Third and Indiana: A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Poetry in a novel
Review: The plot of this book almost doesn't matter. What does matter is the beauty of the language--beautiful writing in it's most sublime form: the reader is immersed in the world of the book.

As another reviewer stated, the usage and structure is a little unusual, but once the reader becomes accustomed to the unique style it becomes transparent. We are on the streets of Philadelphia. We are in the minds of the characters.

What more could you possibly want in a novel?

Rating:
Summary: Out of the darknees, light.
Review: This dark novel of the Philadelphia streets was not my first choice for vacation reading, but a fellow teacher whose judgment I respected suggested I read it. The writing is powerful and the street dialogue uncanny, as Lopez takes us through the darkness of drug dealing and violence with his unlikely 14 year old artist bathed in light. I've recommended it to all my friends, fellow teachers and students. Not only is it beautifully and compelling written, it's one hell of a good story.

Rating:
Summary: A great and moving story!
Review: This is just a great story with characters you will never forget and told with a genius for dialogue and place. An excellent debut novel. I couldn't put it down and at the end I didn't want it to end. Lopez captures perfectly the essence of life in the "Badlands" and South Philly -- and it was great to read a story set in a city that I know and love. Read this book; you won't regret it.