I holy-shit-loved David Benioff’s second book, City of Thieves, back when I read it in 2009, and I’ve been book-pushing it to friends ever since. (FYI, they’ve all loved it, too.) But I never got around to reading his first book until now (partly because it’s kind of hard to track down–also, I’ve never seen the film, which is apparently pretty great).Ultimately, The 25th Hour was kind of a let down for me, but I say “kind of” because, a) it was really well-written, and b) really short. So even though I didn’t gel with most of the themes or characters, it was still enjoyable enough to stack it in the win column.The basic premise is that the “main character” Monty (who isn’t really the main character) is about to go to jail for seven years. He has twenty-four hours left before he has to board the bus, and he’s going to spend it with his family and with his friends and girlfriend. But really, the book is as much about his two best friends and his girlfriend as it is about him. It’s definitely a character piece, and it’s definitely “lit-fic”, in the sense that there isn’t so much of a plot as there is a chance for these character to use their friend’s situation as a prism through which to examine their own lives and choices. But it’s not as obvious as that, either. It’s more subtle.None of the characters except Naturelle (lord, that name) are really likable, but they are all interesting. And there are some really great passages:“‘No matter what, it’s bye-bye Monty.’ ‘What does that mean?’Slattery raises his thumb. ‘If he runs, he’s gone. You’ll never see him again.’ He raises his index finger, the top joint crooked from wrestling days. ‘If he pulls the trigger, he’s gone. They’ll keep the casket closed.’ He raises his middle finger. ‘If they lock him away, he’s gone. You’ll never see him again.’ ‘I’ll see him again,’ says Jakob. ‘I’ll see him when he gets out.’The elevator doors open and Slattery steps inside. ‘I wouldn’t bet on it. You think you’re still going to be friends? You think you’ll kick back with a couple of beers and reminisce? Forget it, Jake. It’s over after tonight. You getting in?'”And Benioff has a twisted sense of humor:“‘When I was twelve I catch soldier raping my mother. I scream, I punch him, try to kick his balls. He takes knife and opens me up. My mother, she is trying to push me back in. My–how do you say, the coils–‘ Kostya twirls his fingers to indicate coils.‘Intestines?’ ‘My intestines come falling out. So she is pushing them back in. Very bad. But see–‘ Kostya beats his chest with his fist. ‘I survive. Big man, now. Later, I find out he was not raping my mother. So, okay, he wasn’t such a bad man. He drove me to hospital.’ ‘After he cut you up?’ ‘Yes, but he felt very bad. I scared him. He comes back from Afghanistan. Things very bad there for Soviet soldiers. So yes, he cuts me up, but then he drives me to hospital and we become friends.'”I shouldn’t have liked this at all, really. Books about white man identity problems don’t interest me, especially ones where the characters work out their issues through inappropriate sex or aggression. And there is some of that here, though it’s not the focus. But Benioff is just such a good writer. He made me care in spite of myself. And the last couple pages are a real gut punch. Ultimately, this is a book about living with the consequences of your own decisions, and that’s something that I can get behind.[3.5 stars]
Последните часове на осъдения: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/2...“25-ият час” на Дейвид Беньоф (да, онзи David Benioff) е приятно написана драма за последните часове на свобода на мъж, който в живота винаги е избирал лесните решения. Растящ в бедност, в постоянна нужда да се доказва колко по-умен и интересен е от всички, Монти Броугън затъва бавно в търговията с наркотици, но без излишна жестокост и насилие – просто момче, което гради луксозния си начин на живот върху пясъчни основи. Около него са и приятелите му, които също съзнават, че животът не им е предоставил това, което са мечтали – единият е богат борсов агент, другият даскалува в мизерия, и двамата не са щастливи, но по много различен начин. Драмата на последния ми допадна най-много с трагичното му увлечение по негова ученичка, която се разминава с Набоковите страсти, но не с много.Издателска къща ЕМАСhttp://knigolandia.info/book-review/2...
What do You think about The 25th Hour (2002)?
This was an absorbing quick read, but nowhere near the level of benioff's City of Thieves, which may be my favourite book of all time. The 25th Hour read like a writing exercise - explore character, emotion and relationships by going deep on an unusual event or time period. Benioff looks at what one individual - and the people who care for him - goes through in the 25 hours immediately before he goes to prison for 7 years. Over the course of the book benioff skilfully shows that this man has great capacity for love, goodness and regret. while he is a criminal, how he became that way is more about a couple of unfortunate choices than innate personality. Right to the end you wonder whether there is an opportunity for Monty to course correct, and begin a different kind of life.Top marks for making me care at all about the male characters in this book, who demonstrate irritating amounts of both machismo and insecurity. I hope David Benioff eventually takes time out from the game of thrones series to write more novels - I'll keep reading them.
—Emmaline Hill
David Benioff's novel "City of Thieves" is brilliant and should be a Must Read for everyone. This novel, Benioff's first (?) or at least written earlier than "CoT", is clearly an earlier work and a good warm up from this really talented writer. As in "CoT," the main character is something of a cipher, and in any event is a different animal from his fellow men, including being instinctively attracted to and attractive by women. "The 25th Hour" does not move along the plot the way "CoT" does - he's fixed that in the later book - and he spends too much time with characters that are not as interesting as the main character. However, his final "hook" in the plot is great (but, boy, you have to wait for it), just as "CoT" has a great couple of hooks at the end of that novel. I look forward to Mr. Benioff's future titles.
—Margaret
There are films that make you want to read the book, and "The 25th Hour" by Spike Lee is one of those, thankfully I would add, considering that this novel is a masterpiece. Written by an author whom I had already appreciated for "The City of Thieves" and that I found to be also one of the writers of the screenplay of "Games of Thrones", this book is just perfect: never a word that is too much, never granted even if the plot in itself does not leave much room for maneuver and a cast of characters (starting with the dog) absolutely unforgettable. Beautiful, beautiful, totally beautiful.Ci sono film che ti fanno venire voglia di leggere il libro, e "La 25a ora" di Spike Lee é uno di quelli, per fortuna aggiungerei, considerato che questo romanzo é un piccolo capolavoro. Scritto da un autore che avevo giá apprezzato per "La cittá dei ladri" e che ho scoperto essere anche uno degli sceneggiatori di "Games of Thrones", questo libro é semplicemente perfetto: mai una parola di troppo, mai scontato anche se la trama stessa non lascia poi cosí tanto spazio di manovra e un cast di protagonisti a cominciare dal cane, assolutamente indimenticabili. Bello, bello, proprio tanto bello.
—GONZA
