Pleasantville: A Novel

Pleasantville is a predominantly black neighborhood on the northeast side of Houston, Texas. This neighborhood is notorious for its high voter turnout in most elections. The novel, PLEASANTVILLE, by Attica Locke, is set in Pleasantville, the neighborhood, in 1996 and begins with the disappearance of a young woman who had canvassed the area just before an election.

Jay Porter, a lawyer whose wife died the previous year, has been asked by the neighborhood’s de facto mayor to aid his grandson in his defense as the young man is accused of the girl’s murder. Porter almost loses his own daughter in the process of solving the mystery of who is really the heinous killer.

PLEASANTVILLE is an engaging, don’t-want-to-put-it-down book and the second book I have read by Locke. I was amazed at the intricacies of the plot and how Locke wove so many sub-plots and subjects together so wonderfully. Some of the themes she presents are Erin Brockovich-type lawsuits of the neighborhood version Big Oil and Big Chemical, race issues in a major metropolitan area in the south, political machines and the underhanded ways they win, family drama, gumshoe work, and mainly the loyalty and trust between friends and neighbors.

As much as I enjoyed Locke’s previous book, THE CUTTING SEASON, I thought PLEASANTVILLE was even better. Porter, the protagonist of this book and of Locke’s first book that I have not read entitled BLACK WATER RISING, is such an angst-filled 40-something with all the normal foibles and insecurities, yet totally relatable and still an ethical guy. Even though he is not a criminal attorney, he takes on the defense of the young man because he knows it is the right thing to do.

There’s a decent courtroom drama in this book, but it sure takes a while to get to it. Pleasantville is a primarily black neighborhood in Houston. Jay, the lead character, is a successful civil trial lawyer, single parent, and now verging on burnout. A teenage girl goes missing in Pleasantville the day of a mayoral primary race. We soon learn that she was passing out flyers designed to frighten voters away from one candidate and that there were two other girls who went missing in the same general area recently and ended up dead. Eventually, this third girl turns up dead, too.

That’s a good start, but for the next two hundred pages or so we are subjected to a long narrative about the Hathorne family (one mayoral candidate, Axel Hathorne, is the current police chief), background on a huge cast of characters, and voluminous descriptions of what every female character is wearing every time she makes an appearance, how every man holds his cigarette, the political history of the city and community, and the architectural style of every house and the smells coming from every kitchen. I began to wonder if the author was getting paid by the word. There’s no doubt in my mind she was padding a novelette into a full-length novel.

The community of Pleasantville is portrayed in a favorable and believable light. It’s not simply a black ghetto, nor an idealized Father Knows Best middle America with colorless blacks as some clueless whites might envision. The characters, though nearly all black, are diverse – upper, middle, and lower class, ambitious or plodding, devout Christians or not, and so forth. This story is one of those exemplars of political correctness that you feel guilty putting down without finishing it, but I was desperately close to doing so out of boredom when all of sudden, almost exactly two-thirds of the way through, it turned into a cracking good courtroom drama. Neal Hathorne, Axel’s son and campaign manager) is arrested and charged with the most recent murder. The courtroom scenes, especially the witness examination, objections, and judicial rulings were very realistic, much better than the average crime novel. As a lawyer and retired FBI agent, that’s important to me. There’s also some good action in the last third. I won’t say more about the plot so as to avoid spoilers, but rest assured our hero Jay comes through in the end. I would have liked to have rated it higher, but the long slog at the beginning prevents me from doing so.

I should probably start by saying I'll read anything Attica Locke writes. Both her previous books, Black Water Rising and The Cutting Season, were excellent books (Cutting Season is my favorite) and I was thrilled to hear Jay Porter would be back again in this sequel to Black Water Rising.

I was hoping Jay Porter had gotten a break in life from his previous book but that probably wouldn't have made for an interesting legal drama. For me honestly the only thing missing from this book was a character I'd loved in the first book. I understand the plot turn but still missed him/her. Obviously if there's a third book I'm reading it as fast as I can get my hands on it.

Why I love Locke's books and her writing so much? She manages to create great legal mysteries with fantastic characters where nothing is stereotypical or feels chosen from a "plot wheel."

Posted first to blog Critics as Book Review: 'Pleasantville,' A Novel of suspense by Attica Locke.

