Official Review: The Ping-Pong Champion of Chinatown
Posted: 25 Mar 2021, 12:58
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Ping-Pong Champion of Chinatown" by James Hanna.]
Meet Gertie McDowell, just a small-town girl born in Turkey Roost, Kentucky. Gertie knows she is a talented actress, so she goes to Los Angeles to fulfill her dream. Instead, she ends up becoming Miss Little Twinkle Toes, an inspiration for the foot-fetish community worldwide. At only 23 years old, our protagonist starts living the good life helped by Nose, her agent. However, she decides that fame does not suit her, so the girl returns to Turkey Roost. After a while, Gertie gets married to Benny because he asked her (not because she loves him). Later, the heroine tries to start a clothing business, but it seems like a dead end. She was ready to give up when Jean Valjean, from Sugar Shack Trends, approached her with an incredible partnership offer. You can't even imagine what happens next!
The first-person narrative allowed the reader to discover more about Gertie, the main character. She is naive, good-hearted, and sometimes lucky. The protagonist is also very practical and a little vain. For instance, she followed her kidnapper in the woods because she “didn’t wanna leave no pee-stained corpse where anyone could find it.” Gertie is not very cultured, but she knows her limits and respects a knowledgeable man. Her curious nature is admirable, and Gertie asks herself hard questions, like who was Cain's wife. Also, the girl is very talented at playing ping-pong (that one was obvious) or riding the mechanical bull.
The informal writing style was simple, colorful, and matched Gertie’s candid personality. I adored the expressive metaphors, such as “I was dumber than broccoli” or “my heart hopped like a duck on a June bug.” Also, the book was full of subtle humor and entertaining characters. Gertie’s fans nominated her for “the Shiniest Arches Award” because she had “a divine obligation the share her gift to the world.” Nose’s advice always contained something related to feet, like “test the waters before dipping in your toes.” Also, a detective named Sancho Panza wanted to help Gertie bring Jean Valjean to justice.
As entertaining as it was, the novel presented some preconceptions born out of the lack of education. For instance, a Mexican-looking man made Gertie think “he was probably a rapist” because Donald Trump said so. The book involved some political satire, but the scene didn't send the correct message. Also, the 130-pages novel felt too short and without a proper ending. After so many adventures, I expected something even more extraordinary to happen or something very mundane. However, nothing occurred in the end.
Because of the issues mentioned above, I had to deduct one star, so The Ping-Pong Champion of Chinatown by James Hanna gets 3 out of 4 stars. This delightful story made me feel “as pleased as a pig in the mud.” I also appreciated the excellent editing since I didn’t find any mistakes.
The book will appeal to people looking for a light and relaxing read. Table tennis enthusiasts will also find some tips and tricks. However, if you are looking for profound teachings, you will be disappointed. Fair warning, there are some themes involving foot fetish, slavery, or lesbianism, so I would not recommend the book to adolescents or an audience bothered by such topics.
******
The Ping-Pong Champion of Chinatown
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Meet Gertie McDowell, just a small-town girl born in Turkey Roost, Kentucky. Gertie knows she is a talented actress, so she goes to Los Angeles to fulfill her dream. Instead, she ends up becoming Miss Little Twinkle Toes, an inspiration for the foot-fetish community worldwide. At only 23 years old, our protagonist starts living the good life helped by Nose, her agent. However, she decides that fame does not suit her, so the girl returns to Turkey Roost. After a while, Gertie gets married to Benny because he asked her (not because she loves him). Later, the heroine tries to start a clothing business, but it seems like a dead end. She was ready to give up when Jean Valjean, from Sugar Shack Trends, approached her with an incredible partnership offer. You can't even imagine what happens next!
The first-person narrative allowed the reader to discover more about Gertie, the main character. She is naive, good-hearted, and sometimes lucky. The protagonist is also very practical and a little vain. For instance, she followed her kidnapper in the woods because she “didn’t wanna leave no pee-stained corpse where anyone could find it.” Gertie is not very cultured, but she knows her limits and respects a knowledgeable man. Her curious nature is admirable, and Gertie asks herself hard questions, like who was Cain's wife. Also, the girl is very talented at playing ping-pong (that one was obvious) or riding the mechanical bull.
The informal writing style was simple, colorful, and matched Gertie’s candid personality. I adored the expressive metaphors, such as “I was dumber than broccoli” or “my heart hopped like a duck on a June bug.” Also, the book was full of subtle humor and entertaining characters. Gertie’s fans nominated her for “the Shiniest Arches Award” because she had “a divine obligation the share her gift to the world.” Nose’s advice always contained something related to feet, like “test the waters before dipping in your toes.” Also, a detective named Sancho Panza wanted to help Gertie bring Jean Valjean to justice.
As entertaining as it was, the novel presented some preconceptions born out of the lack of education. For instance, a Mexican-looking man made Gertie think “he was probably a rapist” because Donald Trump said so. The book involved some political satire, but the scene didn't send the correct message. Also, the 130-pages novel felt too short and without a proper ending. After so many adventures, I expected something even more extraordinary to happen or something very mundane. However, nothing occurred in the end.
Because of the issues mentioned above, I had to deduct one star, so The Ping-Pong Champion of Chinatown by James Hanna gets 3 out of 4 stars. This delightful story made me feel “as pleased as a pig in the mud.” I also appreciated the excellent editing since I didn’t find any mistakes.
The book will appeal to people looking for a light and relaxing read. Table tennis enthusiasts will also find some tips and tricks. However, if you are looking for profound teachings, you will be disappointed. Fair warning, there are some themes involving foot fetish, slavery, or lesbianism, so I would not recommend the book to adolescents or an audience bothered by such topics.
******
The Ping-Pong Champion of Chinatown
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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That sent me scrambling to listen to “Who am I?” from Les Misérables. Thank you for introducing me to this book. I enjoyed your review.