Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout Review & Giveaway

Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home. Her lonely teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble, and Susan desperately needs their help. And so the Burgess brothers return to the landscape of their childhood, where the long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed their relationship begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever.

With a rare combination of brilliant storytelling, exquisite prose, and remarkable insight into character, Elizabeth Strout has brought to life two deeply human protagonists whose struggles and triumphs will resonate with readers long after they turn the final page. Tender, tough-minded, loving, and deeply illuminating about the ties that bind us to family and home, The Burgess Boys is Elizabeth Strout’s newest and perhaps most astonishing work of literary art.


As a drama, this book is a winner.  The characters are all very real and each dealing with their own situations.  There's enough political and human suspense to keep you entertained and wondering how everything will play out.  

Over all, this was just an alright read for me.  To be completely honest, the characters were a huge turnoff.  Most of the characters bring out the worst in humanity and I really just didn't like them.  I didn't want to spend the time necessary to read the book being around these people.  This was not a world that I wanted to be immersed in.  Were it not for a few key characters, I might have not bothered to read it at all.  As a character study, this would be a fascinating read.  Ok for me, but someone else might really love it.


*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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1 comment:

  1. This book sounds good, I love a good drama!
    P.S. I also love the little blurb in the comments section about Eeyore!

    ReplyDelete

The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about.

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