Official Review: The story of a dog named horse

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BookishCreature
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Official Review: The story of a dog named horse

Post by BookishCreature »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The story of a dog named horse" by Patrick Johnson.]
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1 out of 4 stars
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The Story of a Dog Named Horse is a children’s book by P.A. Johnson. It tells the story of a little boy named Zero and how he came to own a talking, chess-playing dog. The dog, Horse, then talks about some of the adventures he and Zero have had together. It’s a short, illustrated tale that is probably best suited for kids aged 6 to 9.

This story is hard to review because, to be perfectly honest, it’s really not a story at all. It begins with Zero’s Aunt Autumn coming to visit and meeting Horse. Horse tells the story of how he and Zero met and talks about some of the vacations they’ve taken together… and that’s it. There’s really no plot to be found in these few pages. There’s no conflict and certainly no character development. The ending is abrupt and doesn’t offer any sort of closure, even though there’s not much to close.

There’s also no setting. The entire story is a stream of dialogue with only a few narrative sentences in the very beginning. Nothing is described, and we have no idea where the characters are. I assume that the story takes place in the future because of references to space travel and robot cars, but those are the only clues.

The story is completely told through dialogue, and unfortunately it’s not even very good dialogue. Characters repeat themselves and each other, and in general don’t sound like people (or talking dogs, as the case may be). For instance, take this extract:

“…how did you come to Zero and how did Zero teach you to talk?” asked Autumn.

“Well, Zero’s aunt, Zero told me that he saw a billboard ad and took a picture with his mom’s old phone,” said Horse.

“Okay, Horse, so how did you come to Zero?”
I hoped that the illustrations would carry the plotless story, but those were lacking as well. They’re scanned pencil drawings that look as though they were done by a child. The author’s note at the end says that one of Johnson’s children helped with the book, so I assume that this is indeed the case. Naturally, I wouldn’t expect them to be professional masterpieces, but they can retain a childlike charm while still being cleaned up a little – upping the contrast, removing half-erased lines, and so on.

All in all, I’m very confused. The caliber of the writing and the overall storyline (or lack thereof) point to this book being the work of a kid – maybe a collaboration between parent and child. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! In fact, I think it’s an incredibly sweet project and bonding experience for any family. However, the book is not marketed as though that is the case. The synopsis gives no clues that this is anything but a picture book for children written by an adult.

Considering this fact, and the fact that the author is asking for serious, professional reviews – the reason I read the book in the first place – I’m forced to take it at face value. I’m reviewing this book not as a cute parent-child project, but as a picture book intended for publication and sale. With that metric in mind, I can’t in good faith recommend this book to anyone. There’s no plot, no setting, and no conflict, and the illustrations are too scribbly and low-quality to compensate. I rate this book 1 out of 4 stars, and I’m still scratching my head over its purpose.

******
The story of a dog named horse
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jvinodmp7
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Post by jvinodmp7 »

It's a very well written review. I am learning to write a review and I think I got a good example to start with.
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Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha
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Post by Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha »

It's a pity that you did not enjoy this book at all. Hopefully, the author will go back and work on it based your critique. I found this portion of your review very amusing: "I’m still scratching my head over its purpose." I will not be reading this one.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Yikes! I'm so sorry this one turned out badly. It confused me too just from what you said. I wonder what the point is. Thanks for being with it.
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BookishCreature
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Post by BookishCreature »

This book was definitely a trip, that's for sure. :P I'd feel terrible tearing apart the work of a little kid, but why on earth would the work of a little kid be available for professional review?? It makes no sense.
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Post by melissy370 »

With this unusual title I was hoping to see what the plot was but it sounds like there wasn't much one. Too bad it was riddled with problems.
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

Yesh! Sounds like a mess. I'm glad you pulled it through and wrote a detailed review of its pros and cons. Thank you for your honest review!
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Post by NL Hartje »

Wow, sorry about your luck on this one. Thank you for your incredibly frank review!
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Post by Lincolnshirelass »

This is a thoughtful review, and also an example of how to write a negative review fairly. It's a shame the book doesn't seem to work, as I love both dogs and chess!
An Eye for an Eye only ends up making the whole world blind.

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Post by Samy Lax »

Whoa. Sounds like you had a bad experience with this one. Thank you for leaving us a warning :)
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Post by Penny Lee »

It is cute that this book seems to be a parent-child project, but it is unfortunate that it turned out to be essentially plot-less, and that the author still decided to try marketing it. I did read on the author's bio that they are dyslexic, and it is admirable that they attempted this book, although professional editing, illustrations, and marketing would have helped a great deal.
Littera scripta manet -- the written word remains.
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BookishCreature
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Post by BookishCreature »

Lincolnshirelass wrote: 26 Feb 2018, 04:34 This is a thoughtful review, and also an example of how to write a negative review fairly. It's a shame the book doesn't seem to work, as I love both dogs and chess!
Thanks so much! :)
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Post by KFree_Reads »

Thanks for your honest review. I was really not convinced this was a children's story. I think the author should consider revamping the book's cover. I would also suggest using bright colors and eye-catching illustrations to get the attention of young readers.It's so cute that one of Johnson's children helped with the illustrations but I agree that "cleaning up" the drawings would definitely help as well.
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Post by prettysmart »

Well my that's a terrible experience. Hope you enjoy your next review and I appreciate the honesty!
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Post by DathanReeves »

The excerpt you chose to demonstrate your issues with the writing, looks like an attempt to write quirky dialogue similar to Ronald Dahl's. Would you say this was what the author was going for, or do you think it was just bad writing?
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