Lush Life: A Novel by Richard Price
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Book Reviews of Lush Life: A Novel
Book Review: No Cheap Thrills...
Summary: 5 Stars
I suspect that this book would have been rated a bit higher, been a bit more memorable, had Price employed any of the cheap thrills characteristic of TV crime dramas. Instead, he stays true to the gritty realism of the city, the complexity of his characters, and the pace of a true police procedural. I'm surprised so many found it so boring, the attention to detail is what gave it its value and dimension.
It takes a special kind of versatility and talent to depict, in such breathtaking detail, the characters and characteristics of the Lower East Side. The mere complexity and variety asks so much of a writer. Price succeeds admirably.
Book Review: One of the Best Books I Have Read in the Past 5 Years
Summary: 5 Stars
"Lush Life" by Richard Price is, hands-down, one of the best crime novels I have ever read. The characters, and there are plenty of them, are all precisely drawn and morally ambiguous. The dialogue is some of the best that I have ever read and accurately conveys how people from all walks of life actually speak. For fans of "The Wire," this book is like reading an episode script, only better because you are able to enter the character's minds. One of the most interesting things about this book is how you are able to see the crime at the center of the story from all angles--criminal, cop, bystander and victim. A truly great read.Book Review: Another keeper!
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, this is a crime novel and the principal murder is shattering but it's also just one ingredient in a tragic stew of cops, thugs, and other walking wounded. The chief investigators find themselves hopelessly entangled in the lives of the victimized. A theme this author likes to explore. Price colors his characters with rich detail and creates dialogue that sings like urban poetry. This is like a literary version of the great HBO series "The Wire". He is one of the best novelists working today and I highly recommended it!Book Review: The Ugly of the City
Summary: 5 Stars
The author of "Clockers" and "Samaritan" has hit the ugly, dirty, life-filled streets of New York again with a murder to solve and all the skeletons in the closet of a cast of characters, from the murder victim's father to the head detectives, Yolonda and Matty. The street jargon, street food, and street life put the surbanite into neighborhoods they'd never see except on television or the big screen. Price's dialogue never wavers; his characters exist on many levels. This is a fast-paced police procedural with heart.Book Review: Ignore those who called this "boring"
Summary: 5 Stars
It's called literature folks and it requires effort on your part and for some of us that's half the join of reading. If you want straight up "mystery" or "crime novel" that's easy to read and doesn't require too much thinking on your part this may not be the book for you. Instead what you do get is a deep, wonderfully paced, and impeccably written novel by a real pro who has great insight into the urban landscape and the hearts of his characters. Price is a master so please don't confuse him with a genre mill.