter of The Corrections (senile dementia) was painful, so The Corrections left me satiated but drained. Boonville left me satiated and energized.
Rating: 5
Submitted: 9/25/2006

17) Ugh...
This book is a prime example of all that's wrong with the American fiction scene these days. It got published (I'm guessing) because 1) the author paid for a great agent; and 2) it's in keeping with the "I know more about the setting than almost anyone who's gonna read this book." It gets details about location, and some history correct. But when you actually delve into the characters, you can't find an original one among them.

The prose is so tortured, the characters so hackneyed, that it's hard to make out exactly what the author was going for. How a book can be simultaneously so overwrought and underwrought is beyond me.
Rating: 1
Submitted: 1/8/2006

16) A visit home....
I bought this book in San Francisco on the way to visit the Mendocino Coast. I grew up in a small town ( We played Boonville in basketball)in the area and found this book to be a hoot and a fairly accurate portrayal of small town life in Northern California. From the "hip" alternative culture that can safely hide in a small town to the more established residents who have been there for generations, this brought a feeling of Deja vu to me. I am one of those who "escaped" and enjoyed the trip back, probably because it has been many years and was certainly temporary! Also enjoyed to references to small towns in the area, including my own, which I have never seen in print before. It is clear that the author has spent his time in Boonville. I enjoyed this book a lot.
Rating: 4
Submitted: 8/13/2003

Boonville: A Novel

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