Official Review: The Great Divorce by David Loy Frishkorn

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any crime, thriller, mystery or horror books or series.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Okafor Prosper
Posts: 1006
Joined: 09 Jul 2017, 06:19
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 250
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-okafor-prosper.html
Latest Review: 52 Pieces: by Dr. Marina Kostina

Official Review: The Great Divorce by David Loy Frishkorn

Post by Okafor Prosper »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Great Divorce" by David Loy Frishkorn.]
Book Cover
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


The Great Divorce by David Loy Frishkorn is a work of fiction that revolves around the Lasserman twins, Don and Daniel, and how the different paths they took in life affected the United States of America. Don was an outgoing individual who was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities in high school, which helped him get a partial scholarship for college. Don graduated from college, got a good job, and his life was on an upward trajectory. While Don was off conquering the world, Daniel, whose parents weren't able to afford his college fees, was struggling. He ended up getting Amanda (his girlfriend) pregnant, which led to their marriage. The pressure of the responsibilities of a husband and father was too much for young Daniel, so he turned to alcohol.

Along the line, Daniel lost his wife to cancer. He blamed most of his problems on the fact that the country had a black president. Apparently, Daniel was okay with blacks only when they didn't exceed his expectations of them. Daniel finally snapped when his new boss, a black man, fired him for incompetence. He went on a killing spree, gunning down over 20 black people. This was the catalyst for the events that led to the great divorce (the secession of several states from the United States of America).

The author kicked off the story showing the difference in Don and Daniel's lives at 64, and he went on to narrate the events that led to how they ended up at that point. The author does a very good job developing Daniel's character, giving him traits that made him unique, a purpose, a strong personality, and flaws. I don't think that Don's character was poorly developed, but he was painted as the perfect person by the author, not putting a foot wrong throughout the story. Another thing I didn't like about this book, with respect to character development, was how David constantly felt the need to divert from the story to develop minor characters. I found this very distracting and overwhelming at times. I also felt that the characters in the story were too many, and it was difficult to keep their names and roles straight at times.

It was interesting to read about characters like President Adamo and his successor, President Haight, who I feel were the author's representations of President Obama and President Trump respectively. A lot of events in the book are similar to the events that have occurred in real life. The book touches a whole lot of relevant issues like racism, domestic abuse, religious extremism, and guns to name a few. Using his characters, the author was able to show how bad things can get if left unchecked. He also offered solutions to these issues, which I found interesting.

Considering the number of characters and flashbacks the author included in this story, it impressed me not to find any inconsistency in the story. The timeline was also very easy to follow. In addition, The Great Divorce is well edited and well organized. It contained a few grammatical errors, but none that made my reading difficult at any point.

Overall, The Great Divorce was a very entertaining read. I also found it educative on some of the events that occurred in the United States of America, as I had to carry out further research to get the full picture. The issues I have with some of the characters means that I'll settle for rating this book 3 out of 4 stars. The Great Divorce will most appeal to people that are politically engaged. Fans of crime stories will also enjoy a few moments in the book.

******
The Great Divorce
View: on Bookshelves

Like prospero360's review? Post a comment saying so!
User avatar
Book Lover 35
Posts: 582
Joined: 10 Oct 2018, 18:16
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 24
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-book-lover-35.html
Latest Review: VieVie La Fontaine by Linda Heavner Gerald

Post by Book Lover 35 »

Sounds like a good book. I'm not big on politics, but I do like crime stories. Great review!
:tiphat:
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11684
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Believarexic
Bookshelf Size: 486
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Post by kandscreeley »

Hmm... This one definitely sounds unique. I'd be curious about how Don and Daniel's lives compare. I'm just not sure I'd really enjoy it, though. As Book Lover says, I'm not into politics of any kind in my books. I'll consider it some more. Thanks!
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
User avatar
tam_akangbou
Posts: 4
Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 15:24
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by tam_akangbou »

The Great Divorce is exactly my type of book. I like that it touches a lot of relevant issues. I’ll certainly love to read this. Thank you for this review.
User avatar
T_stone
Posts: 1223
Joined: 17 Sep 2018, 22:08
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 122
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-t-stone.html
Latest Review: Marketing on Fleek by Kobi Ben Meir
Reading Device: 1400697484

Post by T_stone »

Recently, I've found political books to be interesting and very educative. I will like to check this one time. Thanks for the review.
Feeling upset sometimes may be unavoidable, but acting distressed is always optional.

Rob White
User avatar
Espie
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 4125
Joined: 05 May 2018, 06:36
Favorite Book: Behind the Barbed Wire Fence
Currently Reading: Noah's Quest
Bookshelf Size: 118
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-espie.html
Latest Review: Why Me: Trash Collector, Mental Issues by Nikolay N Bey

Post by Espie »

I'd rather remain apolitical and nonpartisan as I've always chosen to be. It's notable yet sad how supposedly similar twins' lives have turned quite so differently. Thank you for your honest review.
"Life has many different chapters for us. One bad chapter doesn't mean it's the end of the book."-Unknown
"To err is human; to forgive, divine."-Alexander Pope
"Put GOD first; He'll bless your efforts with success."-Proverbs
User avatar
Casper1622
Posts: 6
Joined: 03 Dec 2018, 13:43
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Casper1622 »

Even though I’m not into politics, there are several themes in this book that interest me. Daniel also seems like an interesting character. Nice review.
User avatar
Erika Thomas
Posts: 86
Joined: 13 Jul 2018, 07:34
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 36
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-erika-thomas.html
Latest Review: World, Incorporated by Tom Gariffo

Post by Erika Thomas »

This book seems a little too close to real life for me to want to read it, despite your wonderful review. I use reading as a way to escape from the real world for awhile, so I don't want to read about the horrible things happening in our world right now. That being said, Daniel and Don sound like interesting characters. Maybe I'll get around to reading it at some point. Thanks for the read and review!
User avatar
Ice dragon
Posts: 80
Joined: 20 Sep 2018, 14:04
Currently Reading: The last oracle
Bookshelf Size: 16
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ice-dragon.html
Latest Review: Gringo by Dan "Tito" Davis

Post by Ice dragon »

Sounds dark and emotive, I'll definitely be giving this book a read, as it sounds brilliant!
Great review.
Post Reply

Return to “Crime, Thrillers, Mystery and Horror Books”