Highest Rated Review by the Community
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community Sep 15, 2006
Pros: Ellroy's narrative style, Approach to mystery genre, Dialogue, Descriptions of sex/violence, Great Characters.
Cons: None, though Some Will be Offended by some Slurs.
Summary: Known for his noir-like crime novels like The Big Nowhere and the highly-lauded L.A. Confidential, James Ellroy is considered to be one of the great writers of the crime genre. Given to his background with the murder of his mother at an ... read more
-
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Mar 18, 2005
Pros: HONEST. Satisfying, gripping, fascinating.
Cons: Heniously violent, angry, racist and desperate.
Summary: The first three paragraphs of this review will be posted with all of my James Ellroy reviews, as it is pertinent to all of them. Ellroy's books always involve several common elements, and if you've read his biography, My Dark Places, you'll certainly ... read more
-
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Aug 22, 2001
Pros: Compelling; draws you in entirely. Believable blend of fiction/history.
Cons: Such an ugly world to be drawn into! Very plot-heavy toward the end.
Summary: Before 1997, James Ellroy was best known within the literary community, particularly among writers and fans of crime and detective fiction. Then his 1990 novel L.A. Confidential was made into a critically-embraced film, and it suddenly became a ... read more
-
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Jan 6, 2001
Pros: Deep, distressing
Cons: A depressing though not cynical worldview. Very ambiguous on the race question.
Summary: Sooner or later, every serious reader has to come to terms with James Ellroy: love him or hate him, disgust or pleasure or a mixture of both. With the movie of L.A. Confidential, he is now known to the general public, and he ceases to be a secret ... read more
-
-
Rated a Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Apr 21, 2000
Pros: An excellent read, absolutely captivating
Cons: a bit of foul language and disturbing descriptions of crime
Summary: I first heard of Ellroy from a friend of mine. He was reading a novel called American Tabloid. He recommended that I read his books, starting with the LA Quartet. I am not a fan of Crime novels, but I had absolutely nothing else to read, so I bought the ... read more
-
-
Rated a Very Helpful Review by the Epinions community
Dec 20, 1999
Pros: story telling that seemlessly merges fact and fiction
Cons: if you are looking for detail on the case, take a look at one of the several non-fiction books about the case - this will not provide the detail you are looking for
Summary: In 1947, a woman and her daughter are walking by an abandoned lot. They see what they beleive to be a manaquin laying on the ground. Upon closer inspection, they discover that the object in question is in fact a human body. The naked woman's body has ... read more
-
|
|
