Official Review: Grape Nuts or Corn Flakes
Posted: 25 May 2020, 13:10
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Grape Nuts or Corn Flakes" by Jane Waters Bugg.]
On the surface, 60-something-year-old Deb Cromwell looked like any other woman her age. She seemed to have everything going for her: a good husband and two amazing kids in their twenties. But beneath the smile, Deb was carrying around deep emotional and psychological scars from a violent gang rape incident she had survived in her college days.
Deb had succeeded in tucking the memory away and raising a family, despite her experience. But after she lost her father, experienced a carjacking attack, and consequently suffered amnesia, events began to align that set her on a path to confront her emotional wounds. Will she find closure, or will this lead her to uncover more demons from her past?
Grape Nuts or Corn Flakes was a delightful read. I suspected that the author, Jane Waters Bugg, was a copywriter, given the story's effortless flow and word and phrase choices. After visiting her website, my suspicions were confirmed. My favorite character in the book was Deb. This statement would seem expected, given that she was the central character of the book. However, the author did an excellent job of developing her character. She sufficiently portrayed the loving but sometimes withdrawn connection between Deb and her husband, Joe, and the love and concern her children — Miles and Zannah — had for her. The other support characters, Tyler, Donna, Dennis, Dr. Nutley, Susie, and Michael, only featured when it was appropriate. None of them threatened to outshine Deb's central positioning. I found this to be very refreshing. I also like that Waters Bugg used profanity sparingly and only in strict contexts. This means that anyone can read this book even if they're uncomfortable with such language.
While I loved the story and the author's writing, I didn't like that I found some grammatical, typographical, and formatting issues while reading. They did not detract from my reading experience at all. Still, they were enough of them for me to take notice. These errors suggest that this book needs some professional editing work. I also wasn't excited by the book's cover design; I felt like it didn't do anything to portray the book's message.
In all, Grape Nuts or Corn Flakes was a winner in my mind. However, considering the number of errors with the writing and the cover design, I can only give it 3 out of 4 stars. I desperately wish I could have given it more because the story was terrific. I would recommend this book to anyone who has had to live with the trauma of physical or emotional abuse.
******
Grape Nuts or Corn Flakes
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
On the surface, 60-something-year-old Deb Cromwell looked like any other woman her age. She seemed to have everything going for her: a good husband and two amazing kids in their twenties. But beneath the smile, Deb was carrying around deep emotional and psychological scars from a violent gang rape incident she had survived in her college days.
Deb had succeeded in tucking the memory away and raising a family, despite her experience. But after she lost her father, experienced a carjacking attack, and consequently suffered amnesia, events began to align that set her on a path to confront her emotional wounds. Will she find closure, or will this lead her to uncover more demons from her past?
Grape Nuts or Corn Flakes was a delightful read. I suspected that the author, Jane Waters Bugg, was a copywriter, given the story's effortless flow and word and phrase choices. After visiting her website, my suspicions were confirmed. My favorite character in the book was Deb. This statement would seem expected, given that she was the central character of the book. However, the author did an excellent job of developing her character. She sufficiently portrayed the loving but sometimes withdrawn connection between Deb and her husband, Joe, and the love and concern her children — Miles and Zannah — had for her. The other support characters, Tyler, Donna, Dennis, Dr. Nutley, Susie, and Michael, only featured when it was appropriate. None of them threatened to outshine Deb's central positioning. I found this to be very refreshing. I also like that Waters Bugg used profanity sparingly and only in strict contexts. This means that anyone can read this book even if they're uncomfortable with such language.
While I loved the story and the author's writing, I didn't like that I found some grammatical, typographical, and formatting issues while reading. They did not detract from my reading experience at all. Still, they were enough of them for me to take notice. These errors suggest that this book needs some professional editing work. I also wasn't excited by the book's cover design; I felt like it didn't do anything to portray the book's message.
In all, Grape Nuts or Corn Flakes was a winner in my mind. However, considering the number of errors with the writing and the cover design, I can only give it 3 out of 4 stars. I desperately wish I could have given it more because the story was terrific. I would recommend this book to anyone who has had to live with the trauma of physical or emotional abuse.
******
Grape Nuts or Corn Flakes
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I like that the book has a strong and reliable main character. Thank you for a great review!