Rating: 
Summary: Awful book could have been good Alfred Hitchcock short story
Review: I hated the ending of this book. The majority of the novel was actually good reading, but about 25 pages before the end of the book I'd had it with the mental cruelty of the book -- not only with what seemed like cruelty of some of the characters, but with the author's playing with my forebearance. At that point I flipped through the last pages merely scanning them for content, to see if it was more of the same stuff (which it was), and then finally got to the very last pages and felt well...betrayed. I've read all of Lehane's other books and thought they were all excellent. This one was a waste of time and patience. Perhaps it could have been a good Alfred Hitchcock short story. It just was a disappointing novel from a fine author trading on his reputation earned from writing a completely different kind of novel. As other reviews show, some people really enjoyed the book, so apparently that's possible, but Lehane fans should be warned that this is really not like the "Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro" novels. At all.
Rating: 
Summary: Island knowledge
Review: I was at first captivated by the characterization of the main character, Teddy, his losses and his longings. The setting, an island in Boston Harbor also caught my attention as I have worked on the islands when in college. The plot moved fast with all of the makings of a thriller, mad doctor, killer, island, storm, survival, bad guys, etc. The last quarter of the book was a let down...its not just that the ending was disappointing, the pace and the writing seemed to run out of steam. It almost seemed as though LeHane became bored with the ending and lost his magic, his flair. Without giving away the plot and/or ending, there were many ways to add intrigue to the finish of this book without changing the conclusion. The last few chapters were painful to read through ad the ending became inevitable instead of a mystery and the action dropped way down. Not his best, but I am still a fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Didn't Have Me Quivering!
Review: I know I was supposed to be be flipping pages wildly, with my hair standing on end, but I really couldn't get that immersed in the story. But, Shutter Island was foisted on me, and I stuck through to the end because the foister just might give me a pop quiz. Shutter Island isn't a bad book, it's just isn't my kind of book. I call books like these "hat tricks," or maybe talking horses. Real live book reviewers call them great "gotcha" books.
Lobotomies and withdrawing from Tofrinal aren't really very terrifying or interesting. And Teddy or Andrew? Well, I couldn't seem to care. For real terror, I vote for The Horned Man. Shutter Island? It'll make a great movie after it's made a gob of money in book form for the smiling man of the back flap.
Rating:
Summary: Huh?
Review: Maybe it's me because I was expecting something better and read the book with the constant feeling of disappointment and waiting for it to GET better or get SOMETHING. Dennis Lehane is a popular writer, a friend of a friend, and I was really looking forward to reading his book. I'm not really good at reading books that delve into other people's minds. I don't pick up well on subtleties. I felt as though a lot had happened to these characters before Lehane even started to tell us about them and we were somehow supposed to have ESP. There isn't much action except walking around a lot and talking even more. I found the book dull and boring and even flipping to the end to find out what happened made no sense. I wondered why the book wasn't on the bestseller list, and when I sent it to our library for their booksale, I knew why.
Rating:
Summary: Mind Games
Review: The protaganist's father was a fisherman,...I think, and the hook is set early, and the author reels us into his world with skill and tension. But the fish escapes, and our satisfaction with it, at an ending that doesn't satisfy.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect twist
Review: For the first two thirds, this is a way above average suspense mystery. Then there's a twist that you won't see coming, but it's so perfect you feel like you should have. Finally, when you're getting used to looking at everything in a new way, there's a last page ending that's heartbreaking, but also just right. Robert Cormier's "I Am the Cheese" is the only time I've seen something like this pulled off. Reading it the second time through, knowing what's coming, should be fascinating. Even without all this brilliant plotting, the characterizations are enough to keep you interested. Also, I highly recommend the booktape version published by HarperCollins.
Rating: 
Summary: who is to know
Review: Having read the majority of D. L's books, this one did not seem to fit into any of his previous categories. It was excellent, albiet, stupefying. Upon finishing the novel, it still isn't clear what has actually happened. It's rather Kafkaesque. Bless good old Teddy. He's the only one who does his best to make sense of an extemely contrived and impossible situation.
Rating:
Summary: Real Pager-Turner
Review: If you start Shutter Island, be prepared to spend sleepless nights until you are finished. Once I reached the halfway mark, I couldn't devour the pages fast enough. And the ending is absolutely mind-blowing. A great, fun summer read.
Rating:
Summary: Another great book by LeHane!
Review: I read Prayers for Rain and really enjoyed it; this book is even better! LeHane is a master at writing dialogue. This book has so much punch and is a very gripping, compelling read. LeHane plays head games with you up until the end where you feel as crazy as the patients at Shutter Island! I had a great time reading it, hopefully it will be made into a movie. For some reason I see Tom Cruise in the role of Teddy Daniels....
Rating:
Summary: Dennis Lehane is an author who never disappoints his reader!
Review: Shutter Island, the latest from Lehane is worthy of all the praise it receives & if you are looking for a page-turning read that keeps you guessing right up until the head-scratching last page, this one is for you! I highly recommend it.
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