Book Reviews of Before You Know Kindness

I am a fan of Chris Bohjalian, having read several of his previous books. I have especially always liked the thoughtful treatment he gives complex and delicate issues. This book, unfortunately, was a big disappointment. It's over 400 pages long, and easily could have been half this if it was pared down to the essential issues. For some reason, he found it necessary to examine even the smallest details from each character's point of view, which got very tedious, particularly when each person had a similar take on the situation. Additionally, he found it important to go over and over and over the same issues - there is a big secret that the girl who shot her father is hiding and she and her cousin discuss it ad nauseum. Again, I found this very tedious. I ended up skimming the last 100 pages and still feel like I didn't miss anything. My final criticism is that he didn't follow that writer's axiom - write what you know. He clearly knows very little about adolescent girls - other than that they are *boy crazy*!!!) and it showed.

This book was different, in my opinion, from Bohjalian's other works (at least those I've read - Midwives, Trans-sister Radio, Buffalo Soldier, The Law of Similars...), and at first I wasn't sure I liked it. Halfway through the book I was even thinking I might put it down. But I'm so glad I didn't - it was well worth it. Another great read from him. I do still think he's better with the shorter novels that really pack a punch, but at the same time it was great getting to know these characters a bit more intimately. Great use of different character perspectives in telling the story (although it's not one of those obvious devices like naming the chapters after the primary speaker).

Another of Bohjalian's skillful blendings of family dynamics and timely social issues. A difficult, opinionated animal rights activist is seriously wounded by a shot fired from a gun owned by his brother-in-law, who has recently - and quietly - taken up hunting as a sport. Bad enough, but the gun was fired by the activist's own adolescent daughter - and no one is being entirely honest about the circumstances.

This book was quite interesting. I love how it intertwines two familes within one family, connecting all of them: Aunts and nieces, brother and brother-n-law...the family dynamics within this book are great. The depth of the charachters are evident throughout the read. The legality issues were not as quite interesting in the book, at least for me. Overall, a great, easy read.

I am a huge fan, but this one disappointed me.

An excellently written book exploring animal rights & gun control through a very personal family story.

Absolutely the most boring book I have ever read.

This is a wonderful book with many thought provoking ideas. I LOVE this writer's writing style!

This had a lot of potential which I did not think it lived up to. He tried to do too much by changing point of view and I think he'd have been more successful if he'd stuck with one point of view and tried to do less. Still a good read just not as good as some of his others.

Enthralling! Bohjalian never writes commonplace stories. It's families in crisis, but with far more interesting challenges than you encounter elsewhere.

I thought that this was a really good book. Mr. Bohjalin always writes controversial issues for the readers to contend with, and this book is no exception. It is about a young girl who shoots her father one night, mistaking him for a deer. Her father is an avid animal rights activist. The different perspectives of what happened that night are entwined throughout the story so it is not fully revealed until the end. The book keeps the reader entrigued and hungry for more.

Read it long enough ago to have forgotten the specifics, but it was on my "keeper" shelf, so I'd have to give it at least 4 stars.

Started off slow, but got better as it went on.

Great book. A little long winded at times but still a good read.

Very good story but I got bogged down about 3/4 of the way thru. It may have been the small print(which may only have seemed small to me).

This is a true page turner - you never know what is going to happen - really worth reading.

Great book - a real page turner!

A very interesting book about family relationships. Begins very dramatically with a murder. The latter half is less suspenseful, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!

This author is ALWAYS a good read - intelligently written and thought out, as well as a page turner!

what happens when a young girl accidentally wounds her father with a shotgun? Interesting exploration of family dynamics in a time of stress.

Compelling read

very convincing portrait of a family, with particularly strong characterizations of the two adolescent cousins and their grandmother

story of the conflict that an accidental shooting causes to 3 generations of a family. pretty good read.

A great read -- I enjoyed tremendously.

Bohjalian gives thoughtful treatment to complex and delicate issues and has skill for great character developement.

Very good. Much different than expected and fascinating ending. Never saw it coming

I love this author but this book was boring and I couldnt get into it, I quit after I reread the first few chapters twice since I figured the first time I wasnt in the right state of mind.....sometimes I think popular authors in the quest to "produce" and meet their publishers deadlines decrease their quality and turn out substandard product. This seems to be, in my humble opinion, one of those times.

I am a fan of Bohjalian's but I really couldn't even make it though this book. I found it to be dreadfully boring and the story just didn't go anywhere. The description on the back cover had me hoping for a good read but sadly it wasn't.

I would suggest you read other books by this author, IMO they are much better.

Good book if you can make it through it. Could have been cut in half. Lots of filler stories.

I am a fan of Chris Bohjaian's other work, but this book I could not even finish. There is not one redeeming character in it, nobody to root for. Don't waste your time on this one, just read his other stuff, especially "Double Bind."

On a balmy July night in New Hampshire a shot rings out in a garden, and a man falls to the ground, terrible wounded. The wounded man is Spencer McCullough, the shot that hit him was fired-accidently?- by his adolescent daughter, Charlotte. With this shattering moment of violence, Chris Bojalian launches the best kind of literate page-turner: suspenseful, wryly funny and humane.

This was good, but not great. I really enjoyed Midwives, but this book doesn't hold a candle to Midwives. It didn't suck eggs, but didn't rock my world either.

Another fine work by one of my favorite authors - a little bit mystery, a little bit family values, a little bit environment, and 100% New England.

Even though it is slow at parts, I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Bohjalian is such an amazing writer that I found myself rereading phrases just to appreciate their complexity or humor.

I have really enjoyed Chris Bohjalian books in the past, but did not like this one.

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