4.5 Stars

KACE
’Let me tell you a story. I know everybody’s story. Been collecting them for years–a goddamn library of voices filed away in my head. Sometimes there’s not much to tell. But you’ll want to hear this one.
It’s about two women, two women in a world of women, cut off from a world of men until they weren’t.
You won’t believe what women can do.
These women—their mistake was in thinking they
burned with their own unique rage. Something deeper,
darker than what the rest of us feel.
Let me tell you–inside we all rage the same. It’s how
we let it out that differs.’

’This story ends seven hours west of here but a few miles short of the ocean. Like the women in it, it ran but didn’t make it all the way. Ran from this desert but failed to find the water. That’s some raw luck to fall before you catch the ocean breeze. Gotta suspect that shit can wash away some sin. Couldn’t hurt to try.’

This is how the story begins. It is not a sweet or happy story, and if you’re averse to profanity, it probably isn’t for you. It is, however, a beautifully written and heartbreaking story - the kind that only Ivy Pochoda can tell.

This story begins in a women’s prison, but it doesn’t stay there for long. Time-wise, this begins around the beginning of Covid, when some of the more successful residents were being released. It is a story of family and how family affects how we view ourselves, as well as the trauma that can come from abuse within families. It is a story of an epic journey, one that will change the course of the lives involved.


Pub Date: 23 May 2023

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Farrar, Straus and Giroux/ MCD

This one has separate and distinct parts that later intersect. We start at a women’s prison in Arizona and see the harsh realities of that life. Florida and Dios are former cellmates and Dios sees right through Florida’s stories. We are at the height of the pandemic and some prisoners are released early. These two women are lucky (?) enough to be released into a deserted and strange world where everyone is sheltering at home. They are expected to isolate for two weeks at a hotel. Florida tries to keep her distance but Dios follows her relentlessly, even to L.A.

The next part introduces us to a detective, Lobos, in Los Angeles as she works on a murder case involving a prison guard who was murdered on a bus. Lobos has her own ghosts that she is chasing.

The city of Los Angeles is very different from what Florida remembers of her hometown. Eerily empty with few cars on the road. She’s trying to survive and forge a new life while evading Dios.

There’s a big showdown at the end, but I would not characterize this one as a western. Filled with terrific writing, this one was a dark read that reminded me that the prison system is a mess and it is very difficult to overcome a prison sentence and reintegrate into the world.

I loved Ivy Pochoda's first book and this was a great follow up. This is a cat and mouse game between two dangerous women and it was very exciting.

This is a dark and gritty tale of marginalised women, of women excluded from mainstream society, whether due to their own actions and decisions or not, and of the dehumanising effect of incarceration. It’s a vivid and atmospheric portrayal of lives lived on the edge, not helped, in this case, by the pandemic. Florida and Dios are released from prison early and a tense cat-and-mouse pursuit follows as Dios is obsessed by Florida and is determined not to let her out of her clutches. Without any sort of support system in place, Florida cannot escape, and the book becomes darker and more disturbing as the fast-paced and suspenseful plot unfolds. I found the book visceral and compelling and while I was reading it thoroughly enjoyed the experience. On reflection afterwards there were aspects that just didn’t hang together, not least the fact that I could never get to grips with why Dios was so obsessed with Florida or what she was trying to achieve by pursuing her. What I did appreciate was how Ivy Pochoda manages to make her characters real and authentic without ever patronising them whilst equally never exalting them. A powerful and compelling read.

“Darkness lives in women too-despite the world’s refusal to see it”

Florence "Florida" Baum and her ex-cellmate, Diosmary “Dios” Sandoval, are released from an AZ prison early, due to overcrowding during the Covid pandemic. They are to quarantine in the Sleep Away, a motor court style motel, for two weeks, and then they must find a place to live, and check in with a probation officer weekly.

Dios thinks she knows the truth about Florida's crimes, thinks she understands the truth that Florence hides even from herself and she is determined to open Florida's eyes and unleash that truth.

