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Lädt ... Praying to a Laughing God: A Novelvon Kevin McColley
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Set in the heartland of America, Praying to a Laughing God is the remarkable and moving story of old friendships, new love, deeply hidden secrets, and the discovery of truths. It is about the death of dreams and the birth of hope; about a disappearing way of life and the reaffirmation of the human spirit. It is startling, provocative, and deeply compelling. When Clark Holstrom goes each morning to open the hardware store he has operated for years on the main street of Credibull, Minnesota, he asks himself why he even bothers. What business he hasn't lost to the new Wal-Mart, his hapless son Walter -- who has taken over the operation of the store -- has managed to chase away. Both the town and the way of life Clark has known for the past seventy years are dying; only the memories are left, and soon they will fade as well. What is best about Credibull is the comfort its residents take in the repetition of their daily lives; what is worst is the deadening monotony that has thrown a stupor over the town. So when a hotshot journalist, the author of several bestselling and exploitative true-crime books, announces that he is coming to Credibull to investigate a forty-year-old unsolved murder and make the story the basis for his next opus, the town is thrown into a frenzy of gossip and speculation. When Clark hears the news of the writer's plans, however, his reaction is one of pure dread. He remembers the murder only too well, and he knows that a reopening of the investigation could only be bad news for his best friend, Maynard Tewle, the man who everyone thought to be the murderer, but against whom the State could never make an adequate case. Maynard's health has been failing for some time, and Clark knows that the trauma of having to endure more prying into his life might be enough to kill him. And indeed the writer's arrival in Credibull does prove to be the catalyst for a change, not only in the lives of Clark and Maynard but of virtually everyone who has been a part of that town. As layer after layer of the story surrounding the murder is peeled away, old realities become myths, and secrets escape that lay bare the fears and hatreds that have been hidden for years. Before it is over, Clark Holstrom will find himself alone in a world that he can hardly recognize, clinging to the only hope he has left -- a love so unexpected yet so real that he can only wonder in disbelief at his good fortune. Both a poignant and moving story of old love lost and new love found, and a startling story of murder and betrayal, complete with a surprise ending, Praying to a Laughing God marks the adult fiction debut of a stunningly talented young writer. Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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Google Books — Lädt ... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Klassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:
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The only twist I experienced was when I tried to justify a different ending as I read since it seemed way too obvious.
Two - don't have the synopsis tease that a large part of the story is about a murder/mystery from years back when that takes a backseat (or more like a trunk considering how secondary it seemed) to the main focus.
And one more blurb tip - don't have the passage explaining the title on the jacket. Putting that paragraph there when it appears almost at the end of the book robs the reader of a payoff for the work they've done.
Additionally, some of the crude language/thoughts shared by the main character and narrator throughout didn't feel like they fit or were necessary - they just came off as creepy and gratuitous. I got the same feeling when reading some of Orson Scott Card's work.
The story didn't have resolution, the characters were for the most part unlikable with just the local newsman and Emma being the exceptions...
I don't recommend this book. ( )