Reviews for Death Is a Lonely Business

The average rating for Death Is a Lonely Business based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-09-09 00:00:00 Misty Loveless Death is a Lonely Business is Ray Bradbury’s addition to the noir mystery genre. Told with all the requisite intrigue and catchy simile and metaphor, Bradbury nevertheless cannot be mistaken as anyone but himself. Like an actor who is cast in an odd role, Bradbury remains the sentimental, kooky writer, and that is a part of this novel’s charm. Set in an aging and decrepit Venice California in 1949, the unnamed protagonist is an overweight, clumsy, near sighted writer who bears a great resemblance to Ray. All the more fun is the frequent allusions to stories he has published that are unmistakably actual Bradbury creations. Like many of this works, Bradbury fills this with a funhouse cornucopia of colorful characters. It is a little too slow getting started, but the ending is well worth it. Like so many of Bradbury’s works, most of the enjoyment in reading is simply his mastery of language and medium.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-03-16 00:00:00 Lace Allenius I've read this book twice. It is written in a noire style, but with a feel of the fantastical running through it. The main character is a struggling writer (Bradbury himself) who is trying keep his art flowing but is lonely. His girlfriend is an ocean away and he seems so detached from everyone around him. But then a murder mystery unfolds and the writer must solve it. As the novel moves forward you find that Bradbury has many friends, some existing, some new, the relationships brought about through the events in the novel. He also loves each one's uniqueness. The weirder they are the more they are loved because they are themselves. The old, the discarded, the friendless are especially dear to him. They mystery is just the method for us to learn about Bradbury's heart.