Review by Red Wing Educator -- The McCoys Before The Feud
-
Red Wing Educator
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 24 Apr 2020, 10:28
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 4
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-red-wing-educator.html
- Latest Review: The McCoys Before The Feud by Thomas McCoy
Review by Red Wing Educator -- The McCoys Before The Feud
[Following is a volunteer review of "The McCoys Before The Feud" by Thomas McCoy.]
(I)The McCoys—Before the Feud(/i) book review by Red Wing Educator
This book was historical fiction by Thomas A. McCoy who said he was descended from the famous McCoy family and that family provides most of the characters of the story. The prologue captured my attention right away and I started to read immediately. The setting of Kansas is very familiar to me so I could easily see the land before the story began. The time is shortly after the Civil War ended. I enjoyed the details of the raids that Mr. McCoy provided. The raids and the love story kept me reading. As I read, I did not enjoy the shorten words. Some were not even words, but I wondered if Mr. McCoy did this to help the reader to distinguish between the two groups of characters. Mr. McCoy stated that one character used eastern talk. The shorten words caused me to read slow in order to comprehend. I would have preferred that the author would have written that the character spoke in an eastern brogue, example Boston, but the author would have written English words for both groups of characters.
(i)The McCoys—Before the Feud(/i) story’s most liked element is details. The author describe characters in detail; blue eyes with brown hair. He also listed the military units the characters served when in the Civil War. Another detail was the time of springtime without rain. Mr. McCoy used very descriptive adjectives, for example, very tall grass. He listed the stolen goods so one could make a picture in one’s brain. The details for the telegraph pole said the back was to be used to disable the wires. In detail he put the exact locations of the guards. An example is forty yards in the reading on page 35. The book’s disliked most element was the shorten words, words that were not words, and using words but did not fit the story. Almost all of these words were spoken words by Thomas McCoy at the raids during the raid. An example of a shorten words is cuz. Cuz could mean because or cousin. You’ns is not a word according to Cambridge dictionary. Jus was not used as a sauce which the word means. Cuz was found on page 82 line 22, page 116 line 19, and page 135 line 14. I located you’ns on page 131 line 28. The word jus was found on page 106 line four. Another disliked element was the correct spelling of a word, but later same word misspelled. See page 90 and then page 92 for the example of the word y’all.
I rate this book (b)three out of four stars(/b). I did not give a four rating to this writing because of the shorten words, made up words, and wrong use of words. Also there was a mix of standard and nonstandard words throughout the writing. On page 86, a French word used was (fer). Fer in French is a noun meaning iron. Line 11 says a-look’n fer. I inferred fer in the sentence meant for. On page 90 line 17 and 91 line five, the word y’all was spelled correctly. On page 92 line seven it was spelled ya’ll. The two rating was not selected as the story was a possible happening in the history of Kansas. Secondly, when I was finished with the story, I had enjoyed the story portrayed. I will look at Mr. McCoy’s other books and read, but at my leisure because of the time I needed for comprehension in reading his books. If they have shorten, made-up words, as well as words whose meaning did not match the correct definition is the reason for reading at my leisure.
This book would be enjoyed by people who love to read about history and war. Those in the military I think would like to compare the actions of the characters with the actions they may use now in their circumstances. Farmers also may enjoy reading this story as it describes farming in that time. People from the states of Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas also would like the story according to my point of view. Those who like reading without vulgarity, profanity, or erotic scenes would enjoy reading this story, if they enjoy historical fiction with romance included. People, who do not want to take the time to figure out the meaning of words, would be advised not to read. I had to reread and look up words to get correct comprehension. This book is not for readers who like fantasy as this story could very well have had happened. If the person has time restraints, I could not recommend to read as parts were very unclear. I took time to grasp the meaning of the ongoing story by referring to the dictionary and inferring from surrounding text.
In conclusion, Mr. Thomas McCoy wrote two great stories in one. The reader must have time to look up words in dictionary and also be able to infer the meaning of words. My favorite genre is historical fiction, so I enjoyed the book. Also having lived in Lawrence, Kansas for awhile probably helped my enjoyment where others who are not linked to the midwestern part of the United States may not enjoy the book. The author used a lot of detail to describe scenes, people, and the items of the fortune. This book is a G rating for general audiences. The difficulty was comprehension when some of the characters were talking. Mr. Thomas McCoy was the character who used most often the shorten words, nonstandard words, made up words and words that did not fit the meaning of the reading in the story. Another difficulty for me was I wanted to know what happened to each character when the story ended. Mr. Thomas McCoy says he has sequels which will bring a close to that difficulty. The author has the makings of a television series with this book and his sequels. The television series also could be used educationally for students in elementary school that study the history of our nation. This story also would make a great picture book for younger readers if the language was appropriate at a certain level. The picture book, television series, or if a movie is made, I suggest leaving out shorten words, etc. and just use standard English unless putting into another language.
