Lush Life: A Novel
by Richard Price
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Book Reviews of Lush Life: A Novel
Book Review: Thought this would be better - try Clockers
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm a Richard Price fanatic, so maybe I set the bar too high. But I thought I was going to love this book - and it definitely has its pleasures - the dialogue, for instance, is so great as to be unrealistic while still feeling gritty and raw and, well, real. But the characters are all kind of flat, and Price never really convinced me to care about the cops or the other denizens of the Lower East Side, either the original residents or the hipster interlopers. And he never made me care about the Lower East Side itself - I mean, seems like it was a cool neighborhood, but it never really came alive in the way, say, Dempsey, NJ totally does in Clockers and some of his other books. Maybe it's writing about a made-up city in those books - even though it feels grounded in a real place, maybe having the freedom to write about a city that doesn't actually exist lets Price really be creative? Whereas in downtown New York City, it felt like he was more of a reporter, that his job was to capture and document a place rather than to actually create it - and that just kind of fell flat; he never convinced that it was important or all that exciting for me to be reading about it. If you like Price and want stories about a real city, go watch The Wire. If you want pure awesome Price, read Clockers.Book Review: Great writing, great dialogue from a master!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a book that begins with tight, meaningful dialogue and not much description. I understand why some of the early reviewers found this difficult, but after reading it myself I realized that it takes more concentration than the average work of fiction, and that like Elmore Leonard whose ear for dialogue is pitch perfect Price has used some of the same tricks. I had the opportunity to listen to parts of the audio book read by Bobby Carnavalle, and found immediately that his voice and actor's presence added so much more to the story and it became much easier to follow. It is one of the few times that I have found an audio book that brings a story to life so vividly that I decided, even though I have read the entire book myself I intend to listen to it on audio just to see what I might have missed.
"Lush Life" is destined to become a classic even though some reviewers consider it a genre novel it is the kind of literature that transcends a neat little box. The characters are alive, the settings drawn with minimalist neatness, and with a plot that has more twists and turns than the ordinary mystery or thriller. Price just seems to get better and better with each new book. He is definitely one writer that I wait anxiously for his next book, he is that good.
Book Review: Price's Best ?
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked up Lush Life prepared to like it, because I don't know of a better writer today with an eye for detail and an ear for detail. Those two senses make for a powerful combination when it comes to writing, as long as you have the discipline. And, for all of its 400-plus pages, Price shows he is up to the task. The writing never sags. In flashes, he shows that he could create such a creamy style that you might keel over from too many calories. In most of the book, you get the feeling that Price has set his characters in motion and just watches them act based on their essence. The narrative follows no typical arc for mystery fiction or suspense -- even though the centerpiece is a murder and how the city reacts around the violence. It might help to know New York's lower east side, but that's no requirement; I live out west. This is about humanity bouncing off each other, living with each other, setting standards for behavior as individuals and collectively, in small informal groups and in large organized ones. In the end, one line stays with me, and it surfaces in a brilliant spot: "Do you survive because of what is in you? Or because of what isn't..." Put this up there with Freedomland and Clockers, but don't overlook The Wanderers, Samaritan, and Bloodbrothers.Book Review: Gritty, Bleak, and Entertaining
Summary: 4 Stars
Eric Cash is an aspiring actor and writer who is waiting for his big break. He is just working at a hip restaurant in Manhattan's Lower East Side until his "real" career begins.
Eric is forced to reevaluate his life when he is accused of the shooting death of an acquaintance that occurs during a night of barhopping. Eric admits he was with the victim and they were drunk, but he swears that the shooting was perpetrated by two black or Hispanic men. However, the detectives in the case are put in a quandary when two credible eyewitnesses explain that Eric is lying. They saw Eric shoot the man and then run into a building. There were no muggers involved.
The first section of "Lush Life" is a mystery. How can Eric's account of the homicide be reconciled with the description of two witnesses that have nothing to gain? The remainder of the book is an excellent study of how the death changes the lives of everyone involved from the victim's family and friends, the detectives working the case, and the shooter.
"Lush Life" has a great cast of characters and is very well written. At times it is a very bleak and gritty book. Overall, though, I found "Lush Life" very entertaining.
Book Review: Worthwhile Read Despite Loss of Story/Plot Momentum
Summary: 4 Stars
I have always been impressed with Richard Price's novels and his ability to wow both literary critics and fans of crime fiction. _Lush Life_ starts out as strong as anything I have ever read by Price. As in the past, Price demonstrates himself as a master of dialogue and detail that have made him such a respected author in a often neglected genre. He had me hooked up until the middle of the book, all of which I read in one sitting way past when I should have gone to sleep. However, once a certain conflict is resolved (anyone who reads the book will know what I am talking about), the story seems to lose speed rapidly and devolve into a mere recitation of events rather than a well told tale.
Even though the plot seems to slow down midway through, Price is still able to use the characters and their actions as an examination of the people and history that make up life in a modern American city--or in this case a small area of a city. So, despite this not being Price's best novel, I still found it thoroughly enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone interested in reading an intelligent crime novel that is more than just a well paced page-turner.