The Root of All Evil

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Summary: Farrow Shows the Real Charleston
Review: Aside from a page-turning good story, Mr. Farrow brings to life the Charleston that exists behind the tinsel and tourism. This is the real Charleston, with all of its beauty and blemishes. It's the world of old families and tradition that's quickly being lost. If you love what you see in Charleston, read this book and get a sense of what you otherwise would never see.

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Summary: A swirling cauldron of voodoo, Charleston, and suspense
Review: Being a "nawthener" all my life, I found this book to be an out of body experience into the core of the real, mystical south. I highly recommend it to any other curious readers, whether you plan a visit to Charleston or not! The blend of mysticism, history and murder in "Root" kept me glued to the pages. I am looking forward to reading David Farrow's next book--and I'm hoping he makes it a continuation of this one in some way, keeping the spirit of Charleston past and present coming to life, in far more than a strictly geographic way.I could not put this book down. I started reading it while on vacation in Charleston and continued it during a visit to Savannah. Because the book was so far superior to "THE BOOK" (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), my mind was still in Charleston though I was surrounded by Savannah's "Midnight" tours, posters, and paraphenalia.Luckily, my husband and I had the unique pleasure of meeting David Farrow on a recent trip to Charleston. The city is charming and lovely, but it didn't come alive until we experienced its old haunts through the eyes of someone who has lived on shrimp, grits, and voodoo. Bravo, David! Do it again!

Rating:
Summary: Farrow Shows the Real Charleston
Review: Having spent all his life living in Charleston and the last half unfolding the historic city for tourists, David Farrow writes with an undiluted appreciation for his home.

But the real value beyond the homespun comraderie and irreverent rich Southern society-speak of the main characters is Farrow's imagination. Voodoo in the South Carolina lowcountry mixed with quantum physics and the search for God is not the standard fare coming out of the pastoral stable of regional writers. Farrow takes chances. He challenges the reader to find a new way through the highly tread traditions of Southern Gothic. A genre needy of a modern take on things.

Farrow suffers a little from poor editing, his enthusiasm sometimes getting the better of him. But the author's gift is that he never writes in an all-knowing omniscient voice merely revealing events. The central character--and Farrow's alter-ego--come across as an evolving soul searching out his place in an old society at odds with a modern world. The central conflict is personal, complemented beautifully by the architecture, mores and landscape of a very physical and romantic setting.

The Root of all Evil is not just a good read for anyone who ever visited or is planning on visiting Charleston. The book is a mental and physical romp through one of the world's most charming cities. One that has many layers and one that David knows well.

I look forward to his next effort.

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Summary: David Farrow cooks up the recipe for a great read!
Review: Take a cup of Steven King, blend with a generous dollop of John Behrendt, stir in a taste of Kahlil Ghibran and add them all to the unique vision and talent of David Farrow. The result is "The Root Of All Evil", a book to be savored again and again. Farrow has set his macabre tale of boyhood friends turned adult adversaries in his beloved Charleston. Born and raised in this loveliest of all Southern cities, he captures it so completely that even if you have never visited here, by the end of this captivating novel you'll feel as though you've walked the streets and alleys, strolled along the Battery, and basked in the sunlight of Waterfront Park. For those of us who have spent time here it instantly transports us back. But either way the Charleston Farrow shows us is far different from the one shown in travel brochures. Taking the reader inside Charleston society and under it to the "Voodoo" herb culture of the Gullah people, he spins a terrifying yarn not of "whodunit" but "whatdunit"! Captivating characters, nail-biting action and a pace that accelerates with the turning of every page makes this one of those books that truly are hard to put down. I've just finished reading it for the third time and I'm still discovering new aspects of Farrow's masterful prose. While I eagerly await the movie someone is bound to make of this book (imagine the special effects !), I more eagerly await his next book. Thanks for the ride, Mr. Farrow! May I please have another?

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Summary: The Root of All Evil
Review: This is a true page turner!The sights and sounds of Charleston are alive throughout the book.A great vacation read.If you like horror with character (and characters),you'll love this book.