Attica Locke takes us into a shadowy world full of money, lies and secrets in her newest novel, Pleasantville. For Jay Porter, after a case that defines his career in the past, he finds himself both broke and tired. Because of all the appeals in his case, he has not seen a dime. That also holds true for his clients who are beginning to get restless. Fifteen years is a long time to believe in a promise. His newest case representing Pleasantville, is taking time as well, and he is ready to be done. He wants to spend time with his children.

When a female campaign volunteer disappears on the night of the Mayoral election, he finds himself with another client. This client is the nephew and campaign manager for one of the candidates. As all the signs point to his guilt, can Jay dig deep within his own wilting strength to find the answers and help guide the police who are quick to judgment on the case, in the right direction?

As he moves to make his mark, slowly and inexorably someone is working behind the scenes to take over his most promising case and many of his clients who have become close to him over the years as they continue to fight corporate greed. This is the one case that can help him reach his goals, but with his embroilment in his new work he has missed the signs of unrest.

Can he deliver on his promises and get his clients what they deserve before his reputation is gone for good, and can he save a young man from a crime he did not commit? Everything is beginning to point to the possibility of the cases being related. Can he find the answers before it is too late?

Locke has created a group of characters that are irascible and likable. Along with them she has also given us those who have an unsavory edge, always looking for the bottom line uncaring of human cost. She creates pressure and tenseness by introducing just how easy it is to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But there is also that question of ‘what if.’ You are lead to believe in a certain way, but without having all the facts, the answer may be the wrong one.

Jay Porter is a hero with a very human face. His life was once about money but time has changed him, he is there to fight for his clients many of who now number his friends. He is flawed as most are but his depth of personality draws you in. Locke creates an unlikely underdog, one that you grow quite fond of as you follow his exploits.

If you enjoy legal mysteries and suspense then this is the work for you. Full of red herrings and questions you find yourself wondering if you have missed the most obvious of clues. Locke takes us into the background of money and shows us the shadowy underbelly.

This would be a great work for a reading group or book club.

Lawyer Jay Porter is back after his introduction in Locke’s first book, Black Water Rising, where he tackled a murder case that found him embroiled in environmental politics and changed his life. Pleasantville picks up a few years later and Jay has become somewhat of a go-to lawyer for citizens in their fight against the dumping of chemicals in their neighborhoods.

Pleasantville, a predominately African-American neighborhood in Houston, Texas (in real life and in the book), is currently being represented in a lawsuit against a company that caused a chemical fire near their homes. On the eve of a mayoral election, a campaign volunteer goes missing Jay finds himself reluctantly involved in finding out what happened to her.

Attica Locke writes super-layered novels, so it’s almost impossible to cover everything in this review. Grief, greed, politics, environmental racism…it’s all here. What I love best about Pleasantville, and her other books, is that I never have a clue about who’s behind the mystery until she reveals it to me. The last pages of the book move at a lightning speed that will have your heart racing and tuning out everything else around you.

There are only a few books especially those revolving politics that I find engrossing. As expected, Ms. Locke did not disappoint. Once again, I find myself intrigue by her character, her sense of time and place. I caught the bug with her first book Black Water Rising and I hadn’t been disappointed yet with Pleasantville. Initially surprised by her returned to the character of Black Water Rising, she pulled into the story of Jay Porter, his family and the tangled community in which he resided. I don’t want to sound greedy, but I would love to find him again in another book. As with the characters around him, he is well drawn, complex, and smart. Well done.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

The sequel to Black Water RIsing that centers around a man who has now be widowed and must raise his two children while still keeping up his fight for equality for him and his neighbors. This book takes place 15 years after the first one and Jay is still embroiled into the case from the first book, but also has new adventures in store for this one.

I liked this book better than the first. I felt like the flow for this book was overall better. I also loved how all of the little stories were creatively connected. I felt as though there was the larger political story and then the missing girl and they were both so perfectly aligned - they fit well together.

It was a long wait between episodes, but the wait was well worth it. Jay Porter, the likeable conscious lawyer is back and representing the Black community of Pleasantville, a section of Houston, TX. I am impressed with how well Attica Locke nails down the landscape of Houston, helps move the story when one is familiar with the surroundings and environment. Her prose is fast and easy with Jay being a great character to build a story around. Her pacing in this book was right on, with no superfluous activity and all action fitting in the mystery like a solid puzzle. For readers who like mystery, I would enthusiastically suggest this one.

