Official Review: Smog City by Rebecca Maye McNutt

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bookowlie
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Official Review: Smog City by Rebecca Maye McNutt

Post by bookowlie »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Smog City" by Rebecca Maye McNutt.]
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This is a review of Smog City by Rebecca Maye McNutt. Smog City has the promise of a good novel, but doesn’t deliver on many levels. The book follows the adventures of a teenage girl named Mandy who lives with her parents in the Canadian steel city of Sydney. The majority of the townspeople are employed by the Sydney Steel Corporation in the town. There is a creek that has become a hazardous waste site called the Sydney Tar Ponds, from years of waste from coal tar, a byproduct of the process of making steel. Mandy is very curious about the Tar Ponds and takes a bunch of photos of the site. She prints a little newspaper about the Tar Pits with the photos included. The other principal characters are Mrs. Matthias, Mandy’s nosy neighbor who frequently drops by and asks too many questions about Mandy’s interest in the Tar Pits; Alecto, an eccentric teenager who befriends Mandy and has an unexplained connection to the Tar Pits; and Wendy, Mandy’s gossipy friend.

It’s hard to say what the plot, since the storyline is so thin that it’s difficult for me to give even a short description of the plot without just retelling various events that happened in the story. There is not a cohesive plot, other than that the Tar Ponds is a running theme through the story. The whole book reminded me of a TV series where the characters live in a town and things happen, but not in any manner where there is a storyline that you can understand.

The story was a quick read and the characters were likeable in a light-hearted way. I found myself rooting for Mandy, although the plot was so meandering that I don’t know what I was hoping to happen. Her interactions with Mrs. Matthias were humorous and I found myself thinking that these characters could be in a cute teenage-geared sitcom. However, the author didn't flesh out the characters enough, especially Mandy, so I didn't get enough of a feel for them and their motivations. In particular, Alecto’s role is never fully explained. I kept thinking that his connection to the Tar Pits would be revealed in detail by the end of the book. At some point, he vaguely says that “he is the Tar Pits”, although there isn't any further explanation about this information. This illustrates my main problem with the book. The plot doesn't really go anywhere. The ending is abrupt and feels more like the end of an episode of a weekly TV series, where there will be a continuing story in the following episodes.

At times, the book reads more like an elementary school student’s creative writing story, where the teacher told the student to include several adjectives to describe a character’s reactions, appearance, etc. Early in the book, the story jumps ahead two years in a quick, awkward way. I had to reread the beginning to make sure I knew in what time period I was reading.

Mandy’s relationships with Wendy, Alecto, and Mrs. Matthias are written in a way that you can relate to the characters. Mrs. Matthias’ and Alecto’s motivations are not apparent, although they are both interesting characters. I found myself wanting to read more about all of the characters, even though the plot was scattered. The story was weak, but I did enjoy reading some parts of the story. I rate "Smog City" 2 out of 4 stars.

***
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Post by Skillian »

hmmmm. I don't really know what to think about this book. But thanks for the review!
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Post by bookowlie »

Skillian wrote:hmmmm. I don't really know what to think about this book. But thanks for the review!
Thanks Skillian! The author is a teenager and I thought it was great that you published a book. I hope she keeps writing.

-- 04 Jan 2015, 11:28 --
bookowlie wrote:
Skillian wrote:hmmmm. I don't really know what to think about this book. But thanks for the review!
Thanks Skillian! The author is a teenager and I thought it was great that you published a book. I hope she keeps writing.
Oops!! I meant to type "great that SHE published a book"!! Unless you, Skillian, also published one :)
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Post by Skillian »

Yes! That is a great accomplishment! And they should keep at it! Much more than I've done. haha
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Post by bookowlie »

Skillian wrote:Yes! That is a great accomplishment! And they should keep at it! Much more than I've done. haha
I think the author is definitely "keeping at it". I noticed a review of another book written by her. I was also impressed that the author wanted requested multiple reviews for constructive criticism.
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Post by ALynnPowers »

I kind of know this author. Not personally, but I have read another book of hers, under a pseudonym. She's really young but super sweet. She appreciates everything you tell her. A great example for some of the more "experienced" authors of how to take a review. :)
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Post by bookowlie »

ALynnPowers wrote:I kind of know this author. Not personally, but I have read another book of hers, under a pseudonym. She's really young but super sweet. She appreciates everything you tell her. A great example for some of the more "experienced" authors of how to take a review. :)
What an interesting tidbit! I was impressed that she published this book at such a young age. The book did have some humorous parts and was very readable, despite the flaws.
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Post by ALynnPowers »

She definitely gets points for originality!
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Post by bookowlie »

I agree. Also, there were a few scenes with Mandy and Mrs. Matthias, her nosy neighbor, that were wacky and hilarious.
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Post by Kappy »

Excellent, thorough review. This sounds like a promising young author. Even experienced authors and filmmakers often fail to provide a satisfactory ending to their stories.
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Post by bookowlie »

Thanks! The author often has the same books listed multiple times on the Review Team page, in order to get constructive feedback.
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