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Summary: Atticus: An Exciting and Suspenseful Novel
Review: Despite the slow, somewhat boring start, I became more and more interested and intrigued by this story as each chapter was unveiled. Atticus Cody, an older man who lives in Colorado, recieves word that his son, Scott, has commited suicide. Atticus therefore goes to Resurreccion, Mexico to bring Scott's body back to Colorado to be buried, however when he arrives he starts to notice small but significant details that make him suspect murder. Although this novel did start off somewhat slow, I think that Ron Hansen did a good job of keeping my attention throughout the entirety of the book. One negative about about the story is the lack of detail given about the characters. For example, throughout most of the book, the reader isn't told much about why Scott is so troubled. Mostly all that is known is that he suffered from a severe breakdown after his mother was killed in a car accident in which he was driving. I was somewhat perplexed when Hansen decided to comepletely turn the story around and change the point of view without any warning, however with a little bit of stick-to-itiveness, I kept reading and all my questions were answered. Although the ending of the story could have been drawn out a bit more, my overall opinion of Ron Hansen's murder novel is that it is an exciting and suspenseful novel that anyone would enjoy reading.
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Summary: Suspenseful yet touching
Review: Though getting off to a somewhat slow start, Atticus drew me in deeper and deeper as it went along. Atticus, the father of a somewhat troubled son, goes to Mexico when hearing of his son's suicide there. Atticus is an amazing man and father...in most ways, ordinary, yet in his quiet agony over his son's death, and after seeing the body with the face half blown off with a gunshot, Atticus has a spark of awareness and intuition that there is something wrong...it looks like a murder. He quietly pokes around to find clues that will help him discover the truth of what happened to his son. He discovers small connections to his son's death, he sees fleeting glimpses of mysterious people, and is knocked over by a stranger in his son's house. A slow yet suspenseful tension builds, until a sudden twist in the story takes us to the son's point of view, and then we discover the truth. Yet this is not all there is to this story...or the character of Atticus. More and more we see a wonderful, caring father, and can relate to all the range of emotions between father and son... the pulling away of the son from parents, yet the loving ties that Atticus never lets snap. His efforts towards his son are compared in a gentle but impactful way with the faithful father to the prodigal son, and so this story not only draws you in with its quiet suspense, but with its ability to touch the emotions and experiences most of us can relate to.
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Summary: MORE THAN SIMPLY A MYSTERY...
Review: ATTICUS is my second exposure to the writing of Ron Hansen (the first being MARRIETTE IN ECSTASY) ' and the quality and power of his writing in both cases leads me firmly down the road to explore his other works. This is a novel of uncommon power and grace. Hansen works with words in much the way a sculptor works with clay or stone ' he molds them into a shape that vividly conveys the image he holds in his mind of the characters and story. Atticus Cody is a Colorado rancher who has made his fortune from oil discovered on his land ' he's evidently not 'filthy rich', but he's comfortable. He's a man who is satisfied with modest comforts, with caring for his family ' he's well-grounded. Atticus has two sons ' Frank, successful and well-respected, is a US Senator; Scott, the younger of the two, has had a mottled life, shadowed by restlessness and bouts with depression and alcoholism. Scott is also responsible for the death of his own mother in a car accident, some years before the events of this novel. Atticus loves both of his sons with a passion that seethes beneath the surface of his rough, man-of-few-words exterior. The parable of the prodigal son, from the Bible, is mentioned both in the novel itself and by other reviewers ' it's a very apt one to apply to this story. A few weeks after a Christmas gathering at his ranch in Colorado that includes Frank and his family, as well as a surprise visit from the ever-wandering Scott, Atticus receives a call from Mexico that his prodigal son has committed suicide. Not completely surprised, but emotionally shattered nonetheless, Atticus makes the journey to retrieve Scott's body. What he finds in ConcepcÃon, the small town on the Caribbean where Scott has been living, leads him to believe that his son has instead been murdered ' and he sets about in his own quiet but firm way to find out exactly what has happened. Beyond that, I won't go into the plot ' suffice to say that Hansen gifts the reader with several twists and turns that are worthy of the finest mystery fiction. This novel, however, is much more than simply a well-written mystery ' it is a parable, infused with life, with breath, of the ties that bind us together as families, of the values that lie at the core of the very concept of family, of our humanity. Hansen's writing glows. MARRIETTE IN ECSTASY amazed me ' ATTICUS confirms my first impression of this fine writer. Onward'
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Summary: Engaging retelling of the Prodigal Son story
Review: Colorado rancher Atticus Cody learns that his youngest son, Scott, has committed suicide. Thus begins Atticus' journey south to Resurreccion, Mexico to retrieve his son's body. However, when he arrives, all is not what it seems. As Atticus puts the pieces of the puzzle together, he begins to suspect murder. The first half of the novel unravels like an unexpected murder mystery, taking the reader along various paths and turns. The last half of the novel is written from a first-person perspective. Hansen ably recasts the Prodigal Son story, helping bring a contemporary spin to the tale. By so doing, he allows the reader to imagine the "failings" of the son and the love of the father in a much clearer way. Hansen has a way with words even when he tends to over-describe at times. His male characters are far better developed than his female. So obsessed with the physical beauty of Renata in the book's first half, she comes across as more of a stereotype than a character. Overall, the novel is compelling. It's a nice mix of artsy-novel and murder mystery rolled into one.
