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    Four Years from Home
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    Brand: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

    Four Years from Home

    3.7
    €37,00
    €37,00
    €60,00
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    Customer Reviews

    Be Ready for a Bumpy Ride!Four Years From Home is the first book I've read by Larry Enright.I was taken in from the very beginning by the character of Tom. I liked his sarcasm and biting wit, but I also liked to hate him when he lied and cheated and manipulated to get what he wanted. I believe that Enright did a good job with character development and that is why Tom is so unlikeable at times. Harry, on the other hand, Tom's youngest sibling, was a very likeable character from the beginning. He seemed to have a good sense of self. He let the things Tom did just roll off his back. When Harry went off to college and wasn't heard from for four years that seemed quite out of character for him. I knew something had to be going on besides studying at college, but the ending certainly surprised me.When you read this story, be ready for a bumpy ride...sibling rivalry, jealousy, biting sarcasm, humor, pain, and the ultimate show of brotherly love! 4You'll Love It - Or You'll Hate itThis is probably the hardest book review I'll ever write. As an author myself I always preface my reviews with the information of whether I know the author or not. I've "met" Larry Enright on Facebook, Twitter and a variety of other forums. I love his wit and sense of humor. I've interviewed him and didn't take offense to his comment that my writing career was inspired by a Rabid Dog ("Old Yeller"). And I'm not a professional reviewer.When I told Larry that I had purchased his book he emailed me and told me it was "Different", and he hoped I liked it.Different would be one way of describing "Four Years From Home". Most people assume since I write dark, not-so-cozy murder mysteries that my taste in literature runs the gamut of James Patterson, Tami Hoag, Kay Hooper, Patricia Cornwell and other mystery writers with a penchant for murder and mayhem. They would be right to a certain extent, but I also loved C. S. Lewis. The first time I read "The Screw Tape Letters" I was amazed, thrilled and awed by a work of literary art so deep, and so exquisite I almost felt I should chop off my fingers for even considering myself to be an author. "The Screw Tape Letters" was different. A book that inspired great passion in those who read it, and those who attempted to read it and burned it as blasphemy. Growing up in the Bible belt I naturally assumed it would burst into flames as soon as I opened it, or at the very least I would be stricken with some horrible malady for reading such "trash". It has a place of honor on my bookshelf as being one of the true literary arts of my time, and the exact opposite of what I was led to believe. That's all I can say about it without giving you spoilers.Several years ago a movie came out called "Sixth Sense". Millions of people watched this movie before I did, but out of millions of reviews not one person gave away the spoiler. That fascinated me. It was definitely "different". And millions of people kept that secret religiously. There were minor clues along the way, but so intricately weaved into the story that you missed them.Which brings me back to "Four Years From Home". A work of literary art which I believe will inspire passion within each reader. You will love it - or you will hate it. Or perhaps like me you will love it and hate it (which I can't say why without giving away a spoiler). Within the pages of "Four Years From Home" Mr. Enright has weaved an intricate model of human hopes, dreams, fears, strengths and weaknesses. The brilliance of the human mind, and the frailty of the human mind.Tom Ryan is a Legend In His Own Mind. Much like every child and artistic adult who grew up in an atmosphere that allows the imagination to develop and grow. Reality is just a figment of our imagination to be bent, changed and shaped to our will. But somewhere deep inside, perhaps at the core of our existence, deep within the soul lies a reality we cannot bend; we cannot change or shape to our will. A reality we can only at best attempt to run away from and escape.I can't say more without giving away a spoiler, which is why this was a very difficult review to write.OVERALL BOOK - 4.5 StarsI gave this 4.5 stars instead of 5 because I found at least 5 typos in the book were words were omitted from a sentence and in one case transposed in a sentence. For a debut novel this is minor, as my own traditionally published first book had 7 typos. When I brought this to the attention of my publisher the comeback was, "Patricia Cornwell's new book has 28 typos in it." My comeback was, "I'm not Patricia Cornwell." As authors we have a responsibility to our readers. As self-published authors that responsibility, in my humble opinion, increases.CHARACTERIZATION - 5 StarsYou are immediately drawn into the Ryan family through Tom's internal dialogue, and through interaction with his mother, father, sisters and brothers. You're given a clear-- at least according to the legend-- concise "picture" of the family and their strengths and weaknesses. They each become someone you feel you know intimately. Especially Harry. Sweet, special Harry. Although some may consider this a backdoor approach into characterization, it worked for me.PLOT - 5 