Review of The Unlikely Cowboy

[Silvia Idahosa]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Unlikely Cowboy" by James E. Doucette.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Some people experience little occurrences that they want to forget, others experience situations that could be labelled as tragic. To a great extent, everyone has a past or an ugly situation that they have to move past and in this book, we are shown a variety of characters with pasts that they work to overcome.

The Unlikely Cowboy by James E. Doucette follows the life of a New York City police officer, Joseph D'Angelo. Joe is a military veteran with a past that could make anyone depressed but he continues to live his life. Following an incident, Joe moves to the countryside, to a land of cowboys. He moves to Texas to start a new life and build his future outside law enforcement. Will he finally be able to overcome his past?

Joe has several good friends on his side and this encourages him in the course of the story. His move to Texas was suggested by a good friend and his stay in Texas was made memorable by a couple of good friends. In the course of the book, we are also introduced to other characters like Rowdy and Megan with their own share of pasts. Gradually, a lot of progress and growth is shown in the lives of these characters.

James E. Doucette takes us on a descriptive and detailed overview of Canyon, Texas. While giving us a story, he successfully gives us a feeling of how life in Texas could be. It makes the rustic life seem very appealing and relaxing at the same time. For example, we see the young couple from up north who come down to Texas to relax and pay to ride a horse for the first time. The author gives the feeling of rustic and comfortable.

In my opinion, the author presents an array of realistic characters. We see characters with different personalities and different problems. This goes to show that life is not perfect. Everyone has problems but the way you handle these problems is what makes the difference in your life. Are you open to moving on? Are you ready to make gradual changes that could help you? Are you ready to let people into your life that could help you? Are you ready to talk? All these questions were answered in one way or the other by the actions of the characters that had to move past their problems.

The Unlikely Cowboy is a book that is halfway indulging. I say halfway because of the short length of several chapters. It felt like some chapters ended and restarted just when I was getting hooked on a particular conversation. These chapters felt short and abrupt at the end and on some level, the abruptness disconnected me while I was reading. On the other hand, some chapters like Chapter 19 felt appropriately short. On a different note, this book was exceptionally well edited.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I deducted a star for the reasons I stated in the previous paragraph. I would recommend this book to military veterans, people who would like a rustic change of scenery or people who have problems they want to move past. It is a relaxing and insightful read.

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The Unlikely Cowboy
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[Vivian Writes]

I wonder what sort of depressing experiences that led Joe to move far out to Texas. It is indeed quite frustrating when a chapter ends just when you’re starting to settle into and get hooked on it! The author might still be able to revise this. Well done.

[Uche Active]

I wonder what the cowboy's past is. Is it tragic or sad? I also wonder if he is able to let go and forget about the past, after relocating. I am looking forward to reading this book. Amazing review.