Official Review: Red - Bastard Child by David Valley
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Re: Official Review: Red - Bastard Child by David Valley
- Georgia Lyonhyde
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Dael Reader wrote: ↑13 Sep 2018, 15:39Georgia Lyonhyde wrote: ↑11 Sep 2018, 11:44 Thanks for the great review. It reads like you have put a lot of thought into how best to sell the book without putting people off by some of the major flaws it has.
In all honesty, I'm not a fan of the Great Depression era. Steinbeck was the nail in the coffin. I think personally, I am not interested enough to read this book myself, but it's the kind of book I would happily listen to a friend harp on about if they were reading it over time. You have sold Red and I am invested in him, but the lack of depth with the other characters would frustrate me.Lol, it was Grapes of Wrath I was thinking of when I typed my comment. It's a shame because I think if you set a bvook in a certain era, you should expand on that. As much as I don't like the Great Depression and all the red dust, it's an important element, you need to elaborate on the eneral displacement migrationcaused, the poverty, etc. It was a character building and breaking time. In some ways, it sounds like the book could have been set in whatever time and it wouldn't have mattered. Perhaps the author would have done better not to mention it at all.Dael Reader wrote:Thanks for your comment. This was a hard one to rate because I thought Red was such a likable kind of guy, but it was very frustrating to be left in the dark about the deep thoughts for all the characters. And one of the problems I had with the book was that it didn't make any particular comments or allusions to the socioeconomic or political climate of the Depression, other then letting us know that's when the book takes place. I think it would have been better to have something added along those lines. "Steinbeck was the nail in the coffin." I chuckled on that one. I actually like East of Eden, but Grapes of Wrath?? I never figured out why that one seems to be the bigger classic.
–Paul Sweeney
- Dael Reader
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Helen_Combe wrote: ↑14 Sep 2018, 14:30 Shame, it looks like a book with great potential but instead is superficial. I like books with underlying messages. Great review.
Dael Reader wrote:I suspect every reader over the age of 10 would expect some underlying messages. Thanks for stopping by to comment.
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Cotwani wrote: ↑15 Sep 2018, 18:10 I like it when an author creates a likeable main character. I'm already rooting for Red, because despite the abuse of his childhood, he somehow finds the confidence and determination to press forward in search of a better, happier life. It is a pity about the lack of character depth and mechanical errors. Thanks for the great review!
Dael Reader wrote:And thank you for stopping by to comment.
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Dael Reader wrote:The abuse that Red suffers from his family is not graphically described for the most part. We the readers are just told that he is abused without too many exact details. But yes, this book did fail to measure up to my hopes. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
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Ah, I see. Now your comparison makes sense.Dael Reader wrote: ↑12 Sep 2018, 16:49 And in the early chapters, Red's friend Lou alludes to the stories of Finn and Sawyer, which added to my expectation that this would be a similar adventure story.
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Dael Reader wrote:Yes! This was definitely part of my critique. Thanks for your comment.
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Dael Reader wrote:Exactly. Thanks for your comment.
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Eva Darrington wrote: ↑21 Sep 2018, 15:52 This premise has great potential that apparently went unrealized in this book. I was thinking I would like this one, early on in your review, but I would be annoyed by the absence of deeper socioeconomic themes. I imagine the deeper psychological issues around the illegitimacy weren't fleshed out either. Your review gets 4 stars, without a doubt. Thanks for the introduction to this book.
Dael Reader wrote:And thank you for your comment.