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Title: A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane ISBN: 0-380-72623-8 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 July, 1996 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.3 (109 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Wow!
Comment: Truly a fantastic debut. I picked up this book from the library because Mystic River wasn't in. I figured I'd get a taste of Lehane's writing. What I got was a feast of a book. An incredibly engrossing plot and unforgettable characters.
I instantly grew attached to Kenzie and Gerarro. These characters are so real you'd think you've known them for years. In addition, the supporting characters are equally unforgettable. I'm especially impressed with the unstable Bubba Rogowski.
The book starts with a bang and doesn't stop until the last word. It's a short book to begin with (a little over 250 pages), and the fast-paced writing makes it a very quick read. But, I felt like I had read an epic novel. I was ecstatic to see that there were four more novels in the series...with more to come, hopefully.
I strongly recommend this book. Pick it up and sit down for a violent, wild ride with characters you will want to meet again and again.
Rating: 5
Summary: (4 1/2) The Sins of the Fathers
Comment: Dennis Lehane is that rare author who manages to combines the ability of a masterful wordsmith with interesting plots and storylines that raise significant issues. I first read SHUTTER ISLAND (review 5/7/03) and was so blown away by the conclusion that I immediately decided to read more of his work. I next chose MYSTIC RIVER given the wonderful reviews that it generated; while it fully confirmed his incredible talents as an author, it was so unrelenting dark and depressing that I literally had trouble completing the book (review 6/27/03). My conclusion was that Lehane's view of the human experience (at least in regard to the subjects of his novels) could almost be summarized by the well known admonition "abandon hope all ye who enter here". I recently decided that I would attempt to read his acclaimed debut novel A DRINK BEFORE THE WAR since I am an avid reader of the genre (detective series). I knew it was the first of five volumes in a series with Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro as the central characters, and I was interested in reading his original work in order to see how his style and talents had evolved since then. I am very glad that I decided not to abandon his books after MYSTIC RIVER, since I found this a wonderful read despite my reservations described later in this review.
This is a dark story involving a group of Boston politicos who hire Patrick Kenzie and his associate and high school friend Angela Gennaro to retrieve some documents purportedly stolen by a cleaning woman who has subsequently disappeared. However, their assignment quickly becomes complicated by violence directed against Patrick and by a subsequent murder; they realize that a simple case whose solution would ingratiate them with the wielders of political power in their city (and thus the dispensers of meaningful favors on occasion) involves much more than a few missing documents. Thus begins a powerful story that foreshadows many of the themes in Lehane's later books, especially the theme of abuse so powerfully examined in MYSTIC RIVER. Sin and redemption, hate and love, the continuation of hope in the face of overwhelming odds and the possibility and role of forgiveness in human relationships all figure prominently in this story. Numerous instances of both child and spousal abuse (physical and psychological) are central to this story; they are gradually revealed very skillfully by the author as we get to know Angela and Patrick. In addition, there are significant racial overtones and the threat of gang warfare is omnipresent as one of the many personal battles and turf conflicts to which the title refers.
The conclusion is somewhat predictable and certainly foreshadowed, but the pleasure in this story is in the wonderfully descriptive passages which Lehane provides and the psychological depth of the main characters counterposed with the well recognized caricatures of many of the peripheral actors in this drama. My caution concerning this book and the indecision which I have about reading more of Lehane's work stems from the extreme amount of brutality and violence graphically depicted. While most of the violence is essential to the storyline, there is one torture scene so shockingly detailed that I recommend that the squeamish not read this book. However, my enjoyment of the author's narrative skills combined with an ending ambivalent enough to provide hope for the future that I decided that despite my qualms the book deserved a five star rating. AND THE TWO PAGE OPENING IS ONE OF THE BEST THAT I HAVE EVER READ, it provides a great hook and accurately sets the tone for the reading adventure that you will experience.
Tucker Andersen
Rating: 2
Summary: about on par with a made-for-tv movie
Comment: I discovered Lehane by way of the film "Mystic River," and was happy to see that this author had several titles in print. I chose "A Drink Before the War" as a starting point more or less at random. I read the book over a couple of days while on vacation.
I found it pretty disappointing in several respects. Despite the fact that the book is set in Boston, and written by a native Bostonian, it lacks much in the way of an organic sense of place. The action occurs in various areas of Boston, but it felt more like I was watching a slide show of the city rather than spending time with characters in their native habitat.
Another weakness is that Lehane often fails to obey the dictum to show and not simply tell. For example, much is made of an impending war between rival gangs, whose leaders are an estranged father and son pair. Then the war drama unfolds primarily "offscreen" and we are merely told that one of them has won the war by virtue of surprising prowess as a tactician. Contrast this to books such as "The Godfather" or "Day of the Jackal" which are each full of little details of setting and character that seem to have reached the page via personal recollection by an eyewitness.
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Title: Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane ISBN: 0380726289 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 July, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Sacred by Dennis Lehane ISBN: 0380726297 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 01 June, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Gone, Baby, Gone: A Novel by Dennis Lehane ISBN: 0380730359 Publisher: Avon Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Prayers for Rain by Dennis Lehane ISBN: 0380730367 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 02 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Mystic River by Dennis Lehane ISBN: 0380731851 Publisher: HarperTorch Pub. Date: 02 April, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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