Rating: 
Summary: Good writing; repulsive characters
Review: I'm about 100 pages in, and while the writing is captivating, I plan to return this to the library unfinished. Why? I just don't care what happens to these characters, and I prefer not to step into their world vicariously even one more time. Circle of depressing low-lifes. Main character enacts an evil revenge on his wife, leaving her in a situation where she might be assaulted or dead, yet chapters later we still do not know what happened as a result. As a Yankee, these first 100 pages have me renewing my vows not to travel south of N.J.
Rating: 
Summary: Relaxing read
Review: Part legal thriller, part humor, and even a bit spiritual, "The Many Aspects..." is a very smooth and relaxing read.Circuit court judge Evers Wheeling finds himself, his pot smoking, heavy drinking brother and friends on a cross-country journey from N.C. to Utah to retrieve a hidden treasure. The treasure comes by the way of a mystical woman who cries pearly tears, Ruth Esther English. She promises a part of the fortune to Evers if he will drop her brother's case when he appears in court before him. Prompted by a sense of the wealth and a sense of adventure, Evers agrees. As the group sets off to retrieve the treasure they are joined by Ruth Esther's almost militant-like, black lawyer Pauletta. Some of the books funniest moments occur when the conservative, southern-bred Evers and Pauletta trade barbs. The treasure, stolen drug money, is also found to include a mysterious letter that Ruth Esther goes to any length necessary to keep to herself. Curious about the content of the letter and the mysterious tears that Ruth Esther produces (which they believe are wish-bearing and build a shrine for) the group sets out to find the truth behind it all. In doing so and as their wishes come true, they reveal hidden and truths and feelings about themselves that they didn't even know existed. It may seem weird, but while reading this book I was taken in by a sense of tranquility. Clark has a very calm and soothing way of writing. Instead of the sudden and abrupt plot twists and turns associated with thrillers, the "go with the flow", almost melting-like writing is like a breath of fresh air. Although containing no real edge-of-your-seat, nail biting theatrics, there is plenty of suspense and intrique to keep the reader thouroughly engrossed.
Rating:
Summary: Just Plain Fun
Review: A fun, madcap, outrageous trip from North Carolina to Utah and back again. This is a book with wonderful characters and superb dialouge. I bought this because I'd read a lot about it, and I wasn't disappointed. Pauleta L. Qwai is strong and bright and the best thing to come down the pike in years. Hats off to Mr. clark.
Rating: 
Summary: I want my money back, please
Review: Overblown hyperbole passing for literature. If I'd checked it out of the library, I'd feel better. But knowing that I shelled out my hard earned cash for this sexist, racist insult to magical realism makes me angry. If the editor on this thing ever set a toe south of the Mason Dixon line, I'd be amazed. And the ending---well, it is one of the cheapest, tacked on cop outs I've seen in a long time. And in my line of work, I see quite a lot of bad fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Bizarre and funny !
Review: ...I was stunned after reading the book.It is not a "SOUTHERNBOOK", rather it is a wild and bizarre tale af people and theseemingly improbable lifestyle that some enjoy.It is more importantly a tale aboult family and redemption that is told in some of the most captivating dialogue I have read.I have always known that Martin was one of the smartest people I know, the book brings out his wit and insight into the human condition in a stunning manner. I would strongly recommend this book to all readers not just we in the south.
Rating: 
Summary: Still reading
Review: A great story and I have 50 pages left. It is wacky, funny and very clever. I really like all of the characters. I did not find it sexist at all, but a bit overly verbose at times. Another edit was needed.
Rating:
Summary: Many Aspects of a Fine Novel
Review: I received this book as a gift several days ago. About a third of the way through I said to myself, This plot is so flaky, why can't I put the book down? Last night, I asked myself the same question while staying up until 2 a.m. to finish the last page. The answer, of course, is as old as literature itself. Create great characters and a reader will follow you just about anywhere. Sexists in the book? Yeah, plenty. A sexist book? No way. No book that contains Pauletta Lightwren Qwai is a sexist book. She's the toughest, smartest, sexiest, most independent woman to come down the literary pike in quite some time, and fully equal to taming any mongrel she encounters. The twisting plot with quasi-mystical undertones demands your willing suspension of disbelief. The writer's responsibility is to make your journey worth the indulgence, and Clark comes through. As for the writing, it's clear, controlled and almost reportorial. And that makes his occasional rhetorical flourish all the more powerful.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: I am a fan of Carl Hiaasen, and this book was recommended by another fan of Hiaasen who just could not say enough good things about Clark-- and I agree! The characters are funny, the story is suspensefull-- what more do you want? Take it to the beach with you this summer.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Choice for the Summer
Review: I need to offer two disclaimers before I begin. First, I'm a practicing attorney. Second, I know Judge Clark. That said, I still think this is one of the most entertaining takes on the legal system I've come across. This is a wry, clever tale that makes you step back and think when you get to the end. The story and writing are fast enough to make this a a fine beach read, and yet the themes are important enough to make this good literature. Should be required reading for all in the legal world.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, complex, skillfully intricate
Review: I define a good book or good movie as one which will linger in your mind for days after you have finished it. Accordingly, I found this work very satisfying; in fact, I would describe it as one of the best crafted I've read in quite a while. Despite what the title suggests, this is not a tale of poor white trash in the Daniel Woodrell genre, nor a stereotypically eccentric "southern" adventure. While comparisons with "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" will be made, Mr. Clark's skillful shaping of this complex mystery is comparable to the talent of David Guterson in "Snow Falling on Cedars", albeit with a Hunter Thompsonese backdrop. In other words, Mr. Clark is gifted with his own distinct style. I typically pass up mysteries; however, this one had me rivetted, and was so clever and intriguing that I resisted the urge to skim ahead despite the urge to discover the outcome. With each new, unanticipated, but cleverly foreshadowed, twist I became that much more impressed with the author. This story of a restless, jaded, young judge from a comfortable background for whom professional advancement came too easily and has proved unsatisfying will strike a cord with yuppie readers. Clark creatively represents the ennui of a segment of this privileged, good natured, social strata and the resulting self destructiveness . The book dexterously weaves waste, cynicism, corruption, spirituality, and redemption in a fasinating tale. The book would be flawless if author had invested more time in refining the last fifth of the book. Unfortunately the somewhat surrealistic conclusion almost seems to rush into a happy ending that is not consistent with the skillfully crafted passages which precede it. This is a fine work, one the most distinctive I have read in recent years. I would (and will) strongly recommend it.
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