Review: 4 3/4 Stars
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 29, 2010
Overall: 4 3/4 StarsPlot/Storyline: 4 StarsThe plot was an original idea and fairly unique in its execution. This is a difficult book to review as far as plot and storyline as I don't want to give any spoilers.The book starts out with a few intriguing opening scenes that really made me want to keep reading. The storyline did progress pretty nicely, albeit at a slow pace, after those scenes. However, there were way too many extraneous scenes, sometimes entire chapters, that did not forward the storyline at all and just seemed to be added for speculation among the locals. There was plenty of speculating going on in the chapters that did forward the storyline without adding more.The exceptional storyline did make plodding through these extra chapters worth my time. I just had to discover what was going on with the new neighbors, the Aligers.My favorite parts of the story were the scenes where Perry Aliger gets confused with all of the English 'sayings.' These scenes really made me think about how often we say things without thinking of the literal meanings of the words.Character Development: 5 StarsMs. Darnell excels at character development. Her novel is peopled with truly unique individuals. Each character has depth and is completely different in both personality and circumstances from every other.There was a lot of imagination and thought put into each character. Ms. Darnell knows how to make the reader care about the characters and what happens to them.Perry was one of my favorite characters, mostly stemming from what I mentioned above regarding his confusing with English colloquialisms.Writing Style: 5 StarsThe writing style was superb. The book was filled with imaginative analogies and appropriate metephors. Ms. Darnell's command of the English language was evident in every sentence, without being overbearing. The sentence structure made for a nice, even flow to the reading experience. The descriptions were vivid, and the dialogue was like any conversation you would hear on the street or in your own house.Formatting/Editing: 4 3/4 StarsThere were some editing errors sprinkled throughout the novel, but none that would hinder the reading process.The formatting was of professional quality.Rating: PG for Adult Situations