Review by hailvilla18 -- The Stealer of Memories

[hailvilla18]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Stealer of Memories" by Mois Benarroch.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Stealer of Memories by Memoir Bennaroch is a novel written in a first person point of view. A narrator is a middle-aged man who is an author by profession.

The story is mainly about the nature of memory. It is divided into five parts. The first part is entitled Autobiography. He recalled the time when he met an accident at the age of eight while riding a bike. He felt confusion whether he is remembering what happened to him, if he is mentally disturbed of his works as an author, or if he has the ability to see memories that happened to other people. The second part is entitled Memories. He reminisced his experiences during his childhood. There were also dream-like scenes making the story bizarre. The third part is written in a first person point of view of Raquel, the narrator’s childhood friend and obsession. The fourth part details the narrator’s growing obsession to Raquel. The last part of the story is a combination of a dialogue and poem which gives the readers a realization of the story’s theme.

I think the most engrossing part of the story happened in the last chapter because of the effective use of style and emphasis on the theme which made a clear establishment of the title to the story. The parts were easy to understand. However, it could have been better if there was a smooth transition from one part to another.

I hate to be too formalistic in evaluating a literary work, but I cannot avoid myself from criticizing the style and format. I think there is a need to consult an English editor to improve the work. The errors I have observed are comma splice, run-on sentences, the wrong tense of verbs, improper shifting of pronouns, and inappropriate choice of words. For instance in grammar, it could have been “let the bike fly”, instead of “let the bike flying” or “Please go outside” instead of “Please went outside.” Moreover, when one uses adjectives, it must be clear to the readers what he is referring to. A line from the book says, “At looking upwards, it was the brown sock and quite ugly.” The dangling modifier is causing confusion whether the one being described as ugly is the man or the socks. I understand, though, that the author is not a native English speaker and the work has to be translated from Spanish to English.

I rate this book with 2 out of 4 stars. A story, to be effective, must not only have a good storyline. It also has to follow the structures of the English. I think the errors I have seen in the story would hinder one’s understanding of the events in the story, and would also prevent a reader from appreciating the story.

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The Stealer of Memories
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Like hailvilla18's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Ellie Gatillo]

Congratulations on such a well-written review! I pity the author for not being able to distinguish which memories are his.

[hailvilla18]

Congratulations on such a well-written review! I pity the author for not being able to distinguish which memories are his.

Thank you for the feedback. I hope you'll still give this book a try.

[Pilar Guerrero]

I tried to read this book and write a review, I had read "Gates of Tangier" before and I loved the author's style. However, with "The Stealer of Memories" I got completely lost. I speak Spanish as a first language and I studied English, so my mind was constantly correcting the translations until I cold not see the story anymore. But I gess that happens when you are a teacher (ha!)
I'm glad to see that the poor translation was not only my impression, I suggested the author to have the book translated by a different person...
Such a pity, he is a good writer with a new style of narrative.

[hailvilla18]

To be honest, I also had a hard time understanding the story and linking the events. Yes, it was on the poor translation that made it difficult to understand. My friend, too, mentioned that "Gates of Tangier" is a good book.

-- 27 Mar 2017, 10:17 --

Great Review! I am just bothered with the translation and grammar errors. However, I still want to give this book a try.

[michelonline29]

Very nice review! You're right maybe the author should seek for English editor to improve his literary work.

[hailvilla18]

Very nice review! You're right maybe the author should seek for English editor to improve his literary work.

Thanks for the compliment. It has a great storyline. It's just the errors that makes it a little bit hard to understand.

[Ellie Gatillo]

After some deliberation, I decided to read this book. I just started reading but I can see the errors you mentioned. I liked the story though.

[hailvilla18]

After some deliberation, I decided to read this book. I just started reading but I can see the errors you mentioned. I liked the story though.

Yeah. I encourage you to continue reading the story. It is a good one. Just ignore the errors for you to appreciate the pot. BTW, thanks for your feedback.

[michelonline29]

Thanks for the compliment. It has a great storyline. It's just the errors that makes it a little bit hard to understand.

Maybe I should also give this book a try.

[hailvilla18]

Thanks for the compliment. It has a great storyline. It's just the errors that makes it a little bit hard to understand.

Maybe I should also give this book a try.

Yeah. Give it a try! Just focus on the story, not on the errors and you'd love the book.

[michelonline29]

Yeah. Give it a try! Just focus on the story, not on the errors and you'd love the book.

Yeah probably, I will read it soon.

[MaricelBaby]

After reading your comprehensive review, I already have and idea of what is the book all about and its main errors (e.g. grammar, comma-splice and the like). Reflecting from the story I've found it very enticing to read despite of the constructive criticism imposed by the critiqued person. Congratulations for a very well constructed review. Supposedly, I'll be reading the book but you already made the review less arduous for me. To the author: i like the story but, I am therefore appalled when it comes to its technical aspects.

[hailvilla18]

After reading your comprehensive review, I already have and an idea of what is the book all about and its main errors (e.g. grammar, comma-splice and the like). Reflecting on the story I've found it very enticing to read despite the constructive criticism imposed by the critiqued person. Congratulations for a very well constructed review. Supposedly, I'll be reading the book but you already made the review less arduous for me. To the author: I like the story but, I am therefore appalled when it comes to its technical aspects.

Thank you MaricelBaby. I still encourage you to read the book. Focus on the story, instead of the errors.

[Donnavila Marie01]

Excellent review except for the wrong name of the author. I read the great book, "Gates to Tangier" by Mois and it is one of the stories which remained in my conscious mind. I hope this second book will be translated by someone who has the demand of both languages.