Review: Sweet little story about a man who doesn't let misfortune crush him
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 11, 2012
*NOTE: I received a free review copy of this story.*Warning: This review might contain what some people consider SPOILERS.Rating: 8/10PROS:- I love reading about characters who are physically challenged, especially when the author doesn't offer any sort of magical "fix" for the problem. Such stories are refreshing for me; it's not just smart, gorgeous, rich people who find love. I like to read about normal people finding it, too.- Chris is very matter-of-fact about having lost his legs and being in a wheelchair. He's not cheerful, exactly: he doesn't *enjoy* not having legs anymore, but he doesn't cry over the loss, either. He has a "that's life" attitude and simply gets on with living it.- Chris's narration is dry and candidly funny. He makes amusing comments both about other people ("[he's] Straight, but it's not like he can help it so I try not to hold it against him") and about himself ("[before losing my legs in Afghanistan,] I was a fair bit taller").- The dialogue is great: gritty and real and in a dialect that not many writers, even British ones, seem able to pull off.CON:- As is always the case with stories this length, I wish it were longer. The characters are endearing, but you don't really know much about them--particularly Josh--by the time the credits roll.Overall comments: I liked this much more than I typically do with stories that are this length (262 Kindle locations). Despite the difficult circumstances Chris finds himself in, losing his legs in the war doesn't seem to have affected his self-confidence. He's funny and personable, and Josh is a sweet match for him. The story's written in present tense, which I know bothers some readers, but at least you don't have to endure it for long since the story's so short.