⇒ Libro Free Queenpin A Novel Megan Abbott 9781416534280 Books

Queenpin A Novel Megan Abbott 9781416534280 Books

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Queenpin A Novel Megan Abbott 9781416534280 Books

This review appeared in my own blog in a similar form.

It's a small novel that packs a wallop. The unnamed narrator (UN) attracts the attention of a queen pin, a boss lady with ties to organized crime. She takes the UN on as something of a protege and we see all of the UN's dreams come true. She does what she's asked and slowly gains the trust of QP. However, a hiccup forms when UN finds someone she's uncontrollably attracted to. This is when the plot gets really interesting as the characters start betraying each other, murder, body dump than a re-body dump, suicides by cop! All of it, classic noir.

But what makes this novel good? All of it feels like it's been done a bit to death. Introduction to crime ring, learning the ropes, throwing it all away for some really good sex, then mayhem galore. That's archetypal gangster. But what makes this novel so good is the characters involved. The characters had a gender swap, our young criminal is a woman as is her boss. She throws it all away for a homme fatale with a gambling problem. None of it feels contrived, like the author is working too hard to break the cultural mode.

UN literally talks about how she only protects the guy because of how good at sex is. I questioned that at first, would a person really do that? But I immediately remembered the countless stories of men doing pretty similar things and no one ever question them. It raises questions about gender norms and what we expect from characters when reading. Do we expect different character motivations from men and women?

The writing is top notch. The narration flows smoothly. The setting is fully realized in both details and prose. the writing itself captures the feel of the 1950's, almost like the author herself had lived there. Or at least did an intense study of it's literature. The 1950's is an interesting time, as it's pictured as an idyllic time for America where the women was a doting housewife and the man brought home the bacon. But this novel turns many expectations on it's head, here the women are powerful and the man is the one trying to squeeze them for cash.

The other characters remain stereotypes, extending no further than villains or obstacles. The novel was quite short, only 200 pages. It could have extended its length to give these characters a bit of time in the sun.

Overall, an excellent novel. Much of her other features prominent female characters. And that's so important because too often are women left out of the action, or are kept on to as arm candy. I look forward to reading her other novels.


Tags : Queenpin: A Novel [Megan Abbott] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <B>By the author of <I>Dare Me</I> and <I>The End of Everything</I></B><BR> <BR><B><I></B></I>A young woman hired to keep the books at a down-at-the-heels nightclub is taken under the wing of the infamous Gloria Denton,Megan Abbott,Queenpin: A Novel,Simon & Schuster,1416534288,Noir fiction,Noir fiction.,Organized crime,Organized crime;Fiction.,American Mystery & Suspense Fiction,Crime & mystery,FICTION General,FICTION Mystery & Detective Hard-Boiled,FICTION Mystery & Detective Women Sleuths,Fiction,Fiction - Mystery Detective,FictionMystery & Detective - Hard-Boiled,Mystery & Detective - Hard-Boiled,Mystery & Detective - Women Sleuths,MysterySuspense,The Fever; Dare Me; The End of Everything; Edgar award; Gillian Flynn; Tana French

Queenpin A Novel Megan Abbott 9781416534280 Books Reviews

I did not expect noir, and I might not have read this book had I been forewarned. It would have been my loss. Ms. Abbott took me in and held me rapt to the end. Her characters, nearly caricatures, are wonderfully drawn nonetheless. The staccato pace kept me engaged, and the first person narrator treated me to an eye-witness account. There is some predictability here, but the author takes us on a twisted tale of betrayals before we get there. I am hungry for more.
QUEENPIN was my first introduction to Megan Abbott, based on a Kemper review of said author, not said novel, but it certainly won't be my last. The voice carried me like a tumbleweed in the middle of New Mexico. It sang like a blue canary in the middle of spring. It had heart, promise...Well, you get the idea.

The unnamed narrator proved every bit as powerful as she did mysterious. She jumped up on stage, fully exposed, front and center, with hardly a stitch on her, and proceeded to take on all comers. She had guts, panache, and often a clever way with words. She showed first-hand why noir novels can be such powerful reads. While we saw the other characters through her eyes, they were fully fleshed out as well.

The story was raw, exposed, and everything a great noir should be. I don't know if I'd call QUEENPIN great, as it had a few flaws, like all the characters within the confines of the novel, but it was a damn fine read.

The storyline clipped along at a thoroughbred pace, and like the main character, I raced rather dramatically toward the ending. As for the ending, it may not have been a complete surprise, but it wrapped up the story rather nicely. If you like noir, especially with a female lead, you may want to hop on the Megan Abbott bandwagon. And have your red flag ready, you're probably going to need it.

Robert Downs
Author of Falling Immortality Casey Holden, Private Investigator
This novel was a great change of pace for me. The narrator is a young woman from a small, undistinguished city who gets a job keeping the books at a small casino and quickly uses her looks and intelligence to start moving up in the underworld.

Her sponsor is Gloria Denton, a legend in this noir world closing on middle age, but still beautiful -- and even more smart and dangerous. Our narrator idolizes Denton and wants to prove herself worthy of her attention and perhaps one day becoming her equal. Denton herself, tough as nails though she is, appears to genuinely like her apprentice, taking pleasure in teaching her how to dress and telling her what she needs to know to thrive in gangland.

But, because this is a noir, trouble comes in the form of a member of the opposite sex. Soon passion, lies, and violence complicate the relationship between mistress and apprentice, and our narrator has to make life or death choices about where her loyalty lies.

The book is well-written, and I didn't even notice until I was 2/3 of the way through that we never learn the narrator's name. Others address her with nicknames and she never shares the truth with us. Which only makes sense. You never know who to trust in this world.

I'm definitely going to check out Megan Abbot's other noir novels.
This review appeared in my own blog in a similar form.

It's a small novel that packs a wallop. The unnamed narrator (UN) attracts the attention of a queen pin, a boss lady with ties to organized crime. She takes the UN on as something of a protege and we see all of the UN's dreams come true. She does what she's asked and slowly gains the trust of QP. However, a hiccup forms when UN finds someone she's uncontrollably attracted to. This is when the plot gets really interesting as the characters start betraying each other, murder, body dump than a re-body dump, suicides by cop! All of it, classic noir.

But what makes this novel good? All of it feels like it's been done a bit to death. Introduction to crime ring, learning the ropes, throwing it all away for some really good sex, then mayhem galore. That's archetypal gangster. But what makes this novel so good is the characters involved. The characters had a gender swap, our young criminal is a woman as is her boss. She throws it all away for a homme fatale with a gambling problem. None of it feels contrived, like the author is working too hard to break the cultural mode.

UN literally talks about how she only protects the guy because of how good at sex is. I questioned that at first, would a person really do that? But I immediately remembered the countless stories of men doing pretty similar things and no one ever question them. It raises questions about gender norms and what we expect from characters when reading. Do we expect different character motivations from men and women?

The writing is top notch. The narration flows smoothly. The setting is fully realized in both details and prose. the writing itself captures the feel of the 1950's, almost like the author herself had lived there. Or at least did an intense study of it's literature. The 1950's is an interesting time, as it's pictured as an idyllic time for America where the women was a doting housewife and the man brought home the bacon. But this novel turns many expectations on it's head, here the women are powerful and the man is the one trying to squeeze them for cash.

The other characters remain stereotypes, extending no further than villains or obstacles. The novel was quite short, only 200 pages. It could have extended its length to give these characters a bit of time in the sun.

Overall, an excellent novel. Much of her other features prominent female characters. And that's so important because too often are women left out of the action, or are kept on to as arm candy. I look forward to reading her other novels.