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Summary: If all mysteries were like this one...
Review: Even though it is obvious and clear on the jacket, I picked up this book without the notion that it was going to be a murder mystery. I was more convinced that it was going to be a plain vanilla novel. This is good, because I am not much of a mystery reader. For my taste, the willing suspension of disbelief that most mysteries require is too much to stomach, and I get disappointed way before the end. Atticus is terrific. Not only it is a beautiful story about a father and his prodigal son. It is also an engaging murder mystery with an amazing plot. I was truly surprised at the resolution of the story. There was very little in the plot to suggest that this was how everything would end. The writing was sincere and powerful. Such beautiful similes: "Awkward as a box full of shoes". What an evident and mundane thing to say, and how exquisite. "... the water was as tepid and clear as Perrier but from a distance had the turquoise color of kitchens in the fifties". The description of the wild Mexican landscape, the people of Resurrección, all done to perfection. This was a tactile novel, where you could see and smell and feel what the characters were experiencing. The love that Atticus feels for his son Scott, no matter how messed up, rotten and selfish Scott has been, is so sincere and pure and beyond all reproach that it brought tears to my eyes in more than one occasion. This is one of the best books I have read this year. Do not let this one go by.
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Summary: The book that went on and on and on...
Review: I started reading this novel with anticipation; however, I ended it with disappointment. The story of Atticus going to Mexico to pick up his dead son only to suspect murder intrigued me.However, when I was reading the novel it just seemed to go on forever. It didn't interest me until the middle of the novel where the reader can actually start to suspect murder. Just a couple of pages further my interest was immediately lost with the author's "suprise solution". The other half of the novel consisted of an extremely long and elaborate explanation to his solution.The end of the novel was abrupt and explained nothing, as if the author got tired of writing and just finished the novel right there. I did like the themes that the author chose, they were strong and hard-hitting. Perhaps this is a review of an ignorant teen-ager who has just finished his first mystery novel,but it is just a review.
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Summary: Atticus
Review: Ron Hansen's "Atticus" is an intriguing novel vividly describing a man's search for meaning in a murder mystery setting. Atticus Cody is sucessful Colorado rancher who has a troubled relationship with his son Scott. When Scott supposedly commits suicied in Resurreccion, Mexico Atticus leaves to bring his son's body home. Being an old fashioned man Atticus does not fit in to his son's rowdy town. He feels alone in a strange place. Instead of accepting his son's death he investigates it. He comes to the conclusion thathis son had been murdered. Hansen takes the reader on a wild ride as Atticus searches for his son's killer. Although Hansen's writing style is hard to follow at times, the mysterious story line keeps the reader hooked to the book. I recommend this book solely on its beautifully crafted story line, even though it is hard to follow at times.
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Summary: school project
Review: Atticus, an extremely well off farmer, is forced to go to Mexico to receive his son Scott's body after he committed suicide. However once Atticus gets there he begins to suspect murder.. Ron Hansen did a terrific job with the characters in Atticus they are very believable. It's an extremely well written and easy to read book, with its many plot twists it will keep you guessing until the end.
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Summary: A Different View of Atticus
Review: Atticus is an amazing murder mystery with a lot of twists and turns. Ron Hansen has written a great storyline for this book. It is easy to read and I was unable to put it down. Atticus is based on the moral of the Prodigal Son. Atticus is the father of his Prodigal Son Scott. The author describes them as always having a rough relationship, leading to Scott moving to Mexico. While Scott was living in Mexico he led a life of full of parties, drugs, and alcohol. One day Atticus receives a call telling him that his son has committed suicide. When Atticus travels to Mexico to recover the body, he stumbles on clues that lead him to believe that his son was murdered rather than suicide. In this gripping and compelling novel, the author throws in even more twists and turns that make the reader unable to put the book down. Scott is the opposite of his brother Frank, who has always been loyal to his father and done everything to please him. Even though Scott and his father's relationship was weak in the beginning of the novel it grows as the novel progresses. If you were interested in murder mysteries, I would highly recommend that you read this book.
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Summary: Book Review
Review: Atticus was a sensational novel with a twist. I personally enjoyed the way that Atticus, father to a supposedly dead son at 67 years of age as a cattleman, tried to solve his son's case himself. Atticus is a farmer in Colorado who traveled to Mexico by word that his son had committed sucide. When he arrives, he is suspicious of murder. Further on in the book, he is shocked at what he finds. Or should I say who? This book was excellent but some information was dragged along that wasn't absolutely needed. I truly think this is a good book and I recommend this to anyone that loves readin anything. I rate this 4 stars and a pat on the back to Ron Hansen
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