Review of A Far Strange Country - Book I of II

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Far Strange Country - Book I of II" by Arielle Hunter.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

A Far Strange Country - Book I of II: Banquet of Choices by Arielle Hunter is a historical fiction set in 1968 San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. Picture in your mind the scent from incense, peace signs, daisies, psychedelic posters, poofy hairstyles, striped bell-bottom pants, open marriages, gasoline costs 28 cents per gallon, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy. Add to this the use of heroin, LSD, and marijuana, and you will have the essence of this book. This story follows the lives of several people as they strive to live through this turbulent era in our history. The older generation thinks the world has gone crazy, and the younger generation wants freedom from the older generation's rules and standards. Is it possible to have the freedom to live your life as you want, or are there consequences that affect not only you but others?

The author has done a fantastic job with character development, which enabled me to understand each character's concerns and actions. For example, the Harpers' are always concerned about what their friends and neighbors will think if they find out about Steven's drug overdose. Arielle Hunter uses broken English in the sections about Donatello, the actor/director from Italy, making the book more authentic. One of the character's attitudes that I enjoyed reading was when Buck stated, "sometimes it's better to beg forgiveness, than ask permission." If there is no clear answer to something, it is better to do what you think is right and deal with the consequences later. The ending was not what I expected, and it left me anxious to read the next book in the series.

There are a couple of negatives in this book. Firstly, many non-English words are not defined. I had to look up words to make sure that I understood what the character was saying. This pause in reading distracted me from my reading pleasure. Secondly, the first part of the book is each character's background, and I was about halfway through the book before I saw a connection between the different characters. Once I hit that point, everything made sense, and I understood where the plot was going.

Since I only found a handful of minor errors in this book, I believe a professional editor has edited it. I gladly give this book 4 out of 4 stars because I enjoyed reading the book and the positive aspects outweigh the negative.

I recommend this book to readers over the age of 16 who enjoy remembering or are interested in the 1968 lifestyle. The book contains some mild profanity and sexual content, and the characters go to church to pray. Readers who are sensitive to these types of content may want to avoid reading this book.

******
A Far Strange Country - Book I of II
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Kingsley Emodi]

I'd love to know how the quagmire between the older and the younger generation was solved in the book. Great review.

[Ivvie Ivanova]

This sounds really interesting! I've never read anything similar so I will pick this up. Thank you for your review!

[Ekezie1998]

Quite an intriguing plot we have here. Would definitely love to have this book on my shelf. Great review here.