I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it's a well done story of a young marine returning from Afghanistan to his family's avocado farm in southern California. A devastating wild fire has destroyed most of their trees and thousands of acres in the area around the town, and there are no loans available to tide the family over until the crops can be replaced.On the other hand it's the story of two brothers, Patrick the young vet, grappling with PTSD, wanting to leave the family farm and start his own fishing business, but forced to stay to help his family and Ted, the damaged, doomed older brother who has never been able to get anything right, whose increasing frustration with himself and alienation from everyone leads him into increasingly risky behavior.On the other, other hand, it's the story of town of Fallbrook, a mostly agricultural community with a well meaning mayor, a few multiethnic residents, and a former resident who is a rabid white supremacist who has come back to stay and stir up trouble.And then all of the story lines all come together in a semi-apocalyptic climax, which just seems a bit much and contrived. This is not typically my genre but I gave it a shot. Because it's not one I would normally read I gave it to one of my brothers who just loved it! He thanked me for introducing him to Mr. Parker and said that he would be looking for more of his work. With that said and because of my brother's feedback I gave it a four stars. I won this on GoodReads and as you can see from above I payed it forward.
What do You think about Full Measure (2014)?
WOW !!!This was way too depressing for me to read.I am amazed that I finished it.
—allmirela
I normally like T. Jefferson Parker books but this one just bored me.
—Ira
