Review: Midnight's Tale: A short and surprisingly good read...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 27, 2012
They say that one shouldn't judge (or pick) a book by its cover; in this case I'm glad that I overrode that often-repeated axiom.George Berger's Kindle SingleMidnight's Taleis a short, heart-warming story about a goat. I might have passed on this, but it showed up as a Kindle selection one morning, and the cover art by Vanessa Matte was compelling enough to make me take a closer look.This is an easy book to get drawn into, right from the first, an easy and engaging tale about a goat named Midnight, a creature with a disarming way that makes it almost impossible to put the book down. But what stands out is the way that the author expresses Midnight's thoughts and sentiments, as can be seen here:"Wherever and under whatever unknown circumstances he'd come into the world, his first memories, his strongest memories, his happiest memories, were of Amanda. Amanda, with the gentle hands. Amanda, with the beautiful, musical laugh. Amanda, with the amazing flaxen hair and the wonderful chestnut eyes. Amanda, who smelled, without fail, of an intoxicating blend of green apples and exotic, fresh-cut flowers. She'd loved him, taken care of him, day by day, for almost a year."Midnight can be innocent and nave at times, but for a young goat he already has his own stubborn personality. He's an attraction at a petting zoo, and in awe of the grandeur of the warhorses that loomed taller over everything except the camels. He's quickly intolerant of the sheep, and even more of the children who ride him, with their sticky, slimy fingers that they wipe through his fur, urging him to giddy up as they urged him onward.But Midnight isn't destined to remain in a petting zoo, and his adventure really begins to unfold when he's forced to leave. His adventures take him to the suburbs and beyond, from dumpsters to experiencing the joys of fermented apples, an encounter with some Satanists and far more. In short, he experiences the joys and evils of the world, the sorrows and the happiness.The author's debut novel,Mendacities, was released in 2010, and is a 236-page coming-of-age story with an unusual political bent. I've read it and it's good. His more recentAll The Wrong Reasonswas released in April, 2012, and is a 32-page young adult small book said to be dealing with teenagers in love, football, embarrassment, meddlesome siblings, police officers, a Satanist biologist, and a goat. Satanists and a goat? Could it be Midnight, the same goat that we encounter here in this book? I'm not telling.Reading the tale of Midnight, one cannot help but think of E.B. White's enduring classic,Charlotte's Web, but this tale is more introspective. Both are delightful for their intended audiences, however for adults this is one that really stands out as a unique work.As Midnight says, "Humans, huh? Go figure." So true...8/21/2012