peterko

When Oscar-buzz swirled about the movie adaptation of Winter's Bone, I sprung to watch it. The story was alright, the acting was great, but I felt like something was missing. Something in the plot seemed unexplained or under-detailed. So a few months later I took the opportunity to find out what it was when I picked up this book from the library. I quite literally flew through it, all the while hoping it would fill that void I had felt watching the film. I guess because I already knew how the story turned out, I wasn't as entertained as I was hoping to be or probably should have been. That being said, I did enjoy it -- much more than the movie, in fact. Woodrell's poetic speech is captivating and picturesque, defining the backdrop of the story in beautiful metaphors and adjectives rather than for what it really was - rough, tumble, and full of ugliness. Ree is a great protagonist. Her role was developed much more in the writing than was portrayed on-screen and though her attitude is palpable and her choices were not always wise, she is someone to be marveled at and on some level admired. When I saw this was Woodrell's 8th novel, (evidenced in the back sleeve) I was curious to know if all of his writing deals with these mystery-settings. The intrigue was there, but unfortunately I had previously spoiled that for myself. Perhaps another Ozark-themes mystery will satisfy more fully.

2022-11-14 14:02