Her fixation on Florida turns into a dangerous obsession, and a deadly cat-and-mouse game that leads them to a stand-off in the harsh streets of Los Angeles, where discarded Covid masks litter the desolate streets, even among the community of the homeless, and their tents.

Each of those people has a story that has led them there: “Lose your wife, lose your savings, lose your home, lose your friends, lose your way, lose your mind” -stories that one cop, Lobos is interested in hearing.

The book is divided into two parts, with part one reading like an exposé of the gritty, violent day to day life in prison and part two offering the same on the night to night reality of life on the L.A. streets following release, where Lobos and her partner, Easton, will search for the escaped parolees.

First off, calling this a WESTERN, is perplexing and that was putting me off of requesting the book.

I picture a period from the 1850s to the end of the 19th century, which embodies the spirit and struggle of the new frontier, when something is called a WESTERN. This story doesn’t qualify just because the women are released from an AZ prison, and end up facing off in L.A..

But, I loved the authors last release, “These Women” (5 stars) so, I took a chance on this one.

My personal enjoyment level of the story was only 3 stars-but some beautiful passages, and thought provoking writing could easily earn the CRIME FICTION book 5 stars-so, I am settling on 4 stars, for my rating.

Expected Publication date: May 23, 2023.

Thank You to MCD Publishing for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

I have to say I'm a fan of Ivy Pochoda. This is the third book of hers that I have read, and I am still impressed by her writing. She tells a story about women in prison and makes it so interesting that you feel like you are there.
Dios and Florida (Florence) are violent women in an Arizona prison. Dios accepts her violence, but she is trying to get Florida to own up to hers. In May of 2020 they are given an early release because of the Pandemic. They are told to stay in an assigned hotel for two weeks to quarantine and the prison will deliver them meals every day. They are not to leave their rooms. Meals don't get delivered so what is one to do?
Florida wants to go home to Los Angeles and leave Dios behind. But it doesn't work out the way she planned. It turns into a cat and mouse game. The cops find it hard to believe that women can be so violent. But they are no different than a violent man.
I am going to have to read Visitation Street, the only book of Pochoda's that I have not read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC of this book.

Some part of this book had me HOOKED! But others just had me confused. I felt like Kace’s POV was the easiest to read but I felt like Florida’s and Dios’s were confusing - a lot of the time I wasn’t sure if it was real, or a dream, or metaphorical or literal.

I thought the storyline was wild so it kept me interested but I couldn’t get past Dios - what was her deal? I feel like I never got to see or understand why she was doing what she was doing. The additional storyline of the cop and her husband I thought was unnecessary and personally I don’t think it added anything extra.

Overall, this is different to anything I’ve ever read before so I enjoyed it in that respect and I would still be keen to read more from this author. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes to read outside of the stereotypical storyline’s and try something different.

This was a sandwich - the beginning and ending had me enthralled, but the middle felt like filler. I get that we needed to have the journey we had to get to the ending, but I don't feel like we got to know the characters any better nor was there as much character development I was expecting. Also, I could have done without the additional storyline of detective Lobos - retracted from the story rather than added.

I haven't read anything by Ivy Pochoda before, but keep hearing about her books, so took the opportunity to read Sing Her Down. She is a very good writer, so appreciated the literacy of the book. It was somewhat confusing at first to bounce back and forth between storytellers, but got into the swing of things before the women got released. Then it was very hard to put down before the ending. Wow, so much depth and fascinating characterization! Loved the book, but was heartbreaking too. Highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Sing Her Down by Ivy Pochoda.

I've only ever read one other book by Pochoda, almost three years ago, and it left a lasting impression. After reading her second, I'm officially a fan. I LOVE her writing. I love how female focused she is, and how she really makes you feel the story without being heavy handed.

To be really reductive, this is a cat and mouse story amongst three women, but of course it is more complicated than that. Dios and Florida are two inmates that have just been released from prison, but Dios has some unfinished business with Florida, and Florida will do anything she can to escape not only the clutches of Dios, but also herself. And she doesn't just have Dios to worry about, Detective Lobos, a woman with her own ghosts, is on the hunt for Florida too. Dios and Florida have been leaving a trail of blood in their wake and Lobos has got to find them.

