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Slow Dancing on Dinosaur Bones: A Novel |
Author: Lana Witt
Published: 1997-09-01 |
List price: $26.95
Our price: $26.95
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As of: December 01st, 2008 07:44:33 PM
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Customer comments on this selection.
 No bones about it...
The title on this book is a bit of a misnomer--there are no dinosaur bones in the book, though there is a mention of some minor fossils seen in a coal vein. There is also an allusion to something that is dinosaur-like. So much for the dino connection...
Nevertheless, I liked the book. I got interested in the characters and the relationships. The plot was interesting. I found the philosophical aspects of the book to be banal, with the typical zen emptiness infatuation, but it was tolerable and not overly annoying. I guess it fit, somewhat, but it seemed shallow and sophomoric. Of course, I may be overstating it...it's just my opinion and others may not have the same reaction.
Though I suspect it was unintentional, it is humorously ironic that the web of relationships in the small town elicited a sense of being inbred and incestuous. I guess that may be an almost inevitable consequence of tiny-town life. As Stephen Stills said, love the one you're with.
I hoped to see more happen with the Ten Fifteen character. His presence was almost like he was the requisite friendly freak, but it never progressed as I would have liked. He was kind of like a post-it note--there but not really within. I wanted his character to develop, not just observe. He really only experiences one major change in the story, and though funny, it was ultimately minor.
I did end up caring about the characters, and the minor short-comings didn't detract from the enjoyable read this story provided. I suspect most folks won't even notice the things I mentioned, they will just appreciate the characterizations and plotting. The book kind of took a stab at a theme I could appreciate, but I found that the story overwhelmed it. I almost wish the philosophical aspect had been more deeply fleshed out, and that the big tension-building subplot had been excised. In my opinion it squelched the potential the novel had to be seminal and timeless, not to mention important. Still, I want to emphasize that the story was quite enjoyable.
*** SPOILER ALERT !!!: IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE THE WHOLE PLOT PLOPPED ON YOUR PLATE LIKE A SPOONFUL OF MASHED POTATOES, DON'T READ TOM LARSON'S REVIEW BELOW. Larson is one of those self-congatulatory dolts who relish their own comments about a book more than the book itself. Unfortunately, his type are rife on the Amazon site. A bit of advice to such plot ploppers: take a class at the local junior college if you want to wax eloquent on the details of book plot. Just because you like the sound of your own voice doesn't mean that you ought to SPOIL the book for those looking for advice on whether to buy or read a book.
A Charmer
The title grabbed me when I was browsing the bookstore for a good summer read -- what a great surprise this book turned out to be! It's hard to believe this is Lana Witt's first book. "Slow Dancing on Dinosaur Bones" reminds me of the early novels of Larry McMurtry, Clyde Edgerton and Rita Mae Brown.
Excellent
I loved this book. I thought I was going to be reading a simple story about. Instead, Ms. Witt provided me with a love story, stalking, grave robbing, murder and a fight against the big bad coal company.I enjoyed the author's style of having several things going on at once. It became a real page turner. I do feel that the excitement of the book was over about 25 pages from the true end of the book. It's as if Ms. Witt wanted to end the drama and try up any loose ends -- although the ending is certainly not unimportant. I did enjoy every bit of this book.
 Best book I've read in a long time.
I loved the plot, the characters, the setting, and the way the story was told. Gilman Lee is definitely an unforgettable man. I'm really pleased that I happened upon this book in the library one day. I found I needed to have it in my own library, so I tracked it down and ordered a copy at my local bookstore. (Didn't have access to Amazon at the time!) I'm presently, a couple of years later, reading it a second time, and enjoying it even more! This is a wonderful, quirky little story, and I'd highly recommend it.
A good read
A friend recommended this book to me and I could not put it down! I loved the characters and the in-depth description of the town. I can't wait to read more from this author. A very enjoyable story.
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