Official Review: Tomorrow is Always Wednesday

NadineTimes10 · Post by **NadineTimes10** » 03 Jan 2019, 08:41

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tomorrow is Always Wednesday" by Brian F Decker.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Akio, a Japanese soldier, goes off to fight in World War II, feeling confident that the conflict will be a short one. He is also sure his wife and daughter will be safe back home in Nagasaki. In the United States, a young man named Frank joins the Marines. He and the other young recruits with him have little idea how the war will impact their families, their sweethearts, and their friendships with each other. Decades later, Frank's granddaughter, Sophie, seeks to understand more about her grandfather's time in combat in Tomorrow is Always Wednesday by author Brian F. Decker.

Much like a slice-of-life tale, this book could be called a slice-of-war novel with split timelines. The author takes the reader back and forth through the years with scenes from various characters' lives before, during, and after their involvement in wartime. No matter which side of the war the characters fall on, the story portrays them as human beings with hopes, fears, grief, and love.

The unceremonious way in which the author presents some of the momentous and tragic events is striking. Imminent danger hovers beyond certain scenes with an eerie quality. The illustrations of humanity in the midst of war zones are affecting, even as the landscape conveys the sense of nature's unaffected constancy.

However, the strength in this novel's delivery is inconsistent. While there are times when the development and imagery are deft and effective, much of the writing has a novice feel. After the author gives his personal acknowledgments in the preface, the next paragraph in the preface jumps right into dialogue between two characters, with no warning. For the sake of clarity, the characters' first scene should have been separated into a prologue or its own chapter.

Issues such as awkward phrasing and missing prepositions make the reading choppy. The transitions within scenes are also awkward when the author skips ahead in time without indicating the shifts in time first. The way the story suddenly switches between different characters' perspectives on occasion is jarring. Various scenes, especially the romantic ones, develop with trite and repetitive wording.

The statistics and historical explanations in the reading do not always mesh with the flow of the story. It's as if the novel pauses now and then to become nonfiction for a while. Moreover, there are numerous errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the book. There are several instances of verb tense confusion in the narration, and the author mixes up homophones and other words with similar spellings. Also, the dialogue between characters runs together in some paragraphs, when there should be separate paragraphs for the different speakers.

In all, the essence of this story is an authentic and stirring tribute to a critical time in history and the people who played crucial roles in it. Yet, the inconsistent quality of the style and the frequent errors significantly detract from the book's presentation. Therefore, I give Tomorrow is Always Wednesday a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. I'd recommend it to readers of historical fiction, especially those with an interest in war stories. Even so, the book should be edited and proofread first.

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Tomorrow is Always Wednesday
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Itskai88 · Post by **Itskai88** » 04 Jan 2019, 13:56

From this review, it seems like this was poorly written and justice wasn’t done in the name of history. Only readers with strong interest in war history stories will enjoy this, for beginners like me I think it will be too complicated. Thank you for the honest review.

sofiatalman · Post by **sofiatalman** » 04 Jan 2019, 16:30

Thanks for the review! I love the language you used. The wording in your review was probably more profound then the book itself.

Darlynn_Tebogo · Post by **Darlynn_Tebogo** » 04 Jan 2019, 16:59

I am a huge fan of historical fiction. However this book sounds like it was not edited at all and books with significant grammatical errors usually get the reader caught up in the errors instead of the story line. For fears of being let down by the authors writing style I will not be reading this book. Great review Kai!

Jessacardinal · Post by **Jessacardinal** » 04 Jan 2019, 17:42

It sounds like this book has the potential to be a wonderful story after some further editing. I believe I will keep it on my shelf for a future reading possibility.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 04 Jan 2019, 21:47

I enjoyed your analysis of this book. The grammar problems you have listed would frustrate me too much. I appreciate the time and effort you put into reading the book and writing this excellent review.

NadineTimes10 · Post by **NadineTimes10** » 05 Jan 2019, 01:12

sofiatalman wrote: ↑04 Jan 2019, 16:30 Thanks for the review! I love the language you used. The wording in your review was probably more profound then the book itself.

Aw, shucks.

Thanks for reading!

NadineTimes10 · Post by **NadineTimes10** » 05 Jan 2019, 01:13

Jessacardinal wrote: ↑04 Jan 2019, 17:42 It sounds like this book has the potential to be a wonderful story after some further editing. I believe I will keep it on my shelf for a future reading possibility.

Sounds like a good idea!

Alicia09 · Post by **Alicia09** » 05 Jan 2019, 14:26

This book sounds like it has a lot of potential to be a great historical fiction story if it's professionally edited. It's a shame there were so many errors. Thanks for the review!

NadineTimes10 · Post by **NadineTimes10** » 05 Jan 2019, 17:30

Alicia09 wrote: ↑05 Jan 2019, 14:26 This book sounds like it has a lot of potential to be a great historical fiction story if it's professionally edited. It's a shame there were so many errors. Thanks for the review!

Yes, the potential is definitely there!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 06 Jan 2019, 07:09

I read a story similar in nature. One where the author pauses the plot to give you facts. It's disturbing and usually boring. I'll pass, though it seems that there are good things about the book. Thanks.

TrishaAnn92 · Post by **TrishaAnn92** » 06 Jan 2019, 21:02

That is unfortunate that it didn't quite seem to meet expectations. My husband and myself are both history enthusiasts and I think this is a book we would have to pass on. Great job on the review.

nonamer_miss · Post by **nonamer_miss** » 10 Jan 2019, 07:39

The statistics and historical explanations in the reading do not always mesh with the flow of the story.

Statistics? I'll be lost as well... Too bad since from your summary, the story has a lot of potential.

Sweet Psamy · Post by **Sweet Psamy** » 11 Jan 2019, 09:00

Why is the title 'Tomorrow Is Always Wednesday"? Why Wednesday? Why not Sunday, or Thursday, or Monday, etc.?

NadineTimes10 · Post by **NadineTimes10** » 11 Jan 2019, 11:11

Sweet Psamy wrote: ↑11 Jan 2019, 09:00 Why is the title 'Tomorrow Is Always Wednesday"? Why Wednesday? Why not Sunday, or Thursday, or Monday, etc.?

It might be one of the most poignant aspects of the story! But it would be a bit of a spoiler to give away the meaning of this particular title, I believe.