Book Review: The Old Place
The Old Place by Bobby Finger
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I’ll be honest. This book was a struggle. It took a while for me to connect with the characters. When I did, I really enjoyed spending time with them. A plot existed, but it was a rambling wandering thing that didn’t always hold my attention. But in spite of that, I was enjoying the quirky yet realistic characters of this small town.
But at some point past the halfway mark, it turned into a wallow. The agonizingly slow revelation of secrets of the past was a letdown. Heck, I’ve been through some of those experiences myself and I’m not worthy of a novel. The last quarter of the book I just sped-read to wrap up the plot so I could get some closure.
With a lot of trimming, this could make a fine novella. But it’s just too much of an unfocused wander for a long read in a large book.
Lori Alden Holuta
Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields of Mid-Michigan, where she grows vegetables and herbs when she’s not writing, editing, or playing games with a cat named Chives.
