3 out of 4 stars
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The novel Sword Swallower by Gary Robinson is a thriller fiction. The author narrates the life of a young man Duke. Duke is a man in his teens. He is a disturbing kid both at home and at school. He started smoking cigarettes at the age of thirteen. He rarely stayed at home as it was filled with contractions and anger. Home was the opposite of the life that he expected. He thus decides to run away from home. He is always moving from one town to the next entertaining people with his talent- swallowing sword. He has mastered the art and people are thrilled with his skills. He makes good money from it. However, despite the good fortune he makes on the streets, Duke misses home. He is nostalgic of his past.
I loved the American appreciation and love for talents and acrobatics. Duke and the circus acrobats are making fortune from the streets. They traverse through various streets- San Francisco, Florida, Los Angeles and Las Vegas portraying their acrobatics. The people are clearly enthralled by their skills. This can be seen through large numbers of people gathering to watch them perform. Actually, these guys par with their pennies to view their skills. That was a good gesture. It an incentive for the young generations.
However, I had a little problem with the flow of the novel at times. There are scenes that I could not understand. I actually had to read it over and again and still could not grasp the flow clearly. For instance, I had issues with the place where Duke, Christie and their friends are having evening drinks together. There were many characters engaged in the dialogue and that made it difficult to follow the conversation. I think they were about five persons. The dialogue is long. It takes around three pages hence comprehending such wide coverage was difficult. Though important issues were raised, I believed most escaped my grasp.
The book is well edited and proofread and has few typo errors. I give it a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I believe it was a fair book. I deducted the two stars due to the simple errors witnessed therein plus there was a little bit of disconnect between some sections of the book. All the same, I think the book had a good content.
I would recommend this book to persons who love anything to do with acrobats and acrobatics. The novel is just full lf such showcase. Duke and the Circus are fantastic acrobats. additionally, persons who love thriller fictions should also read the book. However, if you are one that get frustrated by thriller fictions, then you might skip this book.
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The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid
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