3.5
Tomato Red
By Megan Abbott & Daniel WoodrellPublisher Description
A sharp and funny addition to Daniel Woodrell's collection of "country noir" novels, featuring anti-hero Sammy Barlach and Jamalee Merridew, her hair tomato red with rage and ambition.
In the Ozarks, what you are is where you are born. If you're born in Venus Holler, you're not much. For Jamalee Merridew, Venus Holler just won't cut it. Jamalee sees her brother Jason, blessed with drop-dead gorgeous looks and the local object of female obsession, as her ticket out of town. But Jason may just be gay, and in the hills and hollows of the Ozarks that is the most dangerous and courageous thing a man could be.
Enter Sammy Barlach, a loser ex-con passing through a tired nowhere on the way to a fresher nowhere. Jamalee thinks Sammy is just the kind of muscle she and Jason need.
In the Ozarks, what you are is where you are born. If you're born in Venus Holler, you're not much. For Jamalee Merridew, Venus Holler just won't cut it. Jamalee sees her brother Jason, blessed with drop-dead gorgeous looks and the local object of female obsession, as her ticket out of town. But Jason may just be gay, and in the hills and hollows of the Ozarks that is the most dangerous and courageous thing a man could be.
Enter Sammy Barlach, a loser ex-con passing through a tired nowhere on the way to a fresher nowhere. Jamalee thinks Sammy is just the kind of muscle she and Jason need.
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3.5
AngelJasmine
Created 2 months agoShare
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“This was the first book I've ever took a highlighter to. The way it's written is so stunningly beautiful; I've probably highlighted a quote a page on average. The ending did feel a bit rushed and unsatisfying but it was definitely fitting. Minus half a star for the misogyny as it was uncomfortable at times coming from the main character (even though it was realistic to the sort of man he is, I didn't enjoy reading that aspect of him).”Multi-layered charactersBeautifully writtenTwistyRealistic settingHomophobiaMisogynyViolence
Tyler
Created over 2 years agoShare
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rya
Created over 2 years agoShare
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“I picked this up because I adored The Devil All the Time and wanted to read something in this same vein (southern gothic?). I enjoyed it very much. The book started strong, in fact, the first scene in the manor, where our protagonists meet might just be my favorite. The imagery in that scene was so vivid, the writing so eloquent, and it served as a perfect introduction to the story and its characters. I totally did not see that first twist and completely believed, just as Sammy did, that Jam and Jason were aristocracies.
Plot-wise, nothing memorial had been happening for almost half of the book- just casual exposition stuff. Then the characters are at their highest point and I feel a part of me fill with glee, proving that all this build-up had managed to attach me to Tomato red, her brother, and Sammy. Then, so abruptly, and so cunningly, the narrative takes a very dark turn. It took me by surprise. There was no foreshadowing done, no warning, whatsoever.
When the mismatched trio was investigating that pond- my second favorite scene-I was anticipating a big reveal (maybe it was the weirdo with the clarinet?), but the book ventured elsewhere; it was not about to turn into a whodunnit mystery in the last third.
I was aggravated by the betrayal Sammy suffered after he had shown so much loyalty, and I, frankly, did not expect it. Though I appreciate how the book began and ended with Sammy’s loyalty being his greatest detriment.”
Joseph Fulkerson
Created almost 4 years agoShare
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Gaia M.
Created almost 4 years agoShare
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About Megan Abbott
Five of Daniel Woodrell's published novels were selected as New York Times Notable Books of the Year. Tomato Red won the PEN West Award for the Novel in 1999. Woodrell lives in the Ozarks near the Arkansas line with his wife, Katie Estill.
Other books by Megan Abbott
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