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Don Carpenter

Author of Hard Rain Falling

17 Works 804 Members 25 Reviews

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Works by Don Carpenter

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One of the best books I have read, as a teenager struggling for identity, the catcher in the rye struck a chord with me and in adulthood this book has done the same.

Carpenter makes so many observations, some incredibly humorous others raw, cutting the crap and stripping away the bullshit; leaving you thinking holy shit he's right, he has a damn good point.

It felt like three books in one and he nearly timed the pace of the book to a t, the final third was definitely read with most appetite.… (more)
 
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antwerpsix | 23 other reviews | Mar 17, 2023 |
To me, this is close to a perfect novel. It's a shame it's not mentioned often among classics of that era. It's incredibly easy to digest while also being absolutely stunning. Those who like A Little Life and works by Cormac McCarthy but like to hop off the beaten path to books not everyone's read will enjoy this immensely.

To quote the Rumpus review: "Hard Rain Falling is populist fiction at its best. It is not just a good novel. It might be the most unheralded important American novel of the 1960s."

(It's been said it's a crime novel; I'll challenge that and say it's not really, and it's much more.)
… (more)
 
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ostbying | 23 other reviews | Jan 1, 2023 |
I did not finish this. Excellent premise, good writing, but was just kind of dragging for me, so i moved on (can't say as i have given this one a full hearing).

Story of young pool hustler... he's from a broken background in Seattle and we meet him as he arrives in Portland in ... 1960s? i think. He is African American, carries a bit of a chip on his shoulder, maybe from racist baiting throughout his youth. This part was compelling, as he finds the right places to go- where only your skill at Pool mattered. And his quiet attitude facing down the worldly challenges around him was inspiring, but i just didn't get a feel for where this was going, and i think i wanted to move on an Elmore Leonard that jumped up at me.… (more)
 
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apende | 23 other reviews | Jul 12, 2022 |

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Works
17
Members
804
Popularity
#31,726
Rating
4.0
Reviews
25
ISBNs
42
Languages
4

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