Review by takundwa12_3 -- The McCoys Before The Feud
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takundwa12_3
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- Latest Review: The McCoys Before The Feud by Thomas McCoy
Review by takundwa12_3 -- The McCoys Before The Feud
[Following is a volunteer review of "The McCoys Before The Feud" by Thomas McCoy.]
The McCoys: Before the Feud is the first volume in a series by Thomas A. McCoy published in 2018.
The novel is centred around the McCoy family and the story takes place in 1865 at the end of the American Civil war when the Southern Army surrenders to the Northern army. Because of the surrendering of the South, the Northern army under General Ulysses S. Grant confiscates valuable goods that belong to Southerners. When Thomas McCoy Jr also known as Tommy, is informed about this confiscation, he is determined to reclaim this confiscated property. Because the McCoys are a very large and close-knit family which has members who number nearly three thousand who served on both sides of the Civil War, Tommy sets about to form a large group of his kinfolk to recover the stolen property.
Most of the story is dedicated to how the McCoy family goes about achieving the goal of recovering the confiscated property and the reader is introduced to a rich cast of characters that include Tommy’s father Thomas McCoy Sr, Teresa Rotundo Tommy's former betrothed and many members of the McCoy clan who form the group that is to recover the confiscated valuables. The McCoys get intelligence as to the whereabouts of the four sites where the loot is being hidden and they also learn that the Northern generals confiscated the valuables to enrich themselves. This discovery makes their cause a righteous one because not only do they want to recover the property to share amongst themselves, they also intend to give some of the valuables to Southerners who are in need.
I enjoyed reading this book very much, mainly because the story is an interesting one and it is fast-paced, which kept my attention. The author does not waste time delving into non-important details but he tells the story without wasting time on exposition. I enjoyed how the McCoy clan organize themselves and the measures they take to achieve their goal. This story also has a romantic element with Tommy and Teresa rekindling their relationship which was upset by the war. I also like the fact that the author is a member of the McCoy family, which makes him an authority on the factual details of what took place in history and I enjoy the fact that he uses this authority and poetic license to write a work of fiction rooted in truth.
I did not care too much for many of the characters apart from Tommy and I think this is because the story is more plot-driven than it is character-driven. There is such a large cast of characters and so much story to go through so much that characterization suffered and no single character was able to shine but all the characters seem to work well in concert. I hope that perhaps in subsequent instalments, the author will flesh out some of the characters more and give them multiple dimensions.
I am giving this novel a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give it four stars mainly because I feel that more could have done to create tension and suspense. As I read on, the plot became predictable and I felt that the author could not surprise me in any way because I could predict particular outcomes. There was not much that went wrong with the raids and I think that was a missed opportunity by the author to squeeze tension out of a good plot. The novel appears to be professionally edited and I did not encounter a lot of errors that disturbed my reading experience. This is one of the reasons I am giving the book a high score.
This novel will appeal to readers of Western historical fiction and readers who are interested in the American Civil War. The novel is also suitable for readers of all ages as it does not contain any sexually graphic scenes.
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The McCoys Before The Feud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The McCoys: Before the Feud is the first volume in a series by Thomas A. McCoy published in 2018.
The novel is centred around the McCoy family and the story takes place in 1865 at the end of the American Civil war when the Southern Army surrenders to the Northern army. Because of the surrendering of the South, the Northern army under General Ulysses S. Grant confiscates valuable goods that belong to Southerners. When Thomas McCoy Jr also known as Tommy, is informed about this confiscation, he is determined to reclaim this confiscated property. Because the McCoys are a very large and close-knit family which has members who number nearly three thousand who served on both sides of the Civil War, Tommy sets about to form a large group of his kinfolk to recover the stolen property.
Most of the story is dedicated to how the McCoy family goes about achieving the goal of recovering the confiscated property and the reader is introduced to a rich cast of characters that include Tommy’s father Thomas McCoy Sr, Teresa Rotundo Tommy's former betrothed and many members of the McCoy clan who form the group that is to recover the confiscated valuables. The McCoys get intelligence as to the whereabouts of the four sites where the loot is being hidden and they also learn that the Northern generals confiscated the valuables to enrich themselves. This discovery makes their cause a righteous one because not only do they want to recover the property to share amongst themselves, they also intend to give some of the valuables to Southerners who are in need.
I enjoyed reading this book very much, mainly because the story is an interesting one and it is fast-paced, which kept my attention. The author does not waste time delving into non-important details but he tells the story without wasting time on exposition. I enjoyed how the McCoy clan organize themselves and the measures they take to achieve their goal. This story also has a romantic element with Tommy and Teresa rekindling their relationship which was upset by the war. I also like the fact that the author is a member of the McCoy family, which makes him an authority on the factual details of what took place in history and I enjoy the fact that he uses this authority and poetic license to write a work of fiction rooted in truth.
I did not care too much for many of the characters apart from Tommy and I think this is because the story is more plot-driven than it is character-driven. There is such a large cast of characters and so much story to go through so much that characterization suffered and no single character was able to shine but all the characters seem to work well in concert. I hope that perhaps in subsequent instalments, the author will flesh out some of the characters more and give them multiple dimensions.
I am giving this novel a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. I did not give it four stars mainly because I feel that more could have done to create tension and suspense. As I read on, the plot became predictable and I felt that the author could not surprise me in any way because I could predict particular outcomes. There was not much that went wrong with the raids and I think that was a missed opportunity by the author to squeeze tension out of a good plot. The novel appears to be professionally edited and I did not encounter a lot of errors that disturbed my reading experience. This is one of the reasons I am giving the book a high score.
This novel will appeal to readers of Western historical fiction and readers who are interested in the American Civil War. The novel is also suitable for readers of all ages as it does not contain any sexually graphic scenes.
******
The McCoys Before The Feud
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The McCoys Before The Feud by Thomas McCoy
