Customer Reviews

Stolen

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This first novel carries the sound and smell of life in rural Saskatchewan-literally the good, the bad and the ugly, though its not always easy to tell who fits in each category. it was longlisted for the Giller Prize, and deserved it.

Annette Lapointe masterfully weaves together a complicated character in the isolation of the Canadian Prairies. At first glance, Rowan Friesen is a violent criminal with sociopathic tendencies. But Lapointe digs beneath the surface to reveal a clever and surprisingly compassionate young man, with a heart-wrenching past. This novel allows the reader an insight into places and minds they've often wondered about, but dare not visit. Lapointe daringly breaks the rules for her first novel, and pulls it off brilliantly. This award winning novel is a refreshingly good read, that's hard to put down.

I liked the concept of the book and thought it was well-written for the author's first novel. I found, though, that it took a long time to get into the actual story...lots of pages here and there that could have just been skimmed over. Also, there was far too much description in some instances, (particularly of towns and cities) that I, as a reader, couldn't care less about and couldn't remember by the time I turned the page. Description in a novel is good, but a lot of the descriptive writing in this novel wasn't memorable and acted as filler.