Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

INTRO:The Unkillable Kitty O’Kane by Colin Falconer was my Kindle First selection this month. It is a historical drama set in a time when women began to assert their journey towards freedom and equality through a tenacious perseverance, despite the occasional slip and all-too frequent slap-downs and punches tossed at them. In one sentence, it is an engaging read well worth the effort. Read on to learn more... While reading the opening I recollected an Irish couple I worked with in Southern Africa during 1992. The father took pride in getting his sons to fistfight. Most of us looked on with alarm, but, what really struck me, was how the younger of the two boys would not give up, despite always sustaining the first bloody nose in each encounter. After three or four episodes of this, we finally got the dad to stop the exhibitions. There was a lesson though. Perseverance. There are two ways of attaining an important end, force and perseverance; the silent power of the latter grows irresistible with time. ---- Sophie Swetchine Demakis, Joseph. The Ultimate Book of Quotations (p. 428). Unknown. Kindle Edition. The heroine in this story, in a manner reflective of the younger boy alluded to above, understood the lasting value of perseverance. *** ARE THERE PROFANITIES USED? *** BLUSH FACTOR Yes, there are more than a few profanities used. Also, even though the passionate scenes are not overly graphic, I must warn readers that they may choose not to read this book to their 8-year-old daughter or 80-year-old grandmother. That factor, however, should not be taken as a condemnation of the writing however, for the author does paint the scenes with skill and respect. POV Written from a third person POV. LANGUAGE This is written in English as used in the UK and Ireland, so some terms might take just a wee bit to fathom. Such as ‘mitching school’ in Ireland is what we often term as ‘ditching school’ or as ‘playing hookey.’ Still, it is not a serious challenge. DOES THIS WRITER SHOW OR TELL WHAT WE SEE/FEEL/HEAR? With exceptional skill. DOES THE WRITER EVOKE THE FIVE SENSES? Yes. CLIFFHANGER? No. This is a stand-alone. Q - How was this book obtained? A – Bought on Amazon. Q - Are there a lot of typos/misspellings, grammatical errors or other editing failures? A – No. Q - Is this a fast, easy read or is it more of a leisure read? A – A leisure read page turner. Q - My biggest pleasure or disappointment? A – This wasn’t a book that I leaped for joy to get, but, since none of the other books appealed to me, I chose it. Even so, I did find it enjoyable and loved the character growth arc. To give a feel for the editing, and the style and flow of this work, I am posting a brief excerpt below. Excerpt ‘…she had no time for being on deck. She was down in her cabin unpacking her things and getting her uniform on. And a fine thing it was too. On her first ship her cabin had been cramped and infested with roaches; it had been almost as bad as being back in the Liberties. But that Tommy Andrews who designed the Titanic, he was a good man, everyone said so, and he made sure the crew were looked after, just like he did on the Olympic; he even made a quick visit below decks, and everyone called out to him as he made the rounds, thanked him for what he’d done. Kitty had time only for a brief hello to her new bunkmate, Elsie, and then it was off to work. It was chaos as it always was on the first day, squeezing through the alleyways past stewards trying to maneuver steamer trunks through the crush. The pursers were shouting orders, and no one really had time to listen for the room bells ringing, everyone wanting drinks. And Holy God, the flowers. There were boxes of flowers everywhere, mountains of them. Champagne and vases, that was what everyone wanted. The Astors’ suite looked like a florist shop. “I need a dozen vases,” they’d all say to her, “and make sure they’re tall ones.” The chief steward had already made it clear to her, “Ten vases, my girl, that’s all you have for your section.” Eighteen years old and she was already an old hand; she knew what to do, and most of the flowers that came on board found passage through an open port long before they found their owner. Even Kitty found herself doing it that day. Kitty wasn’t as round-eyed as when she started, though her eyes still sometimes strayed to the lace bedspreads and the mahogany furniture. Already she could tell the difference between Georgian and Queen Anne, not bad for a girl from Dublin. How the other half live, as her mother would say. Only it’s not half, Ma. Not even half of a half of a half. I wonder what it would be like to have money, she thought, and the ease it brings. And the Titanic was something special, especially first deck. There were private viewing balconies for the best suites, lace bedspreads on the beds, and all the furniture looked as if it had come straight from a palace. But she had no time for gaping, though she did allow herself a quick peek at old man Astor’s new bride, she had imagined a blonde goddess after all she’d read in the newspapers, but she looked…’ Falconer, Colin. The Unkillable Kitty O'Kane: A Novel (p. 20). Lake Union Publishing. Kindle Edition. Bottom Line: As I pored over the Kindle First selections, I found most of them to be appealing to a dark, depressing side of life, and/or to be written by foreigners. Still, after selecting this, despite its ominous preface, I found it a good, hopeful story written with sensitivity and compassion. I recommend it. Four stars out of five. Comments regarding your opinion of this book or of my review, whether favorable or unfavorable, are always welcome. If you buy the book based on my review and become disappointed, especially, I do want to know that and I want to understand how I can improve as a book reviewer. Just please be polite. Thank you.