Review of The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid
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Mohlaba Y
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Review of The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid" by Gary Robinson.]
The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson begins in the future, where the protagonist, Gary, is seen playing with his grandson, Calvin. The doorbell ringing interrupted their fun time. At the door was a delivery man holding a large box. The box was accompanied by a note from someone named Starlight. There was a large oil painting of Duke Reynolds inside the box. Duke was Gary's old friend, and he was deceased at that time. Gary and Duke had an interesting friendship.
Duke Reynolds then takes over the storyline. He is depicted as a man who lives his life on the edge. Drugs and alcohol cloud his days, and he spends most of his time hustling in the streets and bars for money. He has the talent of swallowing swords, and he mainly uses that trick to make enough money to survive whilst supporting his alcohol and drug habits.
During the circus season, Duke travels to Florida to showcase his talents there. The idea of a foul-mouthed older man swallowing swords and blowing out literal fire to entertain random crowds interested me in many ways. I'm a fan of imaginative characters like that. Duke Reynolds is a fun character to explore. One moment, I liked him for his carefree attitude. The next moment, I hated him for not caring enough about his life. That's what I call a complicated character.
The novel is divided into three parts. The second part focuses on Gary. He is young but lost. Like Duke Reynolds, he is heading in the direction of self-sabotage and substance abuse. College was a blur for him. The partying, drugs, and alcohol he participated in fogged his academic outlook. I found his character to be a little more kind, reserved, and naive. He needed someone to lead him to a better place, and I wondered how he and Duke would get along once their lives collided.
I would like to call this a heartwarming story because that might be an accurate description. The only issue with that description is that Duke Reynolds is a little too edgy, and the story had some uncomfortable moments that may be disturbing to some readers.
The humour is the story's biggest downfall. It didn't tickle me at all. There were so many attempts at humour that I became uncomfortable at how flat most of it was. The book was edited exceptionally well. I have to rate it 4 out of 5 stars because the humour wasn't for me.
I recommend the novel to individuals who like character-driven novels. Duke Reynolds' character does the heavy lifting, and he is a well-developed character whose flaws make him the most interesting out of all.
******
The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson begins in the future, where the protagonist, Gary, is seen playing with his grandson, Calvin. The doorbell ringing interrupted their fun time. At the door was a delivery man holding a large box. The box was accompanied by a note from someone named Starlight. There was a large oil painting of Duke Reynolds inside the box. Duke was Gary's old friend, and he was deceased at that time. Gary and Duke had an interesting friendship.
Duke Reynolds then takes over the storyline. He is depicted as a man who lives his life on the edge. Drugs and alcohol cloud his days, and he spends most of his time hustling in the streets and bars for money. He has the talent of swallowing swords, and he mainly uses that trick to make enough money to survive whilst supporting his alcohol and drug habits.
During the circus season, Duke travels to Florida to showcase his talents there. The idea of a foul-mouthed older man swallowing swords and blowing out literal fire to entertain random crowds interested me in many ways. I'm a fan of imaginative characters like that. Duke Reynolds is a fun character to explore. One moment, I liked him for his carefree attitude. The next moment, I hated him for not caring enough about his life. That's what I call a complicated character.
The novel is divided into three parts. The second part focuses on Gary. He is young but lost. Like Duke Reynolds, he is heading in the direction of self-sabotage and substance abuse. College was a blur for him. The partying, drugs, and alcohol he participated in fogged his academic outlook. I found his character to be a little more kind, reserved, and naive. He needed someone to lead him to a better place, and I wondered how he and Duke would get along once their lives collided.
I would like to call this a heartwarming story because that might be an accurate description. The only issue with that description is that Duke Reynolds is a little too edgy, and the story had some uncomfortable moments that may be disturbing to some readers.
The humour is the story's biggest downfall. It didn't tickle me at all. There were so many attempts at humour that I became uncomfortable at how flat most of it was. The book was edited exceptionally well. I have to rate it 4 out of 5 stars because the humour wasn't for me.
I recommend the novel to individuals who like character-driven novels. Duke Reynolds' character does the heavy lifting, and he is a well-developed character whose flaws make him the most interesting out of all.
******
The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
