Spoiler-Free Thoughts on Stephen Markley’s Ohio
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- Опубліковано 12 вер 2024
- Spoiler-Free Thoughts on Stephen Markley’s Ohio
Ohio - Stephen Markley: www.goodreads....
I’m @shawnmooney on Litsy and on Twitter.
I’m shawnthebookmaniac on Instagram.
My Goodreads is / shawn-mooney
Loved this Shawn. Glad you liked it.
You are right about that prologue. Its terrible.
Listening to you talk about the female characters I realized what drew me in to the story is what drew me in. I felt like I thoroughly knew the male characters, but the female characters were so rich, so mysterious, so fascinating. I'm not going to say they are true to life, because I don't know, but they were such rich and beautifully drawn characters.
I graduated from HS in 1985 in a town in East Texas ( industrial, blue collar, football obsessed, Bible thumping) very much like the small town in this story. I had a visceral reaction to the "bad guy" because I felt like I had really known him and despised him. I have been to those parties (though I never saw or knew of anything like what goes on at these), I went to the lake to be alone with my girlfriend, and to drink with my friends. The whole thing was almost to real to me in so many ways.
And it resonated with my experience of small town parties in Saskatchewan in the 1980s.
This is my second favorite novel I've read this year (There There being my favorite). I'm from a small town in Oklahoma that could be New Canaan. The towns are about the same size, and both are suffering from the collapse of US manufacturing. I'm also only 5 years older than the characters. Markley's observations about life in a small town were so accurate. I read this March, and still think about it. Yes, it had its flaws, but what was done well was done perfectly. I didn't know it had been picked up to be adapted. That's exciting. Hope the showrunners do it justice.
Yes, I really enjoyed your review!
This one sounds fascinating Shawn, I’m intrigued by the small town aspect particularly as I think it’s so hard to nail that feel in writing
I will be so curious to hear how you get along with it if you try it!
One of my top books of the year, flaws and all. Like you Shawn I'm not a fan of high school novels but this really showed the impact of the experience on these characters in such a gut wrenching emotional way, I rarely cry at books but I was sobbing at one part in Dan's narrative. I loved the plotting the characterization, the small town atmosphere and so much more and can't wait to see where Stephen Markley goes next.
I can’t wait, either!
Yes, when I got to Dans it was tough. Coyle “mcdougal” dying and then Dan and Hailey. Ugh, so touching.
I'm not sure but I think you MIGHT like Ben Lerner's The Topeka School as a companion piece for Ohio. It's also multi-perspective smaller midwest town life in the late 1990s (with high school hierarchy) but more feminist.
I may consider trying it, especially after I hear your review. I hated and bailed early on another of his novels, though, Atocha Station.
I will have to keep my eyes open for this one at the used bookstore. I keep hearing compelling comments about it.
That’s an interesting question - I can’t decide whether I predict you will love it or hate it.
Excellent video!
😍
The more you talk about this book, the more I want to read it. Great review!
Will be so curious to hear what you think!
Lol I loved this rant Shawn! I wonder if you will ever forgive him for those phrase choices? They appear to have given you a permanent mark😅 i am curious to see how it changes into a HBO series though. I thought what you said about small plot details becoming bigger elements was really important advice!
It was another delightful buddy read! Can’t wait for our next one! 😍
Shawn, I appreciate the public service you offer of informing us where the authors fall on the Hot or Not Scale. Inquiring minds want to know!
The ability to overcome high school as a main setting sounds like quite the feat--I'll let you guess which archetype I fulfilled in my real-life school days. (Hint: Closeted gay kid, eating his feelings.)
You and me both! A suitable reply to both Dan’s and Leo’s comments! 😜
@@Leoslittlebooklife ✨🤵🤵✨
I Loved Ohio 📚💕It’s 9 months since I read it and I still can’t forget it.
I expect it will stick with me as well!
“Little bit sexy” 😂😂😂
😂
This one really haunted me, too. It seemed to get better with each section. I wish it had gone a little further in the BTP.
Me too!
Not an archetypal view.......or is it. Either way I enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Another one to add to Mount TBR.
Great!
Hmm! I'm not a big fan of high school novels that aren't YA, which I will occasionally read. But you and a few other Booktubers are causing me to put it in the maybe column. I'm intrigued by what you say about the plot.
That’s so interesting - you couldn’t pay me to read a YA high school novel! LOL
I may be reaching here but I see the words “sub audible guilt” as possibly meaning a shame no one talks about. “Scrapping with the tongue” hmmm, does this girl have a sharp tone to her voice? Either way it’s an odd way to put it. I usually avoid YA and after mediocre reviews of Ohio I opted out of reading it. Maybe it’s worth a try after all. I’ll consider it sub audibly. ☺️
Except that audible clearly is about hearing. Does the guilt speak too quietly? 🤷♂️ 😍
The writing in the beginning is trully awful, that's why I gave up so early on. There, I feel vindicated! I'm still amazed you gave it 5 stars in spite of all the flaws you mentioned. Shawn, the writing is bad. Baaaad!You know I have a shelf full of your recommendations, but there's no place for this one there I'm afraid. High school drama full of archetypes? You made me run for the hills! :-)
Ohio is so much more than a high school novel. I loved it.
Hee hee. Not every book is for every reader; I am surprised at the depths at which this was a book for me! :-)