I'll never be able to adequately describe this story, how visual and visceral the experience of reading it was. All I can say is put me at the front of the line when Pochoda releases her next!

Dark , violent, trauma filled, powerful to those without the power. Pochoda can write the heck out of humanity. "Some people just like to watch the world burn and others want to set it on fire."
Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is a book amount Florida and Dios, two women released from prison during the early pandemic. Lives of violence have sent them there and they have to decide how to live now. An interesting book, but a little difficult for me to get into.

Sing Her Down is a western novel with marginalized women at it's center. An abused woman who is also a police officer (an interesting dichotomy of power over and under experienced by one woman.) Working with her partner they seek to solve a murder.

Two prisoners. Let out of jail, with few skills in gaining access to resources that the state promises but doesn't deliver, their lives begin to spiral. They end up accused of a murder they don't commit.

An indictment of a broken justice system, the judgement of others, circumstances that obscure a person's true self, and a wild ride make this novel a page turner.

A biting, beautiful character study with so much heart. I am newly in love with Ivy Pochoda, and I didn’t even know about her until now. This book is worth the journey, and though the premise (prison, pandemic) is interesting by itself, the character study is what makes it. You will care about the characters, and you should. Thank you for the ARC, this review is written purely based on opinion.

An amazing fascinating story of a time and place that I don’t know nearly enough about. It is a world I could live a lot longer in and I look forward to what comes next from this author.

Ivy Pochoda is the queen of unique genre-bending, captivating thrillers, and I was EXCITED to get this eARC from Netgalley. Read ONE book by Ivy Pochoda, you will immediately know if you are a fan of her work, and if you are, she will draw you always draw you back - I, for example, am a "forever fan" and this novel not only examines the absurdity of our unjust justice system, it also reminds us that we are all just one step from being who we are currently judging. One of the most thought provoking novels of the year!

SING HER DOWN
BY: IVY POCHODA

I LOVED this latest Brilliant and Stunning novel by one of my absolutely favorite Authors, which Ivy Pochoda has delivered another Unforgettable razor sharp portrait of women excluded from societies benefits and the freedom we take for granted. Nobody writes and captures the plight of marginalized women quite like Ivy Pochoda. She is in a class of her own and has crafted another beautiful and haunting portrayal in her latest novel, called, "Sing Her Down." I also loved her novel written before this one called, "These Women," for which I will leave a link to my review at the end of this one. I loved those two above novels as favorites written in the last five years. They are both raw and stark and fill me with both awe and bittersweet melancholy. She gets better and better with each subsequent novel.

This novel is so real it took my breath away. All of the women portrayed were fascinating and the character development was ethereal. The setting is atmospheric, and typical and realistic of the time period captured fantastically. I enjoyed every minute of reading this genre bending slice of life. If you are looking for a unique plot that hasn't been done before this is a must read.

This novel explores white hot rage in its zenith as imbued in a couple of women. In the case of Detective Lobos it is because of her abusive husband whom she has moved out, and has a restraining order that he violates. I greatly admired how she kept it in check and under control. She is investigating two murders with her empathetic male partner. They work for the LAPD in the Homicide division. Detective Lobos understands female oppression from her years of experience with working in the Vice division.

Florence "Florida," Baum has just been released from the Department of Corrections in Arizona. She is delivered to a typical run down motel with instructions of calling her Parole Officer once per week. She has just spent three years in prison and is not equipped with much in the way of resources. She is supposed to have her meals delivered and when the State fails to do that she starts exploring her surroundings. She has been given a debit card with four to five hundred dollars, for which can be used up quickly. As Florida explores the limited food venues, temptation sets in and she is on an illegal bus headed home to Los Angeles to get her Jaguar vehicle. Florence feels freedom driving her car on the highways.

