Doughnuts for Amy
2.5
2
5
1
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781941058398 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Winter Goose Publishing |
| Publication date: | 02/14/2016 |
| Pages: | 380 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.85(d) |
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Doughnuts for Amy
2.5 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
2 reviews.
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I bought this book because the author is local and I heard about it through a friend. I'm all for a light, easy read, but most of those 4- and 5-star reviews must be friends and family or they didn't get the same version of the book I did! The first page was great It showed real promise. But then page 2 happened, and it doesn't get better from there. We are jolted out of first-person perspective into third-person with no warning. The editing is awful. Commas are missing (which actually do make some sentences confusing). Conversational dialogue runs together in single paragraphs rather than each person's part having it's own. This makes dialogue so extremely hard to follow. There were times I thought Nick was speaking only to realize it was someone else, making me lose track. That might be acceptable if the author was renowned like Hemingway or Faulkner and the structure of the prose lent itself to the story and was consistent through the book. But he's not Hemingway or Faulkner and it's not consistent, so normal grammar rules should apply. If the author has conversations in real life like his characters do, then he and his friends must use each others names ALL THE TIME. Nick and Amy will be talking, and at least every other sentence they will address each other by name. Next time you are having a conversation with someone, count the number of times they use your name or you use theirs. It won't be nearly as often as they do it in this book, I promise you. As a reader, I am attempting to immerse myself in the story, hearing the dialogue in my mind, becoming one with the characters. But it is so unnatural that it pulls me out of the story. That's not a good thing, because then the book no longer has my attention. Long paragraphs detailing a cake being made or how to marinate a pork loin or what is discussed in a staff meeting are terribly boring. I found myself skimming through these parts, but that's dangerous since conversation is mixed up in them and you'll miss something if you lose track of who is saying what! As for the staff meetings, there are so many character names thrown around with no cues whatsoever as to who is important. I have no idea who I should remember for later -- and heaven forbid that person actually show up later because I'll have no idea who they are. Large leaps in attitude happen with the main character -- he goes from being friendly to hostile to cooperative, all without any explanation to the reader of how or why he is progressing that way. And all of this is just in the first 50 pages! I really wish all of these problems were petty and could be overlooked to enjoy the story. But when I'm having to work this hard for a piece of fluff fiction, there is something inherently wrong with the book. I gather from the other comments that the author is a chef himself. I'm sure he makes great food. I suggest sticking to that and letting someone else write the stories.
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And Sylvia for telling us about your brother. This was a fun Nook book to read!
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