Review: Intriguing and heartwarming
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 7, 2013
Well, this is a surprise! I had pretty much concluded that I would not write any more reviews of Kindle books, because frankly, most of them I've read are pretty bad. And unlike a defective or poorly made product, the value of intellectual property is in the eye of the beholder. I'll admit, as an occasional author and sometime editor I am probably more sensitive than average to misuse of the English language; grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc., and sometimes I just can't get beyond those issues to appreciate the story. It seems editing is nil on books written for Kindle.But this story blew me away! By the time I had read 28% of it my curiosity about the reviews for this book overcame me and I went back to Amazon, expecting to find they were all five stars. I'm surprised they are not. A particular objection seems to be that there are some fairly explicit sexual encounters, but it seems to me that is typical of an erotic romance these days, which this certainly is. Perhaps that could have been clearer in the "purchase page" description. But being a freebie, I doubt most people bother to read much of that anyway, or the reviews.This should NOT be a "free" book, or even a 99 center. And I purchased the sequel immediately, even though I'm not sure I'll be quite so happy with it based on the description. Frankly I felt I owed it to the author.It's not the greatest plot; I suspect most readers will guess the twist to the ending long before it happens, but it is excellently written and just the rich descriptions of the setting and the people were enough to keep me involved in the story. Can anyone who reads this say they did not have a yearning for an extended trip to Newfoundland? Of all places. (It's even better if you're a bird watcher). It is also, after all is said and done, heartwarming! (I'm a fan of happy endings).This author has a facility with language and description that makes me jealous, just a "way with words", if you will. The ablity to describe the Newfoundland countryside is breathtaking, and the easy and I assume, accurate use of the local dialect, idioms, etc. makes me believe that the author has been a long time resident of the area and involved in the daily lives of the local people.In fact, I strongly suspect that this writer is not "new" as a "first" book would suggest, but rather, a seasoned author, perhaps writing under a nom de plume to venture into a new genre or style. Or perhaps to fulfull a yearning to reveal the details of the land and the lives of the people on the Newfoundland coast in an endearing way, based on a lifetime of memories. I suspect there may even be some autobiographical details hidden here somewhere. A very rewarding read, and for me, hard to get out of my head even when finished.