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There are currently 25 member reviews
for A Good American
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Heather K. (Brooklyn, NY)
Great First Novel!
Very enjoyable! I give the author a lot of credit for not allowing too much sentimentality to infuse his novel, and for injecting a great dose of humor into his writing! Really, parts were laugh-out-loud funny, and that made the book all that much more fun to read. And kudos to the author, too, for not peppering Beatrice, Missouri with too many "quirky" characters!
The recurring themes in the novel are music and singing; there are times throughout the novel when you can almost hear notes being played and voices raised in song -- a terrific achievement, I think. The plot moves along through the characters lives and individual viewpoints, and there are a couple of unexpected twists in the plot that I didn't see coming (and I like that!!). Definitely recommend this book, and I would certainly read this author again.
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Jane H. (Owensboro, KY)
A Good American
This book started out great as a historical fiction book but somewhere along the way the author decided to insert wry humor into the mix. In my opinion, this diluted the effectiveness of the story. Maybe if the entire book had been written this way, I wouldn't have felt so cheated, but having settled in for a good historical fiction read, I was disappointed when this adjustment was added. My opinion is that it is a light read -- certainly not an award winner.
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MaryEllen K. (Albany, NY)
A Good American
I was very eager to read this book, based on the advanced praise. However, I found that it got off to a very slow start for the first 65 pages. Then, finally, I started to care about Frederick, Jette, Joseph, and Rosa. These characters were well drawn and had great potential for development, but it seemed to me that the author put more focus onto the historical events (WW l, Prohibition, Big Flood, Stock Market Crash, WW ll, etc.) that surrounded their lives. Lomax was one character that I felt I knew well, and I really enjoyed the way he befriended and loved both Joseph and Rosa. The book soon turned its focus onto the next generation of Meisenheimers- James, Freddy, Frank, and Teddy.
I must honestly say that I didn't feel a connection to any of these brothers, their wives, or their children. This novel was a generational saga, but I feel that the author could have written a better book if he had aimed for more depth, rather than breadth.
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Lee M. (Creve Coeur, MO)
Not for me
The characters did not grasp my interest. The story was good, but did not flow cohesively and seemed interrupted by current events.
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