Review of The Bronze Bear Continues

[Edria Dayyinah]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Bronze Bear Continues" by Jerry A. Greenberg.]

---

2 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Another historical fiction book to my shelves! The Bronze Bear Continues is the second book to The Bronze Bear series, continuing the tales of the Warrenton family. Fred Warrenton, now deceased, was handed a bronze bear talisman in his younger days, which was said to protect him wherever he went. Now, the bear lies in the hands of Randolph Frederick Warrenton (Randy), Fred's grandson, who sets off for his journalism career amidst the havoc surrounding the Vietnam War. Similar to his late grandfather's story, the bear talisman is there to shield him and guide him through a life some may take for granted.

Although being part of a series, the author tells the story and history of the bear talisman from scratch. It's still perfect as a stand-alone.

Jerry A. Greenberg explores the concept of war very intricately in this story. The plot includes legitimate destinations, real-life groups of people, and real-life events that have happened in the past. None of the overall world-building is made-up or "fictional" in this case. From that, I can tell that Jerry has done an immense amount of research to write this story. Kudos for the amount of effort put into this!

There are many aspects of this book that suits my cup of tea. I enjoy how not only this book gave me a story to immerse myself into but also how it precisely delivers a history lesson to anyone who reads it. I love how it educated me on subjects that I wasn't quite familiar with and gave me a detailed insight into what the world was like during those times— what I'm trying to say is that this book did supply me with some valuable general knowledge. Not only that, because this book kept me engaged to the end! It's as we were with the characters, experiencing their daily lives and seeing a bear spirit come to life. I'll say all the characters feel very real. Everyone has such fruitful personalities; I cared for them a lot. For example, Alan pops up in the plot for the shortest amount of time, but there's no doubt I would've cried for him.

However, I'm sure everything that I enjoy could've been one step ahead for a few reasons. Earlier on, I did say it was engaging, but the writing needed more showing instead of telling. It could've been far more engrossing that way. Some sentences felt choppy or were too short.

Also, this book centers around our main character, Randy, but we dive a bit into his father, Larry's time during World War II at the beginning of the book. Although Larry's experience was relevant to the whole concept of war and the talisman, those five chapters on Larry's experience should've been a separate book, completing a trilogy about the three generations. His stories are very interesting and I will like more of him!

Moreover, there are quite many errors in the book, mostly punctual and minor ones.

With that, I simply rate this a 2 out of 4 stars. I say this mainly because of the errors, but the book also does not have the best/ unique historical fiction plot out there. However, somebody else might say otherwise!

I cannot recommend this book enough to people who are interested in journalism. This book sure made me think of being a journalist one day. I believe that this book is targeted to teens and onwards since there is profanity, but there is nothing too explicit. Overall, if you love wars, history, and bears, this book ticks all your boxes!

******
The Bronze Bear Continues
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Ondijo Junior]

Wow your review was very informative, this is a must read for me

[Ondijo Junior]

Wow your review was very informative, this is a must read for me

[Kira Bonita Reece]

Good review. I like books with a bit of history but also a good storyline

[TheMazeRunner]

Very informative review! Too bad there are lots of errors in the book...

[Edria Dayyinah]

Good review. I like books with a bit of history but also a good storyline

Yupp aint that the truth

[Edria Dayyinah]

Very informative review! Too bad there are lots of errors in the book...

Yes, i second that. But the errors actually don’t affect the book that much, quite a good read despite lack of editing a little bit

[Edria Dayyinah]

Wow your review was very informative, this is a must read for me

Thank you very much, hope you’ll enjoy it as well