Review of Woodland. Family Portrait
-
Elizabeth Cocina
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 69
- Joined: 09 Dec 2024, 19:00
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 0
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-elizabeth-cocina.html
- Latest Review: A Southern Enchantress by Deborah Trahan
- 2025 Reading Goal: 100
- 2025 Goal Completion: 24%
Review of Woodland. Family Portrait
[Following is a volunteer review of "Woodland. Family Portrait" by Art Lionson.]
Mick and Emma Woodland are raising their four children in a dystopian suburb in the year 2043 in Woodland. Family Portrait by Art Lionson (2023). Cities have declined. Crime is rampant, and city services such as the clearing of trash and debris on streets and in neighborhoods are confined to only the neighborhoods of the well-to-do. Mick and Emma work tirelessly to raise their family, but their efforts barely make ends meet. Their four children, Jason, Eddie, Mia, and Cody, range in age from early twenties (Jason and Eddie) to late teens (Mia and Cody). Mick and Emma have done everything they could to communicate to their children that family is the only real thing they will ever have, and they must support and cherish one another. Indeed, their family commitment is the only thing that can help them to survive.
Jason and Eddie do their best to help by working in a “chop shop,” scavenging parts from cars and motorcycles. They are often together and share many friends.
Mia is very seriously ill and requires medications that are beyond the reach of the family. She is the soul of sweetness, optimism, consideration, and fierce love for her family. A foil for the decaying, disintegrating environment, she paints and is working on a portrait of the family.
Cody, the youngest and a high school student, has emotionally dropped out of the family and is involved in the sale of drugs. Cody’s life is in a downward spiral, and Jason and Eddie are both furious and frightened. When Cody’s drug-dependent, lawless friends begin to harass the family, Jason and Eddie feel they must intervene. Through a friend, they meet the mysterious Hall Parkinson, who agrees to “take care” of these friends of Cody’s in exchange for an allegedly simple courier service by Jason and Eddie.
Jason and Eddie accept the offer, complete the “simple” courier service, and in ways they could never have anticipated, their world implodes. They face unspeakable violence and terror. The totalitarian government threatens to control even their bodies and minds.
Against this backdrop of their lives imploding, the loyalty and love between Jason and Eddie are stirring, and no less heartening is the love that acts as the glue for the Woodland family as a whole.
Woodland. Family Portrait has non-stop action. Jason is an able fighter, and while Eddie begins the novel as a skinny, academic bookworm, he evolves into a potent combatant. The fight scenes are vivid, and the reader can almost hear the thuds on the floor, the cracking of bones, and the groans of the wounded. Chase scenes on motorcycles and cars are detailed and graphic, which will entertain readers who love the screech of tires and the pounding thuds of cars as they roll over.
The novel does include profanity, as well as detailed violence, which might be upsetting to some sensitive readers. The novel includes many plot twists and at times seems to drift into dead-end subplots. The sheer number of characters is, at times, hard to follow. While the novel often refers to a world in which the work of humans is becoming increasingly obsolete as they are replaced by machines, the dystopian environment sometimes seems forgotten, and there are many missed opportunities for imaginative descriptions of human life, cities, and technology in the near future.
I was interested in the characters of Eddie and Jason, and I honestly rooted for them to find personal and familial peace. I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 because while the action was invigorating, the multiple subplots were sometimes confusing and distracting. I would recommend this book to those who are fans of stories with plenty of hand-to-hand combat, fans of high-stakes, high-energy novels, fans of dystopian near-future books, as well as fans of stories of brothers who are undyingly loyal to one another.
******
Woodland. Family Portrait
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Mick and Emma Woodland are raising their four children in a dystopian suburb in the year 2043 in Woodland. Family Portrait by Art Lionson (2023). Cities have declined. Crime is rampant, and city services such as the clearing of trash and debris on streets and in neighborhoods are confined to only the neighborhoods of the well-to-do. Mick and Emma work tirelessly to raise their family, but their efforts barely make ends meet. Their four children, Jason, Eddie, Mia, and Cody, range in age from early twenties (Jason and Eddie) to late teens (Mia and Cody). Mick and Emma have done everything they could to communicate to their children that family is the only real thing they will ever have, and they must support and cherish one another. Indeed, their family commitment is the only thing that can help them to survive.
Jason and Eddie do their best to help by working in a “chop shop,” scavenging parts from cars and motorcycles. They are often together and share many friends.
Mia is very seriously ill and requires medications that are beyond the reach of the family. She is the soul of sweetness, optimism, consideration, and fierce love for her family. A foil for the decaying, disintegrating environment, she paints and is working on a portrait of the family.
Cody, the youngest and a high school student, has emotionally dropped out of the family and is involved in the sale of drugs. Cody’s life is in a downward spiral, and Jason and Eddie are both furious and frightened. When Cody’s drug-dependent, lawless friends begin to harass the family, Jason and Eddie feel they must intervene. Through a friend, they meet the mysterious Hall Parkinson, who agrees to “take care” of these friends of Cody’s in exchange for an allegedly simple courier service by Jason and Eddie.
Jason and Eddie accept the offer, complete the “simple” courier service, and in ways they could never have anticipated, their world implodes. They face unspeakable violence and terror. The totalitarian government threatens to control even their bodies and minds.
Against this backdrop of their lives imploding, the loyalty and love between Jason and Eddie are stirring, and no less heartening is the love that acts as the glue for the Woodland family as a whole.
Woodland. Family Portrait has non-stop action. Jason is an able fighter, and while Eddie begins the novel as a skinny, academic bookworm, he evolves into a potent combatant. The fight scenes are vivid, and the reader can almost hear the thuds on the floor, the cracking of bones, and the groans of the wounded. Chase scenes on motorcycles and cars are detailed and graphic, which will entertain readers who love the screech of tires and the pounding thuds of cars as they roll over.
The novel does include profanity, as well as detailed violence, which might be upsetting to some sensitive readers. The novel includes many plot twists and at times seems to drift into dead-end subplots. The sheer number of characters is, at times, hard to follow. While the novel often refers to a world in which the work of humans is becoming increasingly obsolete as they are replaced by machines, the dystopian environment sometimes seems forgotten, and there are many missed opportunities for imaginative descriptions of human life, cities, and technology in the near future.
I was interested in the characters of Eddie and Jason, and I honestly rooted for them to find personal and familial peace. I would rate this book a 3 out of 5 because while the action was invigorating, the multiple subplots were sometimes confusing and distracting. I would recommend this book to those who are fans of stories with plenty of hand-to-hand combat, fans of high-stakes, high-energy novels, fans of dystopian near-future books, as well as fans of stories of brothers who are undyingly loyal to one another.
******
Woodland. Family Portrait
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: A Southern Enchantress by Deborah Trahan
