The Long, Long Afternoon did not take a long, long time to read - rather it really was very interesting. I loved the time period that was chosen and the social issues that were touched upon within the story. I found myself practically biting my knuckles towards the end, desperately hoping the black characters wouldn't be killed, as it was even more common and dangerous in that time period and I had also come to genuinely care for one of them (no spoilers as to what does happen, you'll have to read the book to find out!). I'm not black but this book definitely gave me greater insight into the issues of systematic discrimination that was more blatant in those days.
As for the actual story, it was engaging, but unfortunately, it wasn't anything new for me. The time period and the issues touched on were unique, but the actual plot didn't stand out to me a great deal, and I feel like certain characters could have been more developed, and I would have liked to know more about the main character's back story. At one point specifically, I really felt like a certain character was doing things which were very convenient to get the plot going and to keep the mystery rolling, when all she had to do was tell a certain person whatever she knew. She would say 90% and then withhold the 10% - this was explained away at the end of the story as, essentially, because she just felt like withholding it. This is a mark of lazy story telling for me.
Overall, it was a good read, and I would recommend it for anyone who likes a good mystery/thriller.
As for the actual story, it was engaging, but unfortunately, it wasn't anything new for me. The time period and the issues touched on were unique, but the actual plot didn't stand out to me a great deal, and I feel like certain characters could have been more developed, and I would have liked to know more about the main character's back story. At one point specifically, I really felt like a certain character was doing things which were very convenient to get the plot going and to keep the mystery rolling, when all she had to do was tell a certain person whatever she knew. She would say 90% and then withhold the 10% - this was explained away at the end of the story as, essentially, because she just felt like withholding it. This is a mark of lazy story telling for me.
Overall, it was a good read, and I would recommend it for anyone who likes a good mystery/thriller.