What do readers think of The Adversary by Michael Crummey? Write your own review.

I'm guessing that there are readers who found "The Adversary" to be an intriguing and interesting read. I did not. To me none of the characters-protagonists or adversaries-were even remotely likable and the level of violence was sickening. The only reason I finished reading this book was to fulfill my commitment to Bookbrowse.

This book was a miss for me. The first ~20 I was interested in the developing story between the sibling main characters but the remainder of the book fell flat. The storyline kept changing and I never felt invested in the characters by that point. There's a lot going on, I wish the author had followed one thread vs many.

The town of Mockbegger is inhabited by a cast of characters that come and go. Abe Stapp and resentful Widow Caines are rivals for control. Their father, Cornelius Stapp, died a year ago, leaving behind a fortune to his son. Widow Caines's husband Elias also left her wealthy and a rival for the C. Stapp business. Another main character, the Beadle, serves as Abe's advisor, town physician and meter of punishment. Then there are the townspeople, the Quakers, the younger generation, the sailors and privateers, the crows, the bawdy ladies, the dead bodies, one who was pickled in brandy.

Too many unlikable residents, too many nicknames. Confusing Newfoundland 18th century vocabulary. Example: what is "droke a rocky lun?" Even the author could not determine who The Adversary is.