Review of The Early Years of 'Squirt' Malone
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Amanda Mitchell Renz
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- Latest Review: The Early Years of 'Squirt' Malone by Richard W. Kelly
Review of The Early Years of 'Squirt' Malone
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Early Years of 'Squirt' Malone" by Richard W. Kelly.]
The Early Years of “Squirt” Malone by Richard W. Kelly is a fictionalized tale based on the story of The Gold Dust Trio, the first professional wrestling promoters in the early 1900s. From an early age, John Malone, known as Squirt, is fascinated with wrestling, or what he refers to as grappling. At age 12, Squirt steals a family horse and runs off with a circus that was in the area. While attending the show, he met the circus’s strongman Joe, and from that moment on, their destinies were intertwined. Squirt and Joe travel the circus route, meeting a variety of characters along the way. Most notable are Giant, Lady, Timmy, and Cody. Squirt finds a family in this group and even marries Cody, a female wrestler who is ten years his senior. The story is told from an elder Squirt’s perspective and memory. The crew crisscrosses the United States in the early 1900s and is the impetus for the development of slam-bang professional wrestling. Though Squirt's early ideals were that grappling was authentically done, he overcomes his shattered dreams to find a talent in promoting the story of wrestling.
Kelly does a good job of taking the reader to the once rural but quickly developing world that was the United States in the early 1900s. The author’s descriptions of primitive automobiles and telephones are detailed, and it is easy to feel the frustrations of trying to find contact with people who were somewhere across the country. Kelly also applies sensitivity and understanding when discussing early drug addiction and treatments.
This book is not professionally edited, and that hindered my enjoyment of a story I knew nothing about. Many paragraphs are one sentence long. Each sentence has two spaces after a period. Words are missed, and the entire description of Giant’s medical condition appeared to be copied and pasted.
I give The Early Years of “Squirt” Malone 3 out of 5 stars. The storyline was an interesting concept, but I didn’t form a connection to any characters. The book is broken up into chapters based on sequential events, but their development lacked depth. Additionally, the lack of editing made the book more challenging to enjoy.
There is a small mention of sexual acts in the book, but nothing in detail. With some editing and truncating, the story would make an excellent early historical fiction book about pro wrestling. Without editing, the book remains suitable for most audiences over 13 years of age, as it mentions topics related to hormones and sex.
******
The Early Years of 'Squirt' Malone
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
The Early Years of “Squirt” Malone by Richard W. Kelly is a fictionalized tale based on the story of The Gold Dust Trio, the first professional wrestling promoters in the early 1900s. From an early age, John Malone, known as Squirt, is fascinated with wrestling, or what he refers to as grappling. At age 12, Squirt steals a family horse and runs off with a circus that was in the area. While attending the show, he met the circus’s strongman Joe, and from that moment on, their destinies were intertwined. Squirt and Joe travel the circus route, meeting a variety of characters along the way. Most notable are Giant, Lady, Timmy, and Cody. Squirt finds a family in this group and even marries Cody, a female wrestler who is ten years his senior. The story is told from an elder Squirt’s perspective and memory. The crew crisscrosses the United States in the early 1900s and is the impetus for the development of slam-bang professional wrestling. Though Squirt's early ideals were that grappling was authentically done, he overcomes his shattered dreams to find a talent in promoting the story of wrestling.
Kelly does a good job of taking the reader to the once rural but quickly developing world that was the United States in the early 1900s. The author’s descriptions of primitive automobiles and telephones are detailed, and it is easy to feel the frustrations of trying to find contact with people who were somewhere across the country. Kelly also applies sensitivity and understanding when discussing early drug addiction and treatments.
This book is not professionally edited, and that hindered my enjoyment of a story I knew nothing about. Many paragraphs are one sentence long. Each sentence has two spaces after a period. Words are missed, and the entire description of Giant’s medical condition appeared to be copied and pasted.
I give The Early Years of “Squirt” Malone 3 out of 5 stars. The storyline was an interesting concept, but I didn’t form a connection to any characters. The book is broken up into chapters based on sequential events, but their development lacked depth. Additionally, the lack of editing made the book more challenging to enjoy.
There is a small mention of sexual acts in the book, but nothing in detail. With some editing and truncating, the story would make an excellent early historical fiction book about pro wrestling. Without editing, the book remains suitable for most audiences over 13 years of age, as it mentions topics related to hormones and sex.
******
The Early Years of 'Squirt' Malone
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on Smashwords
Latest Review: The Early Years of 'Squirt' Malone by Richard W. Kelly
