|
The Turnaround | 
| Author: George Pelecanos
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Category: Book
List Price: $24.99
Buy New: $10.97
You Save: $14.02 (56%)
New (34) Used (11) Collectible (3) from $10.97
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 1539
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0316156477
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780316156479
ASIN: 0316156477
Publication Date: August 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
On a hot summer afternoon in 1972, three teenagers drove into an unfamiliar neighborhood and six lives were altered forever.
Thirty five years later, one survivor of that day reaches out to another, opening a door that could lead to salvation. But another survivor is now out of prison, looking for reparation in any form he can find it.
THE TURNAROUND takes us on a journey from the rock-and-soul streets of the '70s to the changing neighborhoods of D.C. today, from the diners and auto garages of the city to the inside of Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, where wounded men and women have returned to the world in a time of war. A novel of fathers and sons, wives and husbands, loss, victory and violent redemption, THE TURNAROUND is another compelling, highly charged novel from George Pelecanos, "the best crime novelist in America." -Oregonian
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
 It was ok September 5, 2008
Peter (Melbourne Australia)
I am a massive fan of George Pelecanos and regard his work highly but this book was perhaps his weakest.
The story begins with a racial incident that results in a death then we fast-forward 35 years to today. The participants have continued on with their lives be it prison or working.
Through the actions of one of the characters, they meet up again.
Now, I am all for the sins of the past being revisited and it is a common theme in detective/crime fiction but this novel just didn't really click with me.
The characters tended not to be very well fleshed out and certain events tended to be too pat. The ending was too perfect for my tastes as well.
Maybe I am being too critical, but the author has sent the quality benchmark in his books so high, I feel this book is a "turnaround" from that benchmark.
Strong story with very few weaknesses September 2, 2008
Charles C. Hardin
I liked The Turnaround. It wasn't an effective mystery, but I don't think it was meant primarily as a mystery, and it succeeded pretty well as a tale of suspense. I cared about the characters and I wanted to see how things would turn out for them.
I especially appreciated the lack of stereotypically idiotic plot points that would have been in a book like this if a lesser author had written it. In dumb novels, smart, successful people do incredibly dumb things and will do even dumber things to cover them up, and it is trivially easy to take advantage of them. That does happen, but not normally. Successful people often earned their success by not being stupid and impulsive, and they have resources available to them that the would-be predator generally does not. Contrast this with Tripwire, which is full of such plot contrivances.
My only real complaint is that the characters are a little too simple. They're good or evil, or just plain dumb. There are shades of gray, but the author's moral view is a little too obvious and it gets in the way of making the characters real and complex. Still, it's not terrible in this regard, and it's well worth reading.
 the best August 29, 2008
E. T. Higgins (south of the border)
if you're a reader of crime novels, than mr. pelacanos is required reading.there is currently no one better.i have just aquired "the turnaround", and have yet to read it. how can i give a novel 5 stars without reading it? simple, pelacanos can not write an average book; i have read all his previous fiction, and i gave each one 5 stars. why should this one be different.
his writing talent was also greatly appreciated on the hbo classic series, "the wire."
i would like to amend my opening statement by just stating if you're a reader period, than mr. pelacanos should be on your required reading list.
Enjoyable, Great Escape. August 28, 2008
The Book Thieves (CA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
George writes a great thriller and if you've ever been to Baltimore or wish to travel there, he paints an excellent description of it. It's typical George;if you've read him before, this won't disappoint (may even be a bit better than his last). If you've never read him before, this would be a great time to start.
Pros and Cons for "The Turnaround" August 26, 2008
Zachary D. Bernstein
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Pros: Feels incredibly authentic and very DC; fans of HBO's "The Wire" (which Pelecanos also wrote for and which attracted me to this book) will recognize the style; often succeeds in maintaining suspense.
Cons: Ending feels too tied up and positive; writing often feels stilted.
Bottom Line: Pelecanos fans, whether of his other books or his work on "The Wire," will want to give this a read. Everyone else should begin with his earlier work. This is a decent read, but it's not the best thing I've read by a long shot.
|
|
|
Can't find the right gift? Try a Gift Certificate
| |
