Review of The Abalone Ukulele

[Anamika Satheesh]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Abalone Ukulele" by R. L. Crossland.]

---

4 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

The Abalone Ukulele by R. L. Crossland is a historical fiction book that revolves around fictional officers in the US Navy. The plot is set a few decades before the First World War. It narrates real-life events through fictional voices.

The book combines the voices of four different nations. It has characters from China, the USA, Korea, and Japan, who make it an interesting read. A disgraced Korean officer and a Chinese prostitute add to the intricacy of the story. All these characters are unique and well-developed. The protagonists have such contrasting personalities, which only adds more depth to the plot. As the reader, I was drawn to the development of the characters throughout the book, and I commend the author for pulling it off so well.

Another major positive aspect of this book is the history lesson it contains. The author narrates the tale so fluidly that it just grabs the attention of the readers. Unlike a normal history class, the book does not merely disseminate the events that took place. There is an emotional factor that makes it more intriguing and memorable. Crossland has definitely done his research and explored the political and historical contexts of the events that occur in the book.

Crossland is a brilliant writer. A lot of the scenes were described marvelously, and the author's style of writing has so much power. However, I was slightly disappointed with the editing. I did spot a lot of errors, and a couple of the stylistic choices that Crossland made while writing didn't work so well in my subjective opinion. It wasn't too hard to read, but it was disappointing because, if not for those, this book would have been immaculate.

The editing is the only drawback to this book. The writing is honestly pretty decent, but it does require some editing. Apart from that, the story and the development of the characters are perfect. Therefore, I'm happy to award it 4 out of 5 stars.

******
The Abalone Ukulele
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Kavita Shah]

It sounds like a good book that narrates historical events with fictional characters adding emotions and making it a intriguing read. Thank you for the concise review Anamika!

[Anamika Satheesh]

Thank you for your kind comment, Kavita!