What do readers think of Red Rover by Deirdre McNamer? Write your own review.

When I read a book, I am cognizant of various aspects of the novel--character and plot development, setting, author style, etc. This novel met all of my expectations. I could relate with the characters; the plot was intriguing, and the writer's style was fascinating. Her use of figures of speech was remarkable, adding to the flow of the words on the page.

The characters were sympathetic--ones who will remain in my memory because of their very human characteristics and relationships. Their lives were so aptly and profoundly woven together by McNamer.

Mystery, intrigue, suspense--this novel has it all. It would lend itself well for a book group discussion.

The author of Red Rover describes a minor character as having "the ability to see swiftly what a complicated situation might contain at its core. What its real nature might be." Deirdre McNamer could as well be describing her own ability to portray her characters in tight but powerful prose. Though mostly a character-driven plot, you'll come away from Red Rover with strong impressions of different places (Montana, Saipan, Argentina), different times (1927 to the present), and an appreciation for how the minor events of life expand to produce profound effects.

I wanted to like this book because the prose is so beautifully done, but the plot gets lost in all the description and mood setting. You have to be reading very carefully in order to catch the plot advancement. Because of the history and time period this could have been a really good book if it had been structured differently. Close, but no cigar.

After reading the summary of the book, I was very intrigued by the subject matter. However, I found many thoughts or past actions by the characters to be unanswered and was left frustrated overall. Many issues were brought up but never explained or explored. Also, each chapter jumped to different characters, places and times, so it was initially a bit difficult to keep track of the story line.

I really struggled to get through this book. While I was interested to learn more about the actual plot, I did not find any of the characters engaging. I really tried to care enough about at least one of them in order to persevere through the text. I never got to that point so the book became tedious.