StarsThe plot is "different". If you're a traditional mystery follower who expects certain things to happen in order, you may be slightly disappointed. But the plot is unique. A true literary art, as it is subtle, and perhaps somewhat hidden in the Legend's mind. And the purpose of a mystery is to lead the reader down a path of intrigue, throwing out subtle clues and yet revealing nothing that will allow you to grasp the conclusion--therein, Mr. Enright has excelled. I, as a mystery writer, applaud myself on being able to figure out early on "what's going on". That didn't happen here. I was tempted many times to move to the end of the book, but as with all books I enjoy I denied myself that pleasure and kept turning pages. Searching for the clues that would reveal the end. I was astounded. I would never have guessed the ending.This was a difficult book to review because I loved it, and I hated it, and I wanted to tell you why, but much like "Sixth Sense", that would reveal far too much. You may find yourself a little irritated by Tom's obsession with (oops, can't say, because that's a spoiler), but if you like "different" then I truly believe you'll love this book. A fantastic debut novel, and one I'm glad I didn't miss. 4Not your run-of-the-mill storyEvery few years I read a book that just grips me and this is my new "book of the year." I laughed aloud, cried copious tears, and in-between could not put it down.It is the story of two brothers, the older a self-centered bully, the younger a near perfect kid everyone loves. The story alternates between the present day (early seventies) and flashbacks to their childhood. While I agree with some reviewers that at times the flashbacks ramble a bit too much, and I did skim a few of them, on the whole they are very important for setting the personalities, characters, and relationship of the two brothers.At times I was confused as to what was happening, but this is not uncommon in a mystery style book; in this case my confusion mirrored that of the main character because he, too, was having difficulty assimilating all the events.I would have liked a little more wrap-up at the end, but in reality I think this is really because I had so much crawled into the characters' skins that I was reluctant to leave.This book isn't perfect: it could use some tighter editing. But the story is so captivating and original, the characters so alive, becoming part of my life, and still living within me almost three months later, that the rest become minor details. I loved it. 5A bit of mystery, a bit of humor, a bit of mental intrigue.I've seen this novel classified primarily as a mystery, but the core theme of Four Years from Home, by Larry Enright touches more upon the mystery of self-exploration and relationships than perhaps the typical murder mystery. The book opens with a family hearing news from Kenyon College, that the youngest son, Harry, is dead. However, there is no body to recover and Tom, the oldest son, is commissioned by the family to travel to the college and get to the bottom of what happened.Right from the start, Tom proves to us to be a rather unlikable character, which is part of the charm of the story because with unlikable protagonists, an author then draws us in to look for how this protagonist might either be redeemed, or become likeable in spite of his unpleasant nature.The biggest strength of this novel is that you do indeed want to find out what happened to Harry and what his life was all about during his college life. The relationship between Tom and Harry is a fascinating one, and viewing Harry through Tom's eyes from the past to present is, of course, where we learn more about Tom. The story definitely has its humorous moments. Tom holds a constant commentary in his head about all that he experiences and even if we find out about how much of a bully and a pain in the ass he is and always has been through these experiences, we also can't help but relate to many of them. Sometimes I felt it was a little bit overdone, as though he were trying to include every funny moment we remember about mischievous childhoods. However, the running commentary gave me an excellent insight into what was to come -- which means foreshadowing well done. A great climactic twist with an odd tonal shift in the denouement.A bit of mystery, a bit of humor, a bit of mental intrigue - by the halfway mark I was running through all kinds of theories and predictions in my head, which kept me reading - and you'll want to know how it ends, too. 4The story of Tom Ryan, by Tom Ryan, starring Tom Ryan....This engrossing tale is told entirely in first-person narrative, from the perspective of Tom Ryan. It is the story of Tom, told by Tom, starring Tom ... you get the idea. It's his world and he's the only important person in it; the other inhabitants of the world -the bit players - only matter if they are of use to Tom. Though not entirely original, Tom's tale is well-paced and suspenseful, with the exception of the last few chapters, which dragged a bit, with unnecessary details and flashbacks that didn't contribute to the story. There were times when I almost gave up and quit reading - I admit that I go overboard pouncing on mistakes I find, from typos to inconsistencies and implausibilities in the story, stubbornly refusing to finish a book over obvious or egregious errors. I caught on to some apparent discrepancies, but plot exposition neatly accounted for most of them. It was tempting to skip to the end as the pace got sluggish (the flashbacks were getting tedious and I just wanted my questions answered), but I didn't, and it was worth the effort to keep reading. The problem with writing a review for this particular story is that I don't want to give away any of the plot twists or revelations. The plot twists are inventive and although I had a general idea of how the mystery was going to turn out, the end still held some surprises. There is some foreshadowing of the final reveal, but the author holds enough back so that even the most astute reader can't guess exactly what's coming, but not enough that a novice reader will feel misled or cheated. Overall, I would recommend this book for its premise, readability and believability, even if it falls short of being perfect. 