Official Review: Never Cry Again by Jim Cole

[josefina1110]

Thanks for the honest review. I'd like to read the book some more. I can identify with that kind of life he had sort of being rejected and ignored by society for no good reason. Congratulations to the author for BOTD.

[va2016]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Never Cry Again" by Jim Cole.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The novel Never Cry Again by Jim Cole is written in the historical fiction genre. The protagonist, Drew (Andrew George Simmons), has had a rough life since birth and his struggles seem to worsen with time. Drew's life starts in a brothel where he was cared for by Maude, the brothel's housemaid, and by the congregation of a nearby church. Even though it was rare for this time period, the all African-American congregation of Ebenezer Church of God in Jesus Christ accepted Caucasian Drew. Although loved by many, his mother, Edith, resented that he was born and genuinely hated him. However, Drew tried his hardest to find a speck of kindness and love in his mother.. After Edith and five years old Drew move away from the brothel, his life gets much more complicated as well as lonely. In the new city, he was picked on for being so poor and for all the “Uncles” that visit his mom. Drew was unloved, unwanted, and unappreciated. His only friends are the colored kids and his Japanese classmate, Kowanda. At such a young age, Drew knows more heartache and pain than most of us will ever know.

The author guides the reader throughout the rest of Drew's life which takes place in the southern Unites States during the Depression era and World War II. There are many twist and turns along the way. Did Drew improve his life or did he turn out just like his hateful and poverty-stricken mother? Do our choices really decide our fate or does our upbringing determine where we end up?

I applaud Jim Cole for numerous reasons. He did a superb job creating, formatting, and editing Never Cry Again. Although an averagely long book, two hundred and ninety pages, I did not find one spelling or grammatical error. Also, the author writes the book in chronological order and the chapters are titled to easily follow the timeline. However, my favorite aspect of the book is the character development. I felt Drew's pain, heartache, love, and happiness. Although, this novel does contain an abundance of characters, the author incorporates them so well that they leave a mark and you do not forget them. My favorite relationship was between Drew and his best friend, Leon. Drew is an outcast because he is so poor and his mom is the town hooker. Leon is degraded simply because of the color of his skin. However, Drew and Leon look past each others differences and choose to love one another. This creates a beautiful friendship. Also, Cole sets the backdrop perfectly. World War II and the Depression are mingled with the story just enough to keep the setting obvious.

On the other hand, I have one complaint about Never Cry Again. The single criticism is the author's use of curse words. Although, I understand some were used to create the setting and mood of that time period. I am a strong Christian and some of the words made me flinch.

I give Never Cry Again by Jim Cole a perfect 4 out of 4 stars. I simply could not have asked for a better book. While reading, I easily realized that the author poured his focus and talent into this book. I wish I could rate it a five just because I could not put it down. The excellent character development, perfect editing, superb formatting, easy progression, and the nicely incorporated backdrop make for a flawless book. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction. However, I would not recommend it to a reader under the age of eighteen because of the foul language and some of the mature events.

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Never Cry Again
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Like Kdonegan91's review? Post a comment saying so!

A few errors in the review:
1. Should be 'twists and turns'
2. 'job creating' should be 'job by creating'

Overall looks good!

[karaleigh2]

This sounds like a great book to me. My parents were born in the early 30s in OK, and my dad grew up very poor. I love books set in this era and I loved the sample. Your review was excellent and I can't wait to read this book. Thanks!

[vivekk]

I applaud Jim Cole for Never Cry Again. Although an averagely long book, I did not find one spelling error. Also, the author writes the book in the most user friendly language. However, my favorite aspect of the book is the character development. There are many twist and turns along the way which made me anxious for the remaining part too.

[Annelore Trujillo]

This sounds like a very well-written book. I love when I feel what the main character is feeling. Those are always the books that stick with me. This book is one of the few eras that I enjoy when reading historical fiction. Great job on the review!

[versatileer]

I would like to read Never Cry Again by Jim Cole because it has the authentic look of a loving family in rough times. Thanks for the vivid review on it.

[liniageline89]

Great review! I agree with your sentiment towards curse words. This book sounds amazing and you really went straight to the point on its contents. You gave us just enough info to be curious about how a young boy can grow up with such a colorful past. Good job! You made this book even more tantalizing than it was when I realized Jim Cole wrote it!

[Anki_Real_Reviews]

Your review has made mw curious to know what happens with Drew. Did his hardships end or did he drown further down the pool of depression. I hope he survived and proved that the behavior of mean and biased people doesn't destroy the goodness of one's nature.

[Shree Subi]

Awesome job on the very detailed review! This seems like a well-written and emotional book. Just reading the free sample made my heart heavy!

[L_Therese]

Strong characters and error-free - sounds like a winning combination! Thanks for a great review.

[Cjgarland89]

You're description of Drew and what he endures really caught my attention and changed my mind on whether or not I'd enjoy this book. I think it would be a great read for me. Thanks for the great review!

[pavithra deepam sri]

ohh this is realy a super story thanks for this

[Mollymae]

Thanks for your review. I will definitely be adding this one to my list of books to read. The topic and characters sound very interesting.

[Tommie H Odom]

This book is very sad and disturbing to me. Never Cry Again by Jim Cole will make you cry over again. It is so sad how Edith's father could molest and abuse her in the manner that he did. Your father is suppose to love and protect you not violate you. He took away her childhood and life. She began to drink so that she didn't have to focus on what he was doing to her. Her mom had child after child until dying in childbirth. They lived in property. She had even been pregnant by her dad until she and her sister's destroyed the pregnancy. Edith looked for love in the wrong places and really needed help. She also had a affair with her brother. The brother was evil and sick to. Incest, murder, a abuse, shame and lies.

[Medialaze]

Amazing review Jim. I am definitely going to read this one next!!