Review by palilogy -- The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid

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palilogy
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Review by palilogy -- The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid

Post by palilogy »

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid" by Gary Robinson.]
Book Cover
3 out of 4 stars
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For months I was curious about the author Gary Robinson and the book called The Sword Swallower and A Chico Kid. I could not get the image on the cover, of a tattooed man in mid act swallowing what looked to be a sword, out of my head. I wanted to delve into the story.

Upon further exploration I learned the book was based on real life but was indeed a fictional story. In that moment my curiosity wavered and it was some time before I did decide to read the pages within.

The preface explains to the reader of the story, “This story was inspired by my friendship with an old, circus sideshow sword swallower named Captain Don Leslie. This is a fictional account of the events that took place in his life, as well as mine. In other words, I made it up”. To be honest, I longed for a nonfiction account and I was disappointed to hear the words “made it up”. With subtle curiosity though, I began to read.

From the beginning I was apprehensive and yet eager to read to learn how the story unfolds. The reader is introduced to Duke a man who gathers in front of an audience to swallow five thirty-inch swords. I was mesmerized by the characters ability and I just had to keep reminding myself throughout the pages, that although he was a fictional character, the real deal did exist.

I felt throughout the book, the story was interesting and believable, but I could not shake a feeling of disappointment. Something was lost along the way in the retelling and in the creation of the author’s fiction. As the chapters progressed we learned more about Duke, his abusive background and information about a drug life style. After the first part of the book we learn about the Chico Kid and follow along as Gary and Duke become friends.

I experienced and thought that the dialogue and the characters were easy to understand and follow along with. I appreciated the realistic aspects and intriguing subject matter of the book. Because I did enjoy the characters, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I did not rate the book higher, because I never did shake the feeling that something was missing from the pages. I wanted to know the true story. I wanted to hear the real words and see the true actions. I kept asking myself the entire time I wonder if this really happened?

I would recommend this book to readers who are in the older age bracket, who remember the circus from their youth. I would recommend this book for people interested to know more about circus people. I would not recommend this book for a very young audience, I am not sure if they would attempt to do the things in the book or find the characters to resemble role models. I do wonder what I myself would think of the story, if I had read it at another age.

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The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid
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joycechitwa
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Post by joycechitwa »

I guess it was a spoiler for the author to indicate at the start that it was all made up, even though it was based on a true story. Personally I am not into gory stuff, so this is not my kind of read since it is full of alcohol, drugs, cigarettes and women. I hope that the author succeeded in relaying the message he was trying to get across. Thanks for the review!
jcoad
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Post by jcoad »

Thank you for your review. I was also intrigued by the cover and I'm glad you took the dive and read the book. Sounds like the book doesn't do real life justice so I will skip this one. I appreciate your insight and honesty in the review.
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