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Wordward David

Excellent, but for a very particular audience

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2016

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Excellent, but for a very particular audience. The prose has high expectations of the reader, which is not to say that those who don't enjoy the book are fools, lazy readers, etc. It's simply to say the drama here is largely internal and will not suit everyone. But the language is breathtaking. I point to a line near the end. The narrator is describing a nurse's sponge bath for his terminally ill mother:

"The eyes were done first, the nurse's hand moving from nose to cheek, as a tear would run."

The statement is precise, ruminative and poetic. If that line prods you, the book is for you.

Holly Henson

A masterpiece of a first novel!

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2016

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Buy this book and prepare to be deeply moved as software engineer, Henry Hurt stares into the abyss. This novel offers us an empathetic view into our human existential condition as it plays out in marbled city skyscrapers, suburban technology office parks, and lonely hotel bars. If we have looked deeply, we will see ourselves in Henry Hurt, both alienated and propped up by these edifices. In this story we also find Henry (and ourselves) struggling with the messiness, complexity, pain, and comfort of relationships. We meet love at it is, forever entangled in loss. Mr. Hipps paints Henry with eloquent, intelligent, and poetic strokes, and ultimately blows open the questions without placating us with trite answers. Absolutely brilliant!

Keek

Extraordinary Writing and a Great Story

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2017

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It's hard to believe this is J. Bradford Hipps' first novel. But maybe he has a dozen manuscripts in a desk drawer. He writes beautifully of one ordinary man's life, capturing the nuances of moods and feelings in a way I found remarkable. For example, you know that mood slump you can get when the light in a room falls in a certain way? Hipps has put words around that ineffable experience. I loved this novel and have recommended it to a handful of friends. If you enjoy novels that really do capture what being a live and sentient human feels like, pick up The Adventurist.

James L Coffin

I have not read prose like this in many years -- indeed

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2016

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This novel is a work of art -- the words and phrasing are as exquisite as they are delicious. Mr. Hipps' descriptions are richly vivid and come alive in the mind. I have not read prose like this in many years -- indeed, it's mind-boggling that this is his first work. The characters are real. The dialog rings true. The bittersweet sadness of life is glimpse ... fleetingly. Absolutely beautiful writing. There is no other way to say it.

Dorothy L.Sussman

A Superlative Novel

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2016

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This character-driven novel took my breath away. The writing is break-your-heart wonderful--deeply engaging, precisely rendered, and often, hilarious. Hipps unearths and examines self-doubt, loneliness, enforced camaraderie, desire, and family dynamics all within the context of a tech company in deep trouble. Superb.

M. Jason Schmitt

Lasting characters of a modern lost generation

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2016

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A lot of people will relate deeply to this book, not because Hipps overtly tries to draw us an archetype, but because his characters are so natural and alive in a world that will feel profoundly familiar. As though we know people exactly like this, and you do. Dust jacket praise was suggestive of Henry Hurt as Jake Barnes, and this was spot on for me. Henry is our incorruptible hero: you'll root for him, be frustrated by him, relate to him, wonder whether his morality or his talents will drive him more, and ponder what role money and love should play in it all. The only flaw I could find is that you'll want more of these rich characters long after you've finished, but Hipps doesn't flaunt his formidable writing gifts and ends it perfectly...a testament to a great novel.

Amazon Customer

I thought this was great. It really held my interest all the way ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2016

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I thought this was great. It really held my interest all the way through, despite the fact that there isn't much "action" in the traditional sense. I was very surprised by the ending. All in all, a great read.

Peter Dougherty

GO BUY THIS BOOK! (And read it, too)

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2016

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A refreshing voice. Honest. Funny. Insightful. Brilliant. Stop reading the reviews and GO BUY THIS BOOK!