Gambler's Rose

There seem to be two dangers in reading (or writing) books about life and cards. The interplay between the card game and the characters needs to transcend the plot line of either. G.W. Hawkes succedes in enhancing what we know about the characters through the cards on the table, making this a fun book to read. On the other hand, if the technicalities of the game overshadow the novel, it's hard to read. I never understood how German lost in Pushkin's "Queen of Spades." I was nearly lost several times in the Gambler's Rose. While the novel was too technical for me at points, the characters are strong and their interactions are interesting. This book is a good read.

As with any novel, I figure that if it holds my interest, if I am curious to see what happens next, if I am enjoying the journey, as opposed to waiting for it to end, it deserves at least 4 stars. This book met those criteria for me. However, I did have a few nits with it that would prevent me from considering it a classic. First, I found Music's character to be somewhat annoying and pedantic, particularly in his dealings with Vince Arthur and, to a lesser extent, with his sons. It seemed as if every quote from him was some sort of soliloquy analogizing the game of poker to the game of life. The first few times he did it, it was interesting (and I have no doubt that such analogies exist), but by the 50th time, it got a little monotonous. Second, I felt that most of the dialogue was a bit too pat, too perfect, too many bon mots. It didn't seem to be the way people really converse in gave-and-take conversation.Finally, I felt that the romances between Charles and Lia and Reggie and Bobby were a bit too instantaneous. There was no build up at all. Both women met both men and seemed to immediately fall for them. Having said all of that, I still consider it a 4-star book.

Sooner or later, the cruel mathematics of risk will crush even the luckiest gambler. That's why the Hallorans don't believe in luck and certainly won't risk any more than they've already stolen.Set in Hawaii in 1971, "Gambler's Rose" is an anything-but-tender story about a family of card sharps. Trained almost from birth to beat every mark, Charlie and Reggie Halloran can read almost anyone at a glance -- except their father, Music Halloran, a one-eyed professional cheat who has called them together for a game that could ensure they'd never have to cheat at cards again. Of course, one of Music's grandest lessons for his double-dealing sons was: No game they'll ever play is an honest game. And the endgame he's contemplating will be anything but fair.In 13 chapters of "Gambler's Rose"-- perhaps a salute to Music Halloran's belief that nothing is accidental -- Hawkes deals a full-house of high-stakes poker and higher-stakes love, and how a player determines the risks worth taking. The card games themselves are occasionally difficult to visualize, but one needn't be a poker player to grasp the essence of Hawkes's message: Maybe the only games worth winning -- including life -- can't be manipulated.Poker clearly isn't a new literary metaphor for life, but few have done it with Hawkes's technical precision.

When it came to playing cards, generations of the Halloran family have known how to deal, when to fold, and how not to get backed into corners. They cunningly and subtly cheat by communicate with signs and quiet symbols, -- and what they say is not what they mean. Like his father and brother, Charlie has spent his young life manipulating everyone he meets into handing over just what he needs of them. But he's still playing in the kinds of games that leave scars. And now he has just pushed one mark too many a little further than he should. When he meets Lia O'Donel, a beautiful mathematician whose specialty is chaos, he knows the time has come for him to shed the games and the sweet high they give him. So his father and his brother offer him a chance to do just that, in one final beautifully dangerous gamble on a luxurious sailboat off the coast of Hawaii. Gambler's Rose is an phenomenally gripping, entertaining, and tension laden novel of the first order.

This is the first work I'veread by this writer and I wasquite impressed. The subjectgets you hooked right away and the characters are the heartof noir. If you like a fun read with a cast of charactersthat keep you guessing, then Idefinately recommend this book.