Review of Charlie Harris

[Aisha Yakub]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Charlie Harris" by Brendan Mary Dempsey.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Charlie Harris is a book written by Brendan Mary Dempsey. It follows Charlie's real-life experiences from his childhood to his adulthood. Charlie and his siblings were raised in one of the poorest areas of Dublin. In the tenement, the landlords allowed up to ten tenants to stay in a room. Because of the poor conditions, many children died of tuberculosis in the tenement, including Charlie's two younger sisters, Maria and Betty. Charlie's grandma hated the British; she blamed them for the loss of her husband who died fighting for the British. People living in the tenement lived in fear of the British soldiers, policemen, and the Tans. Charlie grew up experiencing poverty, pain, love, death of loved ones, starvation, and war.

This book was captivating. I laughed, cried, and got emotional while reading it. There is no doubt that the author did a wonderful work writing this book. This book had a lot of interesting events in it. The suspense, deaths, pain, shootings, killings, poverty, religion, and the fight for the independence of Ireland were concepts that made me glued to this book. I was completely immersed in it, learning from Charlie's life story.

There were numerous positive aspects of this book and life experiences that I could relate to. I got to see Charlie as a man ready to do anything to protect his loved ones. He was a fighter, and he knew what he was fighting for. Charlie made a lot of decisions that affected him and his family. I learned that the decisions I make in life have overwhelming effects. I felt pity for the people living in the part of Dublin talked about in this book. It was sad to see how they were treated. It did not surprise me that the government cared less about them. The members of the armed forces who were supposed to protect these people became their nightmares.

I liked how detailed the author was in the explanations. I was shown how no one was certain of being alive the next day. Vera Brady and Albert were also among the people I admired in this book. I liked that Vera was a strong woman. I found myself silently praying and rooting for her. Albert was an amazing friend; he was a great example of a true friend. He never hesitated to help Charlie whenever Charlie needed help.

The only thing that was a concern was that I found it a bit tedious to understand some words in this book since it was written with a Dublin accent. Although this was interesting, it was difficult for me to comprehend, and it slowed my reading speed.

I came across some punctuation errors in this book, but it was professionally edited. The errors were less than ten in number. This was a satisfying read. It is my pleasure to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy reading crime stories, biographies, and political-related books.

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Charlie Harris
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[maycherono91]

The story sounds heart-wrenching. Still, I would love to read it. Great review!

[Dauria04]

I love crime stories and I appreciate it when authors are detailed with explanations, I think I will like this book. Great review.

[Natalie Sheph]

This book seems emotional and inspirational. Childhood traumas leave an eternal mark on a person, it is interesting how the main characters coped with it. Thanks for your nice review.

[Rayah Raouf]

I don't think I would be the ideal audience for this book, but I really enjoyed reading your review. You have a way with words that got me curious. Thank you for the review!