Brian MacLearn's Blog - Posts Tagged "review"
"Ridicule" 5 star review
This is the first review of "Ridicule."
Ridicule
Rating: 5.0 stars
Reviewed by Alice Recker for Readers' Favorite
“Ridicule,” written by Brian L. MacLearn, is the story of Jeffrey Peyton who is the victim of a bully while in Middle School. The anguish begins when Jeffrey creates an apparatus to ward off garden pests that like to gnaw on young seedlings. The tormentor doesn’t leave him alone, pitting everyone close to Jeffrey against him, until relief arrives while Jeffrey spends time in college. To Jeffrey’s chagrin and dismay, he finds that his aggressor has found him once again and secures a job at the same place where Jeffrey works. Matt feigns friendship and though Jeffrey is wary of him, he is too weak to resist Matt Sinclair’s hold on him. Eventually, Matt forms his own company. Knowing he has no talent for invention himself, he invites Jeffrey to join him and promises a partnership in patenting and promoting his earlier invention. The hold Matt has on Jeffrey is like a vise held so that the object can be worked on.
The book “Ridicule” is well-written. Brian L. MacLearn takes the reader on a painful journey from experiences received from the hands of a bully that extend well beyond childhood. Breathless throughout the narrative, one is led through well-described actions and characters that cause the reader to place all trust and faith in the victim. This saga is surprising with twists and turns throughout. “Ridicule” sweeps us into the heart of long-lasting effects of childhood traumas at the hands of bullies. It is a story of survival, in spite of all odds, of the main character. MacLearn writes in a way that makes his point clear while the story flows easily from one segment to the next. This is a book I hope to see published soon.
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The following are optional personal comments from the reviewer that will NOT appear in your review:
This is a story well-written and hard to put down. I liked the way you portrayed the effects of bullying that extend well beyond the schoolyard playground. Your protagonist had to win or else in my mind as I read it!
Ridicule
Rating: 5.0 stars
Reviewed by Alice Recker for Readers' Favorite
“Ridicule,” written by Brian L. MacLearn, is the story of Jeffrey Peyton who is the victim of a bully while in Middle School. The anguish begins when Jeffrey creates an apparatus to ward off garden pests that like to gnaw on young seedlings. The tormentor doesn’t leave him alone, pitting everyone close to Jeffrey against him, until relief arrives while Jeffrey spends time in college. To Jeffrey’s chagrin and dismay, he finds that his aggressor has found him once again and secures a job at the same place where Jeffrey works. Matt feigns friendship and though Jeffrey is wary of him, he is too weak to resist Matt Sinclair’s hold on him. Eventually, Matt forms his own company. Knowing he has no talent for invention himself, he invites Jeffrey to join him and promises a partnership in patenting and promoting his earlier invention. The hold Matt has on Jeffrey is like a vise held so that the object can be worked on.
The book “Ridicule” is well-written. Brian L. MacLearn takes the reader on a painful journey from experiences received from the hands of a bully that extend well beyond childhood. Breathless throughout the narrative, one is led through well-described actions and characters that cause the reader to place all trust and faith in the victim. This saga is surprising with twists and turns throughout. “Ridicule” sweeps us into the heart of long-lasting effects of childhood traumas at the hands of bullies. It is a story of survival, in spite of all odds, of the main character. MacLearn writes in a way that makes his point clear while the story flows easily from one segment to the next. This is a book I hope to see published soon.
-------------------
The following are optional personal comments from the reviewer that will NOT appear in your review:
This is a story well-written and hard to put down. I liked the way you portrayed the effects of bullying that extend well beyond the schoolyard playground. Your protagonist had to win or else in my mind as I read it!
Against the Current
The editing continues on "Ridicule" which is now called "Against the Current." The original story received a 5 star review from Reader's Favorite and is a finalist in the category of Fiction/Intrigue. One of the things I've learned from the previous two novels is to listen to the readers and the professionals. Ridicule was a suspense story with manipulation and abuse as the backdrop. The general opinion was that it was more suspense and should move faster. After several (favorable) critiques, I began the process of condensing the novel to make it flow faster. This isn't as easy as you might think. It actually feels like I'm writing a new story. It will all be for the best…I hope. My mind wants to drift back to "Isolation," and continue writing where I left off. I've even started hearing from Jason and Allison recently. There are too many ideas and not enough time in a day to do it all. Hopefully, you will be able to see "Against the Current" in print this fall or early next year.
What I'm up to...
I haven't posted in awhile, so I thought I would offer an update. Against the Current (formally Ridicule) was a silver medalist in the 2013 Reader's Favorite contest for thrillers. That was the original Ridicule format, and before I completely revamped the beginning and cut nearly 60 pages from the book. Those who beta read it after the over-haul thought it was much better. The pace is definitely quicker, though I did give up some better back-story details.
I look to have it published in the early summer and begin working the marketing plan. Meanwhile, my next novel Isolation is about halfway done. This one is tricky, and it seems to take me longer to move it along. If I had to give you a clue, which I can't, because you need to read this one as it unfolds. I can tell you that it has the romantic elements of Nicolas Sparks, the deep questions of Mitch Albom, and the supernatural presence of Dean Koontz.
After Isolation, I'll be flipping the mental coin on 3-4 other projects that keep hammering around in my brain. One of my favorite authors is Dean Koontz, and one of my favorite characters is Odd Thomas. I'm waiting in great anticipation to see the movie. I finished reading his recent novel Innocence and I have mixed feelings. I really thought he was setting up a new character to write future novels around, but he ended it straight away. I really liked the character of Addison Goodheart (I find him similar to Odd Thomas.) I wasn't thrilled with the ending, but I did guess right on the direction the book was going.
I recently finished the sequel to the Shinning, Dr. Sleep, by Stephen King. I'm not sure if there is another author that has such a mastery of words and the ability to tell a good story. I've only ever had to force myself to finish one novel of his and that was Gerald's Game. A few others of his left me feeling disappointed, but there are so many that are in my top reads. I look forward to seeing the Gunslinger made into a movie series.
Feel free to drop me a note and connect with me on FaceBook and twitter. https://www.facebook.com/authorBrianM... BrianMacLearn@brianmaclearn
I look to have it published in the early summer and begin working the marketing plan. Meanwhile, my next novel Isolation is about halfway done. This one is tricky, and it seems to take me longer to move it along. If I had to give you a clue, which I can't, because you need to read this one as it unfolds. I can tell you that it has the romantic elements of Nicolas Sparks, the deep questions of Mitch Albom, and the supernatural presence of Dean Koontz.
After Isolation, I'll be flipping the mental coin on 3-4 other projects that keep hammering around in my brain. One of my favorite authors is Dean Koontz, and one of my favorite characters is Odd Thomas. I'm waiting in great anticipation to see the movie. I finished reading his recent novel Innocence and I have mixed feelings. I really thought he was setting up a new character to write future novels around, but he ended it straight away. I really liked the character of Addison Goodheart (I find him similar to Odd Thomas.) I wasn't thrilled with the ending, but I did guess right on the direction the book was going.
I recently finished the sequel to the Shinning, Dr. Sleep, by Stephen King. I'm not sure if there is another author that has such a mastery of words and the ability to tell a good story. I've only ever had to force myself to finish one novel of his and that was Gerald's Game. A few others of his left me feeling disappointed, but there are so many that are in my top reads. I look forward to seeing the Gunslinger made into a movie series.
Feel free to drop me a note and connect with me on FaceBook and twitter. https://www.facebook.com/authorBrianM... BrianMacLearn@brianmaclearn