Dios egged Florida in prison on, and soon shows up on that same bus. Dios is trouble for Florence and before long they are implicated in the murder of a Corrections Officer perpetrated by Dios. Dios was poor and grew up in Queens, New York as a well educated scholarship student who attended college. In prison she doesn't act smart, and acts tough and she resents Florida, thinking that Florida denies her participation and responsibility in her crime, which got pleaded down to an accomplice of murder, after the fact. She resents Florida and makes it her mission to make Florida a part of Dios's escalating aggression, and crimes after they are released. She seemed like a sociopath who got punished for acting in self defense before with a rich young man. She makes Florence her prey and Dios is the predator.

This novel soars above most novels I have read this year. It is an interesting case study of how it feels to be in a no win situation. These women were released during the raging pandemic and although that is evident in the landscape of the setting, the pandemic is firmly in the background. These women I feel strongly were failed by society and set up to fail. As soon as Florida and Dios left Arizona on that bus they were their own worse enemies by committing a parole violation that would land them back in prison. Florida is a sympathetic character as well as Detective Lobos. Dios was the perfectly portrayed antagonist. I really very highly recommend this and I will be buying myself a hardback physical copy for myself and for friends and family who love reading the best contemporary fiction that portrays reality. This terrific novel affected me on a deep level and will stay with me forever. Ivy Pochoda is one of the finest writers out there. I didn't feel as though I was reading fiction, but real life case studies of real people and our society. That is the highest praise that I can bestow on a novel.

Here is my link to my review of the phenomenal novel called, "These Women." https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Available Now!

Publication Date: May 23, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, the talented Ivy Pochoda and Farrar, Straus and Giroux MCD for generously providing me with this wonderful ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#SingHerDown #IvyPochoda #FarrarStrausandGirouxMCD #NetGalley

Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux, MCD and to NetGalley for the review copy.

As always, I enjoy Pochoda's writing, but came away wondering what her message is. Is it about women finding and realizing their "true" selves? Does it glorify violence? Is she telling us that we all have another self, for better or worse and that we should strive to find the better one, or combine them to become one?

It was a good read, exciting thriller with strong female characters, but I am left wondering what the author's intentions are.

I first encountered Ivy Pochoda through her Dennis Lehane-backed novel, VISITATION STREET. Fell in love with the dark mysticism of her writing immediately, and, two novels later, with THESE WOMEN, had no choice but to push her to the top of my favorite crime writers list. SING HER DOWN only burnishes Pochoda's reputation. This novel gleams. On the surface, its the story of some hard, violent women, told in a Greek chorus of enchanting voices. Beneath the surface, it's an examination of trauma, and how trauma begets violence, and even worse, desperation. The characters are beautifully rendered. The writing sings. Plot doesn't really matter, but this one is a corker. Two women, Dios and Florida, just released from prison and on a collision course neither can avoid. This will be on many best of the year lists. Pochoda is a rock star.

Fast paced and engaging , this tale of two female prisoners in Arizona is a winner. I love Ivy Pochoda’s ability to write with foul mouthed street language in one minute and switch to flowing beautiful prose in the next, showing her incredible talent of bringing a story to life. This is a roller coaster ride with ups and downs that left my head reeling and my mind wanting to read more and more.
Florence Baum aka Florida has been imprisoned in an Arizona facility for women. Diosmary Sandoval is her first cell mate The two women become “frenemies” who distrust each other and yet seem to gravitate toward one another. Florida professes her essential innocence and lack of responsibility for a crime that was committed with a male who she claims was the responsible party. When she is released early she travels by bus, against rules, to the streets of Los Angeles.
En route to L.A., Florida is not alone and an unpredictable act of savagery changes the course of her her future.Florida cannot elude, Dios, who has an unhealthy obsession with all things Florence Baum.
I read on and on into the wee hours with this wild ride of a page turner.
My thanks to #Netgalley and publisher # Farrar, Straus, and Giroux for an advance copy of this excellent book in return for an honest review.