Review of the book. AKA: Book Review.

Ok, I'm finally using my blog to post a book review!  I know what you're thinking, "Well, isn't that why you started the thing anyway?" But that's only part of the reason I started blogging.  After re-reading my review, I'm thinking maybe it sounds a little meaner that I'd originally intended for it to sound, because it really is a pretty ok book.  (You can just feel the meh, can't you?)

Anyway:



Jonathan Rogers' novel, *The Charlatan's Boy* was a decent read.  Rogers definitely knows how to tell a story.  The novel is the coming-of-age story of an orphan boy named Grady.  As an infant, Grady was taken in by the 'showman' Floyd.  Grady's relationship with Floyd is as Floyd's assistant and main attraction.  The story of *The Charlatan's Boy* follows Floyd and Grady as they try to overcome the waning of their livelihood, an audience growing skeptical.

The story itself is decent enough, location and era mix well enough to keep it entertaining.  I have two main issues with the book, though:  the way the story is told, and the way the book ends.

The story is narrated by the main character, Grady.  The location and era in which the boy lives would grant the understanding that he's not well educated, so the grammar and voice of the narration is that of an uneducated frontiersman--a hillbilly.  I see reading as a way, especially for the younger audience this book targets, to broaden one's understanding of the written and spoken word.  As such, I this book is not the best example of a well written novel from that standpoint.  It works well, though, as a literary device for the telling of the story, as it allows us a deeper look into Grady's character.

The ending of *The Charlatan's Boy* almost seems like an afterthought, like Rogers sort of ran out of story and said, "Hmm, wouldn't it be nice if..." then filled in the gap.  (The end is a bit of a twist, so I'm not going to give anything away.)

All in all, as I said before, *The Charlatan's Boy* is a decent read, and I'd recommend it if you don't mind a meandering plot.

[This review appears on Amazon.com and my blog. I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.]


So there it is.  I'm sure my reviews will get better with time, right?