Post by soozym71 on Aug 7, 2013 8:15:41 GMT -6
A reviewer on Amazon stated, Matt Drabble’s ‘Gated’ is reminiscent of Bentley Little’s ‘The Association’. However, whilst the setting is indeed of a gated community in America, Matt Drabble weaves his own story that keeps readers enthralled. Style-wise, I would go so far as to suggest that Drabble has indeed got many of Bentley Little’s traits and this is a massive compliment as I adore Bentley Little’s work.
I picked up this book after a recommendation from a friend and I am so glad I did. I was hooked straight away. I loved the picture of the degradation of the larger towns, and how moving to Eden (the complex in the story) was a different, idealistic way of life. Obviously, this isn’t the case in the long run. It tells the tale of a couple who move from the UK to live in Eden after a traumatic event. There are the regular characters (flirtatious next door neighbours, bad cop, stern headmistress) and these are all characterised amazingly well. The ideal, perfect setting…or so we are led to believe.
I cannot praise this book enough. It is one of those books that stays with you long after you have read it – the imagery is that powerful. So why would I only give it four stars out of five? As mentioned by the author in the synopsis of the book, the editing isn’t great. I must admit, usually, if I pick a book up and have to struggle to make sense of it, I don’t continue and I steer clear of the author.
But the first chapter had me totally hooked. I couldn’t have stopped reading had I tried. This is alien to me. Errors are scattered around – punctuation errors (the worst for me was the overuse / misuse of the comma) and grammatical errors. I am an impatient reader. I like my horror thick and fast, but I had to slow down with this book because sometimes I found myself having to re-read passages to check the meaning. As I have said, usually this is a cardinal sin for me. I
would be thinking, “A writer is not just a story-teller. A writer has to be able to put his craft onto paper in order for the reader to understand and enjoy.”
But Drabble is an exception. I only hope, and I know he will from reading his comments on his Amazon page, that he will do whatever it takes to perfect his craft because this is one author I can see going far. I am so glad I discovered this writer, and I can’t wait to read his other work because this writer is certainly one to watch out for.
The book can be purchased through Amazon UK on:
www.amazon.co.uk/Gated-ebook/dp/B00AHW1VW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375884709&sr=1-1&keywords=gated+drabble
and on Amazon US on:
www.amazon.com/Gated-ebook/dp/B00AHW1VW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375884709&sr=1-1&keywords=gated+drabble
It is at the bargain price (at time of posting) of 97p or $1.44
I picked up this book after a recommendation from a friend and I am so glad I did. I was hooked straight away. I loved the picture of the degradation of the larger towns, and how moving to Eden (the complex in the story) was a different, idealistic way of life. Obviously, this isn’t the case in the long run. It tells the tale of a couple who move from the UK to live in Eden after a traumatic event. There are the regular characters (flirtatious next door neighbours, bad cop, stern headmistress) and these are all characterised amazingly well. The ideal, perfect setting…or so we are led to believe.
I cannot praise this book enough. It is one of those books that stays with you long after you have read it – the imagery is that powerful. So why would I only give it four stars out of five? As mentioned by the author in the synopsis of the book, the editing isn’t great. I must admit, usually, if I pick a book up and have to struggle to make sense of it, I don’t continue and I steer clear of the author.
But the first chapter had me totally hooked. I couldn’t have stopped reading had I tried. This is alien to me. Errors are scattered around – punctuation errors (the worst for me was the overuse / misuse of the comma) and grammatical errors. I am an impatient reader. I like my horror thick and fast, but I had to slow down with this book because sometimes I found myself having to re-read passages to check the meaning. As I have said, usually this is a cardinal sin for me. I
would be thinking, “A writer is not just a story-teller. A writer has to be able to put his craft onto paper in order for the reader to understand and enjoy.”
But Drabble is an exception. I only hope, and I know he will from reading his comments on his Amazon page, that he will do whatever it takes to perfect his craft because this is one author I can see going far. I am so glad I discovered this writer, and I can’t wait to read his other work because this writer is certainly one to watch out for.
The book can be purchased through Amazon UK on:
www.amazon.co.uk/Gated-ebook/dp/B00AHW1VW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375884709&sr=1-1&keywords=gated+drabble
and on Amazon US on:
www.amazon.com/Gated-ebook/dp/B00AHW1VW2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1375884709&sr=1-1&keywords=gated+drabble
It is at the bargain price (at time of posting) of 97p or $1.44
