The Paperboy

Rating:
Summary: There's not a bad book in Pete Dexter's lot
Review: I read "Paris Trout" (which I picked up wondering what the City of Light and fish have to do with one another) and was hooked. Pete Dexter writes books about people you don't really want to know -- racists, violent men, drunks, people who are depressed to the point of dragging you down with them -- but he gets his hooks in you on page one and never lets go. "Paperboy" is basically about failure and how close we are to it even when it seems that life is going OK -- something can come into our lives that takes it all apart. The story is magnificently told in prose so tight that you can almost hear typewriter keys clicking away (Pete Dexter's books don't read like they were produced on a word processor). Best of all, there are the many places in the book where the words "as if" or "like" appear. Nobody does descriptive comparisons better. This is a great book, just like the other Pete Dexter books -- you just can't go wrong with him.

Rating:
Summary: There's not a bad book in Pete Dexter's lot
Review: I read "Paris Trout" (which I picked up wondering what the City of Light and fish have to do with one another) and was hooked. Pete Dexter writes books about people you don't really want to know -- racists, violent men, drunks, people who are depressed to the point of dragging you down with them -- but he gets his hooks in you on page one and never lets go. "Paperboy" is basically about failure and how close we are to it even when it seems that life is going OK -- something can come into our lives that takes it all apart. The story is magnificently told in prose so tight that you can almost hear typewriter keys clicking away (Pete Dexter's books don't read like they were produced on a word processor). Best of all, there are the many places in the book where the words "as if" or "like" appear. Nobody does descriptive comparisons better. This is a great book, just like the other Pete Dexter books -- you just can't go wrong with him.

Rating:
Summary: There's not a bad book in Pete Dexter's lot
Review: I read "Paris Trout" (which I picked up wondering what the City of Light and fish have to do with one another) and was hooked. Pete Dexter writes books about people you don't really want to know -- racists, violent men, drunks, people who are depressed to the point of dragging you down with them -- but he gets his hooks in you on page one and never lets go. "Paperboy" is basically about failure and how close we are to it even when it seems that life is going OK -- something can come into our lives that takes it all apart. The story is magnificently told in prose so tight that you can almost hear typewriter keys clicking away (Pete Dexter's books don't read like they were produced on a word processor). Best of all, there are the many places in the book where the words "as if" or "like" appear. Nobody does descriptive comparisons better. This is a great book, just like the other Pete Dexter books -- you just can't go wrong with him.

Rating:
Summary: Save your money & buy another book from Amazon.com instead.
Review: I read "The Paperboy" for a book discussion group I belong to. Everyone basically agreed that this was an awful story, as the characterization was flat, and the story dragged. The ending, which should have been the most important part of the story,was rushed. The only thing good about the book was the artwork on the cover.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I'm slogging through this book and finding it heavy going. There are too many conflicting points of view, too many unreliable witnesses. This is imitation Erskine Caldwell at its worst (does anybody even remember "Tobacco Road"?) I've been a journalist and I've worked for the Miami (Herald) and this book says nothing to me that's true about journalism.

Rating:
Summary: Heart felt and real
Review: My husband introduced me to this book and Pete Dexter. He found the book enthralling, rich in characterization, and unforgetable. I couldn't agree more. I read mysteries on a regular basis and found this as a wonderful alternative. I could not put this book down. I cried when I finished, not a normal behavior. I recommend this book highly! It's a beautiful story and extremely well written. My hats off to Pete Dexter, write more!!!

Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: One of the best books I've read in a long time. Cogent story, well written.

Rating:
Summary: Great book.
Review: One of the best books I've read in a long time. Cogent story, well written.

Rating:
Summary: In a class by itself ...
Review: PERHAPS you could accuse Dexter of imitating James Lee Burke's southern tone; but NEVER have I read Crime novel where the "in-the-end-who-cares-who-really-did-it" motif has been structured so wonderfully within the moral lessons learned by the three main characters (Jack, Ward, and Yardley). Part of this beauty is that it is NOT a pretty picture, fine-woven tapestry, or many-colored quilt -- any of those would have been too easy for Dexter to pull off. No, Dexter reminds us that the search for truth is an ugly lot, and there's no real assurance that those who persevere will truly prosper. From the very beginning, where we're told that the delivery boy - not the "gifted" writers - is our narrator, to the very end, where Ward is still searching for clues to "finish" his Pulitzer-winning story, I was enthralled with the subtle-yet-effective techniques of Dexter's writing style.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've read this year
Review: Pete Dexter is a precise, incisive, beautiful writer. I cannot stop thinking about these two brothers, whose ambiguous relationship, for me, constitutes the real forward motion of the book. Yes, the plot is tight, gripping, and well paced, but the emotional undercurrent--the incredible family sadness--in this book is unforgettable.