Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am in awe at the skill of Ms Marcum in capturing the essence and spirit of other people and in making me feel I am one of those in her tale. Early in “The Tenth Island,” I found this quote from the author that describes not only the author, but me: ‘I had also, for many years, longed for things swallowed in the past, forever out of reach. Now I finally knew where everyone went. And I may have found a word for something inside me that I didn’t even know what it was anymore. Saudade.” — from page 13. Now, on to explain what pleases me, and what concerns me while reading “The Tenth Island,” by Diana Marcum. THE WRITING STYLE, FLOW, EDITING First rate. As you will see in the below excerpt, this Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist is a writer who is expert at describing scenes and at communicating the thoughts and emotions of her subjects and, even, her own innermost secrets. BLUSH FACTOR - Language & Content *** The below paragraph is edited for clarity and as to who made the statement referred to. By older I meant a woman in her eighties and from whom one would not usually expect to hear putting her words in quite the way she did. It was one of the charms of the writing. In terms of profanities: No worries. In terms of frank talk of sex, well, some may be taken aback at how honest one character, an older woman in her eighties, addresses alternative means of sexual pleasure. I was surprised, but not shocked. Indeed, I have no qualms whatsoever with the inclusion of her discussion. However, I do know some folks would not forgive me if I failed to warn them. I certainly would not want anyone to presume that the frank talk was THAT harsh. It was surprising because the words came out of an elderly woman. CONFUSION In her introduction, the author indicates this is not a journalistic work, primarily because she changed names and even created one or more characters. Perhaps more is fictionalized, and perhaps not. While I greatly appreciate her disclaimer, and her honesty in so stating, it is impossible for me to determine how truthful her story was. This is not a criticism, though, because if I were to write my own memoir, I would find such a warning to be necessary. EXCERPT “Hey-a Diana,” he said. “I’m-a here with my good, good friend. He owns a beautiful hotel, right next to the water. I tell him there’s this writer who likes the Azores but never been to the Azores. He says, ‘Tell her to come and stay at my hotel. No problem.’ We got another friend way high with the airline. He’ll get you a free ticket. No-a strings. We know you can’t make-a no promises.” I thanked him but told him reporters weren’t allowed to take free trips. And I didn’t know anyone who might ask me for a movie script. “Don’t write anything,” he said. “Fernanda says to tell you, you should say yes.” Fernanda got on the phone. She told me that the American way is that “you wash my back, I wash yours.” But the Azorean way is that everybody works together to make enough for everybody. “These men put together a big pot of sopa—you grab a bowl.” The next day I was having lunch with a writer I considered a mentor even though we were only a few years apart. Even to his face, I called him the Manly Author. He had a lot in common with those Azorean bulls. Small spaces made him edgy; you could almost imagine him pawing the ground. He was a Very Serious Investigative Journalist for a big paper, and his favorite line of attack was the hard charge. It was with a sense of embarrassment that I told him how tempted I was by Frank’s offer for a free trip to the Azores. I figured my resolve needed the disapproval he was sure to provide. “Go,” he said. “You got no conflict. Just don’t write anything else about them for the Fresno paper. You got one foot out the door anyway.” “But what do you think they expect? What do they want from me?” I asked. “Same thing everyone wants,” he said. “They want someone to know their story. And, [expletive deleted], maybe it’s supposed to be a part of your own story.” Somehow that seemed...’ Taken from page 27, “The Tenth Island” by Diana Marcum. BOTTOM LINE I was so enthralled by this story that I could rate it five stars with no concern. Had the author simply stated, “Although some of what follows is drawn from people I know and love, this work is more fiction than fact, and should be treated as fiction. My choice to rate this work at four stars is primarily to ensure that potential readers are alerted to this. Four stars is still a high rating. Four stars out of five. If I could rate it 4.5, though, or even 4*, that would be better. I greatly enjoyed the writing. Will you help me? I hope and trust that this review has helped you. Did I answer most of your questions and concerns? I encourage you to click the appropriate button [helpful or not helpful] below. Also, leave a comment below. Doing so helps me provide reviews that work better for you.   I am writing a book for aspiring reviewers and for product suppliers seeking reviews in an effort to help improve the process and to understand the value of Amazon’s Customer Review process. I hope to incorporate many of the received comments, with attribution to those making the suggestions, into my books.   Together, you and I can build a great customer review process that helps everybody. Will you join me? It is people such as you who have helped me improve over the years. I'm still learning, and I have a great deal yet to learn. 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