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Performance
Overall
Excellent, Unforgettable, Best of the nest
Very good, thoroughly enjoyed,
Good, Solid, Enjoyed many aspects
STAR RATINGS GUIDE
Where Love and Hate Collide
THE BIRDICT
💛 This book. I could not decide whether I loved it or hated it. In the end I came down on the side of love. Yes, the main character's naivety makes him seem one bar short of a prison cell, yes it is absurd and infuriating, but it is also heart-warming, funny and unputdownable.
💚Vernon talks directly to the reader throughout, in an internal monologue that drew me into his world and world views. I could practically feel my mind adjust to meet his, recognising and accepting his vernacular and thought patterns.
💜 I found it impossible not to like Vernon. He's such a positive character. He takes everything in his stride and sees the good in people. And although in many ways he is a brainless (Taylor??) you get the sense that that's his inexperience. There are things he does that show a glimmer of an undeveloped genius. That's what makes this such a difficult story. It involves a lot of people taking advantage of him and dragging him further and further into the mud.
💛 Many, many reviewers compare this to The Catcher In The Rye. I'd add that this is a bit like stubbing your toe, inspecting the perpetrator only to discover a giant bar of gold. It's a maddening, but rewarding read.
PS. The language is strong with this one. Never a problem for me, but you have
SQUAWKING THE TALK
🎧 Nick Landrum is just so effortlessly pure and endearing as Vernon; a bright light in what might have been a very dark tome. His portrayal of other characters is hilariously hyperbolic. My favourite is the yodel-like voice of Deputy Vaine Gurie. The way he pronounces "stastistically" is genius.
Nick Landrum also narrates the excellent and very different book, The Virgin Suicides.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER: SIMILAR AUDIOBOOKS
No spoilers for this one. Maybe next time!
Click For Spoilers
Vernon God Little
THE BLURB
Teenager Vernon Gregory Little's life has been changed by the Columbine-style slaughter of a group of students at his high school. Soon his hole-in-the-wall town is blanketed under a media siege, and Vernon finds himself blamed for the killing. Eulalio Ledesma is his particular nemesis, manipulating things so that Vernon becomes the fulcrum for the bizarre and vengeful impulses of the townspeople of Martirio. After a truly surrealistic set of events, Vernon finds himself heading for a fateful assignation in Mexico with the delectable Taylor Figueros...
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