Review: Interesting Tale, But Awfully Short
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 19, 2011
I like to give glowing reviews. It's great to help other readers find outstanding works. And I usually review the real duds. Not only do I hope to prevent readers from wasting their time on a sad publication, but perhaps I can encourage the writer into taking up something more socially acceptable than writing, perhaps becoming a bank robber, a terrorist, an insurance agent, or an invalid.This booklet falls in between, part of the vast blur of books that are quiet acceptable, but are also forgettable. The author asks at the end of this booklet that we let him know how he's doing, so he can improve his writing skills, though, so I'm breaking my usual protocol to comply with his wishes.Mr. Carroll warns, at the beginning, that this book is only for demented children. That was entirely unnecessary, as one comes upon an emo bunny almost immediately upon entering the story. I turned to my wife, and asked, "Honey, how demented am I?" and she rolled her eyes up into her forehead. Well, I decided, I must be demented enough, and so I progressed.There is a certain hypnotic effect in Mr. Carroll's words, which I discovered when I reached the end of the story having no idea whatsoever what the story was about. Furthermore, I was in my backyard, naked, swinging a paper bag with a live chicken in it, and singing an old Jerry Lee Lewis song. Furthermore, I had no impulse at all to smoke a cigarette, which I find comforting, as I've never had the smoking habit. Yes, I would say that hypnotism was a definite factor here.It's not worth five stars, but you're probably not going to be so disgusted by it that you throw your Kindle into the wastebasket. If you have a paper bag and live chicken, you probably will find it worth the time and the money. Or not. Amazon has a good return policy, you know!And no, I've never heard of John Carroll before; I thought John Carroll was a Catholic high school.