Pleasantville is a small town in Texas. It was a planned community housing retired army men, doctors, lawyers, etc who settled there in the years succeeding World War II. It was specifically built in the 1940’s to house black families of means and class. In the beginning of this story in 1996, eighteen year old Alicia Nowell goes missing. It’s feared she was abducted in the same manner as two other girls, both of whom were found dead about a week after their abduction. Now time is running out for Alicia.

Jay Porter is an attorney in Pleasantville. Since his wife’s death a year earlier, he has been a single parent for their fifteen year old daughter, Ellie, and ten year old son, Ben. He had stopped taking new cases, and is managing two older cases — one to be appealed yet again and another one to hopefully offer an acceptable settlement. Quite unexpectedly, Jay finds himself taking another case in which Neal Hathorne has been accused of murder – Alicia’s body has been found. Neal is the grandson of Sam Hathorne, mayoral candidate and patriarch of one of Pleasantville’s founding families.

This novel is complex offering many characters to comfortably follow and too many sub-plots within the story line. I felt like it was a bit of everything: A case several years old caught up in appeals; a newer case waiting to be settled; two dead girls, a more recent murder; an election campaign; and his daughter’s trouble in school. All of these factors slow the pace of the book; it does however, pick up in the latter half with the murder trial. I liked the character of Jay Porter. He had a great personality and was well-known and well-loved within the community. But, he had a few secrets of his own. In the author’s notes, it is stated that even though Pleasantville is a real place, portions of history and geography were fictionalized for the sake of the story. Her social commentary weaved within the pages of this novel are well-expressed. Pleasantville is a sequel to Black Water Rising, but can be read as a standalone. Rating: 3 out of 5.

I found "Pleasantville" not pleasant. The book is divided into parts and I found part one wordy and difficult to keep my attention and slow to hold my attention. Part two the pace increased and it got more interesting. Part three was the best part, got exciting. It took some determination to stick with it and get to "good" parts. not sure that I'd read another by this author.

This could have been an interesting plot but the pace was far too slow. I kept wanting something to happen, get resolved, or move with the characters (who are likable). The book is good for developing fortitude as the author fails to quite build anticipation, excitement, and interest. I would suggest finding another book.

Attica Locke's "Pleasantville" is like a decadent dessert..to be eaten slowly. Interesting and complex characters; political intrigue and family turmoil and secrets. Ms. Locke even weaves in the challenges of gentrification in a way that leaves you with compassion for all involved. You'll find yourself a "resident" of "Pleasantville" before you finish Chapter One.

An entertaining beach read, but nothing more than that. Cardboard characters, desultory pace and predictable plot. The oddest thing is that the author sets the novel in a specific town and era, then labours mightily to connect the story to that time and place -- and fails miserably. There is no sense of how people speak or feel or eat or live in any respect. Can Houston really be that bland?

I see from the cover blurb that the author is a script-writer for TV series. Maybe that's all this book is meant to be and it needs lights, cameras and action to pump some life into it.

This was a great read! I loved getting immersed into the power, secrets, and politics of Pleasantville! Reconnecting with Jay Porter is like taking a thirst quenching sip of a very tall glass of ice tea on a blazing hot day! His honesty, nobility, compassion, and activism are mesmerizing. Thank you Attica!

I'm actually from this neighborhood and this book informed me of things I didn't even know about Pleasantville. My grandmother and grandfather bought a house there whn the community was up and coming in the 1940s. I was a resident there from 1982-2004. Awesome book. Thank you Attica Locke for the eye opener.

Jay Porter, the lead character in Attica Locke's latest novel, Pleasantville, is the lawyer who I wish I could be--dedicated to the community, out at all hours of the night searching for evidence, and dodging bullets--a people's lawyer. Locke is a Hollywood screenwriter, which I believe accounts for her smooth, fast moving style. Pleasantville is a good legal drama. It offers a critique on the corrupting influence of big business on politics. Locke poses a new theory how Bush 43 won the 2000 President election. Five stars.