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Summary: What a Wonderful Romp in the American West!
Review: It's idyllic, funny, romantic and picturesque. The Mandans might not have seen it this way, but as long as the reader knows that it's a fun read. Although laced with some tragedy, the overall story is laden with the amusing and idiosyncratic Berrybender family and this makes even the tragedies seem less painful. As they work their way up the Missouri river in 1832 on their "floating Europe", the Berrybender family intends to reach the Yellowstone River by winter. And so the tale begins. The precocious Tasmin meets the Sin Killer himself, Jim Snow, and thus begins a central story in the novel. Along with this are the travails of Tasmin's father; Lord "B", her sisters, mother and other ship hands. We also meet Indians (of course), French fur trappers, buffalo and the Great Plains.This book is a picturesque, well-written and memorable tale that left me looking very much forward to the next installment.
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Summary: A ,(not so sure at first), good read
Review: This English family, the Berrybenders, are out in the middle of the plains on a paddleboat making their way up a river, just so the father can hunt. They are very rich, have lots of various types of children, and very snobbish. They have brought servants, guides, an artist, and many cases of booze. They run into many perils. By the end of the book I was throughly hooked. Ran out and got the second narrative, called The Wandering Hill.
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Summary: SOME GOOD STUFF FROM THE WESTERN CHRONICLER
Review: Larry McMurtry's latest series takes the reader to the plains of the frontier and, true to form, incorporates a variety of actual history into the story. Meet the Berrybender clan, one of the most interesting and dysfunctional groups ever tackled by the famed western author. If you like McMurtry's other books, especially Boone's Lick, you will appreciate this one. Not as good as the Lonesome Dove series (but then, what is?), The Berrybender Narratives are, nonetheless, destined to be western classics. Read this one and then get Book 2: The Wandering Hill.
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Summary: The Perfect Book on Tape...
Review: ...to loan to people you don't like. A lousy story poorly told, with a hugh cast of unlikeable characters.
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Summary: Not his best work. Not by a long shot!
Review: Larry McMurtry's Sin Killer must have been published only on the Author's past reputation. This book features an unbelievable ride through the Great Plains. The first installment of a proposed tetralogy, The Berrybender Narratives, Sin Killer follows the adventures of the Berrybenders, supposedly a large, noble English family traveling the Missouri River in 1832. The characters are unbelievable, and unlikeable. The family is suposedly travelling via a luxury steamer, accompanied by an equally unbelievable and unlikely assemblage of servants, guides, and natives. All of the situations of adversity seem contrived and random. A waste of time.
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Summary: A Bit Silly
Review: Sin Killer is a bit silly. I like the historical significance of the book, although false. I like the prose, although a bit corny. If you are thinking about giving this book your 5 hours of reading time - I would think about something else. Yes, lots o' characters. Yes, a bit funny... but I didn't laugh. The characters are unlikeable... I know, they are supposed to be... but save your time... There are plenty of other books out there that are better. No one can read everything on the market. I would skip this one
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Summary: like a silly dream best forgotten just before awakening
Review: This book is populated by beings so shallow, selfish, amoral, thoughtless, and devoid of any substance that permits the word character to be used in their behalf. I am really glad that I didn't buy this book, but am much saddened to note that it was given to me by someone I considered to be a friend. Alas, perhaps she may be able to redeem herself if she does something magnificent and minds her mannerss. If there is a plot to the thing I never found it in the first 2/3 of the book, the point where I tossed it.
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Summary: Haven't I read this before.
Review: I like McMurtry's books but after a while the characters seem to crawl from book to book, shape-changers, offering the same clipped lines, bits of wisdom, winsome quirks and oddly funny situations. If you enjoy his stories and characters by all means read Sin Killer, but other than setting, don't count on anything new.
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Summary: It grows on you.
Review: When I began the book, "Sin Killer", I thought, "What's McMurtry doing here?" This is a strange story about a group of people traveling west, via the Missouri River. In this saga, the people do things you wouldn't expect to be done, considering their circumstances. The rich Berrybender family, for example, brings along their own wine "cellar". Of course when others find out about the wine being within arms length, some help themselves. Common sense doesn't seem to be an accessible entity for many of the passengers and you begin to wonder what's that all about, since it gets many in big trouble. I mean, this group is headed into the unsettled west. They are faced with unpredictable weather, varying and important conditions of the river, Indians, boredom, and other people they meet along the way. The passengers don't seem to be interested in the consequences of any of these circumstances and they end up paying for their irresponsible behavior. That being said, the more I read the more enjoyable the story became. "Sin Killer" is a quick read and It kind of grows on you. The sequel will be on my list of paperbacks to read.
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Summary: Frontier Violence and Romance
Review: The Wandering Hill is a seemless sequel to the first in this series called The Sin Killer, and ends almost in mid-sentence so you look forward to the next installation to see who among the Berrybender clan will survive the Saga. An engaging story with the narrative drive men like and the romantic confusion that women like. Read them in sequence. They are short an action packed.
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