******
The McCoys Before The Feud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
(I)The McCoys—Before the Feud(/i) book review by Red Wing Educator
This book was historical fiction by Thomas A. McCoy who said he was descended from the famous McCoy family and that family provides most of the characters of the story. The prologue captured my attention right away and I started to read immediately. The setting of Kansas is very familiar to me so I could easily see the land before the story began. The time is shortly after the Civil War ended. I enjoyed the details of the raids that Mr. McCoy provided. The raids and the love story kept me reading. As I read, I did not enjoy the shorten words. Some were not even words, but I wondered if Mr. McCoy did this to help the reader to distinguish between the two groups of characters. Mr. McCoy stated that one character used eastern talk. The shorten words caused me to read slow in order to comprehend. I would have preferred that the author would have written that the character spoke in an eastern brogue, example Boston, but the author would have written English words for both groups of characters.
(i)The McCoys—Before the Feud(/i) story’s most liked element is details. The author describe characters in detail; blue eyes with brown hair. He also listed the military units the characters served when in the Civil War. Another detail was the time of springtime without rain. Mr. McCoy used very descriptive adjectives, for example, very tall grass. He listed the stolen goods so one could make a picture in one’s brain. The details for the telegraph pole said the back was to be used to disable the wires. In detail he put the exact locations of the guards. An example is forty yards in the reading on page 35. The book’s disliked most element was the shorten words, words that were not words, and using words but did not fit the story. Almost all of these words were spoken words by Thomas McCoy at the raids during the raid. An example of a shorten words is cuz. Cuz could mean because or cousin. You’ns is not a word according to Cambridge dictionary. Jus was not used as a sauce which the word means. Cuz was found on page 82 line 22, page 116 line 19, and page 135 line 14. I located you’ns on page 131 line 28. The word jus was found on page 106 line four. Another disliked element was the correct spelling of a word, but later same word misspelled. See page 90 and then page 92 for the example of the word y’all.
I rate this book (b)three out of four stars(/b). I did not give a four rating to this writing because of the shorten words, made up words, and wrong use of words. Also there was a mix of standard and nonstandard words throughout the writing. On page 86, a French word used was (fer). Fer in French is a noun meaning iron. Line 11 says a-look’n fer. I inferred fer in the sentence meant for. On page 90 line 17 and 91 line five, the word y’all was spelled correctly. On page 92 line seven it was spelled ya’ll. The two rating was not selected as the story was a possible happening in the history of Kansas. Secondly, when I was finished with the story, I had enjoyed the story portrayed. I will look at Mr. McCoy’s other books and read, but at my leisure because of the time I needed for comprehension in reading his books. If they have shorten, made-up words, as well as words whose meaning did not match the correct definition is the reason for reading at my leisure.
This book would be enjoyed by people who love to read about history and war. Those in the military I think would like to compare the actions of the characters with the actions they may use now in their circumstances. Farmers also may enjoy reading this story as it describes farming in that time. People from the states of Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas also would like the story according to my point of view. Those who like reading without vulgarity, profanity, or erotic scenes would enjoy reading this story, if they enjoy historical fiction with romance included. People, who do not want to take the time to figure out the meaning of words, would be advised not to read. I had to reread and look up words to get correct comprehension. This book is not for readers who like fantasy as this story could very well have had happened. If the person has time restraints, I could not recommend to read as parts were very unclear. I took time to grasp the meaning of the ongoing story by referring to the dictionary and inferring from surrounding text.
In conclusion, Mr. Thomas McCoy wrote two great stories in one. The reader must have time to look up words in dictionary and also be able to infer the meaning of words. My favorite genre is historical fiction, so I enjoyed the book. Also having lived in Lawrence, Kansas for awhile probably helped my enjoyment where others who are not linked to the midwestern part of the United States may not enjoy the book. The author used a lot of detail to describe scenes, people, and the items of the fortune. This book is a G rating for general audiences. The difficulty was comprehension when some of the characters were talking. Mr. Thomas McCoy was the character who used most often the shorten words, nonstandard words, made up words and words that did not fit the meaning of the reading in the story. Another difficulty for me was I wanted to know what happened to each character when the story ended. Mr. Thomas McCoy says he has sequels which will bring a close to that difficulty. The author has the makings of a television series with this book and his sequels. The television series also could be used educationally for students in elementary school that study the history of our nation. This story also would make a great picture book for younger readers if the language was appropriate at a certain level. The picture book, television series, or if a movie is made, I suggest leaving out shorten words, etc. and just use standard English unless putting into another language.
******
The McCoys Before The Feud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The McCoys Before The Feud by Thomas McCoy
