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| Plot Summary of Surviving Wisdom |
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"
Five Star, Aug 2003, 25.95, 212 pp.
ISBN: 0786254378
In 1942 Pat Gunn needs money to survive the rest of what he expects to be a short war. He does what many people living in his community of Wisdom, New Mexico has done, torched his house for the insurance. Pat will live in the movie theater he owns that is idle because the town is dying due to government policy of closing the nearby gold mines.
Fire Chief and Marshal Ron Bowdrie decides to make an example of Pat. He asks the state to send an arson detective to investigate the latest fire. However, someone kills visitor Frank Keller. Ron believes Pat is the culprit and plans to have him locked away. Now Pat must prove his innocence with much of the remaining thirty residents on his side, but especially Pearl, madam of the Happy Eagle brothel and the woman whom he loves.
SURVIVING WISDOM is an insightful historical mystery with an emphasis on the impact of federal policy on a small New Mexico town and its residents. The period piece remains timely in today's world, but also overpowers a clever who-done-it because of the depth of detail that easily flows as part of the plot and the genuinely realistic cast. Historical readers will fully appreciate this superb look at small town USA during the early American entry into WW II.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Surviving Wisdom |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1930's-1950's
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
Kind of investigator
- amateur citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- small businessman
Age:
- 20's-30's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- revenge
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 1
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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