Review: A very compelling story that I couldn't put down!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 21, 2013
Always fascinated with stories regarding the Mafia, I couldn't wait to read this book.  It switches back and forth from 1930 to 2011 almost every other chapter, and I'm not a fan of that because it drives me crazy, but the story had me hooked instantly and the author wrote it in a way to captivate me so the switching didn't bother me so much.  I finished it in just under two days.  I loved how each chapter ended in a way that I couldn't stop reading until I found out what happened next, and the descriptions of the characters and their surroundings had me right there with them.  Occasionally my ADD would kick in during the explicit detailing of the landscape and amount of adjectives, but the author did a fantastic job creating the setting.  I could smell the musty old books in Liz's storage closet of an office, and I felt the suffocating humidity of the steamy Florida summer--my hair frizzing right along with hers.  I could taste the fried chicken and homemade biscuits, and the research/historical parts were fascinating.  This was a wonderful story told by a very talented storyteller.Now, for my constructive criticism.  I was surprised, and annoyed, with the abundance of mistakes throughout the book.  I can handle a few--nobody is perfect, but when it becomes a distraction to the point I'm finding them in every chapter it annoys me.  Simple mistakes like spelling "intention" as "intension," or "starred" when it should've been "stared," and using "illusive" when it should have been "elusive."  There were plenty more things I caught, but I don't need to list them.  Mostly little things an editor should have caught.  I *almost* gave it 3 stars because the ending disappointed me, but I didn't because the story itself had me hanging on every word until the very last page.  Just because I envisioned a different ending than the author doesn't mean other readers will do the same.  I won't spoil it, but I hoped for a link between Hugh's family farm and Jack's family farm.  Maybe a granddaughter or cousin that he hadn't realized and Liz informs him about it through her research.  Maybe Meg's granddaughter could've married Hugh's uncle?  Someone, at least, but I didn't much like what really happened to the property.  What I had imagined would have been a really cool way for the story to come full circle and show Liz that fate had other plans for her than what she originally thought from the beginning.  I was really sad during the part about Isaiah, and my heart ached for Zeke through the whole book, so I was also disappointed to learn about how the rest of his life played out.  And finally, my last criticism, I expected more of a finale or twist about how Capone was tied to the Klan and how he had a hand in everything.  I kept waiting for more of an interaction between him and Meg.  Capone was quite a ladies' man considering he contracted syphilis in his youth and mentally and physically suffered from neurosyphilis later in life, and, the lying, cheating murderer he was, not above forcing a woman to do whatever he wanted.  I half expected him to rape her, or bribe her with money considering she was so worried about how she and Dewitt would afford to live during the depression.  Most of her contact during his two week stay at the Blanche, apart from an apology from Capone for his henchmen's manners, was with Vito.  I just expected more, so it was slightly anticlimactic for me.I really did love the story though, and it was powerful enough to have me dreaming about it even after I finished it.  A very good, entertaining and quick (because you won't be able to put it down) read.  I recommend everyone give this book a chance and enjoy stepping back in time!  I sure did.