4Worth a shotToo bad the people who rated this book so low didn't read it all the way through or even finish it. Yes, it does take some time to get through it and yes it does take full concentration to understand the story but if you give it a chance it turns out to be pretty good with a complicated story. Complicated for the characters not the reader. It is fasinating to read to conclusion. I don't want to give anything away but I thought I had the end figured out but I was wrong. You must give it a fair read and read it all the way though! I am an avid reader and I don't like boring, stuffy or words that must be looked up in a dictionary and I liked this book so that means..it wasn't any of those things. 4A Perfectly Twisted Psychosocial FormulaHats-off to author Larry Enright, his novel's characters capture the psychosocial formula, perfectly. The recipe results in a fabulously twisted plot. The author maintains the characters intricate personalities throughout his novel. A skill few authors master so well.Tom, the main character, is a complex jerk, this dynamic defines the mystery. The unpredictable rogue sends the reader into a tailspin of emotions, and then, just when you think you have it all figured out, the author smacks into another turn.Personally, I would classify, Four Years From Home within the mystery genre. However, the style, created emotions often, delegated to thrillers. The depth of the story came to me as an unexpected surprise. Prior comments I read had me convinced Four Years From Home was a humorous cultural book about an Irish immigrant family, oh, but, it was much more.Tom's first person account barred nothing. Instead, it fuelled my fascination, blatantly baring his socially unacceptable narcissism, and distorted ego driven views. His codependent family added to the layers of believability. I am a lover of the human element within any story, Four Years From Home, fed my love masterfully.Nevertheless, the mystery, and drama are not forgotten. I highly recommend this book to anyone whom enjoys a great multilayered read.Four Years from Home 5A good ending, but not worth the time it takes to get there.I picked up Four Years from home, because the story looked really interesting. I was quickly bored with the story, but reviews promised me that the last part of the book was better. The ending was a good ending, but here is the issue, the rest of the book was boring. Am I glad I stuck it out to the ending? Yes and No. I am glad that I read it but only because I hate to give up on books it annoys me. You can have a good ending, but you need to have a good book for the rest of it also. There was nothing to make me keep turning the page to see what happens next. I found myself finding other distractions and falling asleep. I will not be reading the sequel. 2Wow....surprises indeed!I love a challenge. So when the other reviewers said the ending was such a shock, I was determined to figure it out ahead of time. And -- aha!! -- no, not so much. I came close, but Larry Enright (author) had some stuff up his sleeve I didn't quite see coming. Thank goodness. It was so much better that way.***Small spoiler alert*** The last chapter was brilliant. How do you write madness when you're writing in first person? I was reading so fast I would suddenly realize I was holding my breath. And the epilogue - all dialogue - was masterfully done. A great wrap-up of the details.A story of family, honor, redemption, sanity, and insanity. I found myself annoyed part way through at the first person accounts of the narrator's bad boy deeds, but the stories, and his voice in the telling of them, all work together in the end.As one reviewer said, not a perfect book. But I can't remember the last time I read an entire book in one day -- and not because it was so short, but because I couldn't make myself stop.Thank you, Larry, for characters I will keep in my head for a long while.... 5Four Years From HomeEven though I am a female I instantly identified with Tom. I was born in the same year, 1946, and am the oldest of five children. I was often a bully to my siblings (although not as physical as he was) and thought of myself as entitled and resented the existance of "the others". Tom's parents also reminded me of my own....I guess because of the era we grew up in. Also the small college Harry attended was much like the one I graduated from in 1968.The story was so interesting, and Tom's imagination was so outrageous that I read the book really quickly. I love the twists and turns in the plot, quite a story. Very well written, a great book. 5
    Four Years from Home

    Four Years from Home

    3.7
    You can't add more than 500 quantity.
    €37,00
    €37,00
    €60,00
    Sold out
    Save 38% (€23,00)