Review by Ivvie Ivanova -- That Guy What Kill Topsy
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Ivvie Ivanova
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Review by Ivvie Ivanova -- That Guy What Kill Topsy
[Following is a volunteer review of "That Guy What Kill Topsy" by Peter Wood Cotterill.]
That Guy What Kill Topsy by Peter Wood Cotterill is a collection of sixteen short stories and the novella "I Love Rhinos." The stories feature characters in various life situations including relationships and financial struggles but remain hopeful about the outcome overall. Most stories are situated in various parts of England and two of the stories- in Zimbabwe, Africa. Accents and descriptions of the local settings help the reader to visualize the places while reading.
The short stories are rather diverse in nature. Some are more amusing, others leave the reader surprised, while some stories are more straightforward. In 218 pages, Cotterill paints various situations and emotions. I found the author quite skillful in setting the scenes and how he presents the most important aspects of every scene. A few times, the stories made me laugh out loud and that was my favorite part of this book. None of the stories were gripping. I felt I could stop reading at any point and would forget the book existed in an hour.
One of my least favorite aspects of the book was that a few times, the stories changed pacing. The story "I Was a Teenage Colonial Lackey" in particular wasn't very interesting to m because it's about a teenager who joins the Southern Rhodesia Government service. Those types of stories aren't something a gravitate towards. It also felt somewhat different from the other stories because it reads like historical non-fiction, while many other stories were more light-hearted. However, I think having that contrast can be a good thing overall.
It's good to note that the novella "I Love Rhinos" has a scene with mention of sexual assault which was an extremely unpleasant surprise. That is the worst part of the book and it makes me unable to recommend it to anyone.
I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. It's well written and I didn't notice any spelling or grammatical errors but the mention of sexual assault groundlessly was very distasteful. I wouldn't give it 1 star because the book was well written. I wouldn't give it 2 stars either, because I don't feel the desire to read it again in the future and it didn't make the list of my favorite books of all time. The book wasn't gripping at any point.
I believe the type of audience that would enjoy this book are people that like quirky short stories and light reading. Conversely, the readers that wouldn't enjoy this book would be those that prefer longer continuous plotlines, worlds that one could get lost in and characters that one could follow throughout dozens of ups and downs.
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That Guy What Kill Topsy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
That Guy What Kill Topsy by Peter Wood Cotterill is a collection of sixteen short stories and the novella "I Love Rhinos." The stories feature characters in various life situations including relationships and financial struggles but remain hopeful about the outcome overall. Most stories are situated in various parts of England and two of the stories- in Zimbabwe, Africa. Accents and descriptions of the local settings help the reader to visualize the places while reading.
The short stories are rather diverse in nature. Some are more amusing, others leave the reader surprised, while some stories are more straightforward. In 218 pages, Cotterill paints various situations and emotions. I found the author quite skillful in setting the scenes and how he presents the most important aspects of every scene. A few times, the stories made me laugh out loud and that was my favorite part of this book. None of the stories were gripping. I felt I could stop reading at any point and would forget the book existed in an hour.
One of my least favorite aspects of the book was that a few times, the stories changed pacing. The story "I Was a Teenage Colonial Lackey" in particular wasn't very interesting to m because it's about a teenager who joins the Southern Rhodesia Government service. Those types of stories aren't something a gravitate towards. It also felt somewhat different from the other stories because it reads like historical non-fiction, while many other stories were more light-hearted. However, I think having that contrast can be a good thing overall.
It's good to note that the novella "I Love Rhinos" has a scene with mention of sexual assault which was an extremely unpleasant surprise. That is the worst part of the book and it makes me unable to recommend it to anyone.
I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. It's well written and I didn't notice any spelling or grammatical errors but the mention of sexual assault groundlessly was very distasteful. I wouldn't give it 1 star because the book was well written. I wouldn't give it 2 stars either, because I don't feel the desire to read it again in the future and it didn't make the list of my favorite books of all time. The book wasn't gripping at any point.
I believe the type of audience that would enjoy this book are people that like quirky short stories and light reading. Conversely, the readers that wouldn't enjoy this book would be those that prefer longer continuous plotlines, worlds that one could get lost in and characters that one could follow throughout dozens of ups and downs.
******
That Guy What Kill Topsy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
