I got this out accidentally. There is another book of the same title that deals with Edgar Allen Poe. I decided to read it anyway and am glad I did. Realistic portrayal of the choices people make and the many different forces leading to them. Interesting. ( )

A quick read and somewhat interesting story. I enjoyed the narrative but the outcome/finale didn't cut it for me. Overall I'd give it 2.5 stars but I couldn't find a way to do that with this online system. ( )

Set in rural Minnesota during the early 1960s, American Boy is by author Larry Watson, whose wonderful writing elevates this coming-of-age story. Matthew Garth lost his own father and his waitress mother is always busy working to support them. He has become an unofficial part of his best friend, Johnny’s family and been taken under the wing by Johnny’s father, Doctor Dunbar. In turn Matthew has put Dr. Dunbar on a pedestal.

When Louisa Lindahl is shot by her boyfriend, Dr. Dunbar treats her and she is encouraged to stay on at the Dunbar’s, working in the doctor’s office and living with the family. Matt develops an infatuation for Louisa, but she has different plans which when they are exposed lead to explosive changes for Matt as he finally sees his hero, the doctor, is oh so human after all.

American Boy is a story of sexual tension, family loyalty and betrayal narrated in an insightful and reflective manner as Matt looks back at these events from his adult perspective. The author allows his story to build slowly and inserts equal parts of charm and melancholy to the narrative. While American Boy is not my favorite of Watson’s novels, it is nonetheless a very good read. ( )

“I was seventeen years old when I first saw a woman’s bare breasts, in itself an unremarkable occurrence. But when you consider that I also saw my first bullet wound on that same body, you have a set of circumstances truly rare.”

That body, and the woman it belongs to become the center of the world for young Matthew Garth, and the focus of this tale. A tale about how a boy tries so hard to become a man. And how heroes rarely stay heroic. And how “There are destructive forces at loose in the world, from which neither buildings nor families can be saved.”

A very well written tale! ( )

Not really a big fan of this one; it was in my "to read" list, probably from a cursory glance at a review list. I am often picky about my general fiction, and this one did not particularly appeal to me in the end. ( )