Well written, didn't exactly like the ending..

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	• The Turnaround George Pelecanos Little, Brown and Company, 2008 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Not Pelecanos' best work

Let me first say that I love George Pelecanos. He wrote some of the best episodes of "The Wire" and I read "The Night Gardener," "Soul Circus" and "Hard Revolution" with great earnestness. No writer that I'm aware of captures urban America with as much detail and flair as he does.

He gives you a great feeling of "being there" - in this case D.C. - and he does it through the details of what people wear, the music they listen to, the cars they drive, the booze they drink, the look of the buildings. I love it how he captures the brand names of the products people consume and what it says about them. He's great at that. This is familiar to anyone who's read one of his novels and its almost instantly winnable.

And perhaps that's why "The Turnaround" was, well, too familiar in a way. Pelecanos does not seem to change up the archetypes in his novels too much. There's always pot-smoking wayward youth, a foolish and violent ghetto villain, and the middle-aged, hard-working blue collar heroes who claw their way through the twisted world to find justice.

Unlike his other novels, much of "The Turnaround" is not set in the hood. He doesn't seem preoccupied with society as much in this one as he is with how individual characters respond to and process events. In that sense, it's refreshing and different and perhaps more humanistic. But, come on, can he write one character that does not praise '70s R&B and soul?!? I just feel that he could benefit from changing it up a bit more. The dialogue was too similar to his other stories.

Also, I wasn't happy with the ending. The ending of "The Night Gardener" by comparison was very raw and striking and powerful, but this one was well.... you'll see. I thought the writing in this one was just a touch off too.

Pelecanos is very clear in his stories about who he likes and doesn't like. It makes the story appealing and straightahead, but again, I've been down this road with his other novels. After you read this one, you're gonna wanna head to your nearest grease-spoon diner and just marvel at the people around you. See, not many writers can make you want to do that can they?

Anyways, it's a good read, but I didn't find it as compelling or memorable as his other works. If you're gonna read one of his books, get "The Night Gardener."

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Great gritty story

I loved this book. It's a gritty tale about life in Washington,DC. Great characters, great relationships, fantastic plot and premise. He knows the city and brings it alive as an integral part of the story.

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Well written, didn't exactly like the ending..

I bought this book because I heard an advertisement for it on the radio and I'm a big fan of the television show The Wire on HBO. Pelecanos has written a wonderful book. His descriptions are crisp and concise, not overly fancy or superfluous. You can tell he knows his subject in many areas (running a diner, stereo hi-fi, cars). I really felt like I was *in* most of the scenes as an up-close observer, especially with certain characters. The relationships feel real. It is still a sad reflection on race in America, but heartfelt. I did not care for the ending too much, but it doesn't take away from the style of the book at all.

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Tremendous book

Wow, what a book. I didn't want it to end and I want to read more about these characters hopefully in future books. Pelecanos is at the top of his game. Every new book is a cause for celebration. I tried to read this book slowly but that never works with my favorite authors. I have read all of his books, enjoyed his writing on "The Wire" and looked forward to getting this book...and now I am done. WAHHHHH.

He certainly understands so much about the nature of urban problems. I loved this book because it was ultimately about redemption, forgiveness, the stupidity of youth, and the balance of joy and pain.

On a personal note, it was kind of spooky for me to read because I remember 1972 so clearly growing up in NYC. I was 19. He captured the mood of the times. I loved it that he included the Stones in the book. I did see the Stones at Madison Square Garden with Stevie Wonder in 1972. I remember that we had to send in postcards to be part of a lottery in order to be able to buy tickets. I believe "Exile" came with postcards in the album. I too sat and read the liner notes and studied the art while listening to the album. Pelecanos even described my situation at home. My mom died of breast cancer and my dad remarried and everything became hard for me. How can an author write so well that the reader relives their youth? Yet he does it and does it well. Then he segues to the present and the reader is now relating to the same character years later because the reader is also older. Another freaky moment is that his characters were the brothers Alex and Matthew and I have two art students who are brothers with the same names. Thank you Mr. Pelecanos. Not only did you write an amazing story with fantastic story arcs, believable characters who bring compassion to the reader, you hit some very personal nerves in this reader. Thank you. If I were the new president I would want you on my committee regarding urban matters. You really understand the problems and why they happen.

Great book.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

On a hot summer afternoon in 1972, three teenagers drove into an unfamiliar neighborhood and six lives were altered forever.
Thirty five years later, one survivor of that day reaches out to another, opening a door that could lead to salvation. But another survivor is now out of prison, looking for reparation in any form he can find it.
THE TURNAROUND takes us on a journey from the rock-and-soul streets of the '70s to the changing neighborhoods of D.C. today, from the diners and auto garages of the city to the inside of Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital, where wounded men and women have returned to the world in a time of war. A novel of fathers and sons, wives and husbands, loss, victory and violent redemption, THE TURNAROUND is another compelling, highly charged novel from George Pelecanos, "the best crime novelist in America." -Oregonian

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