Official Review: Red Lory by Dave Newell
Posted: 27 Mar 2014, 13:44
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Red Lory" by Dave Newell.]
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Set in what seems like a Miss Marple-like village from Agatha Christie’s novels, Dave Newell’s Red Lory attempts to portray small town characters with dark secrets. The protagonist, Douglas Howard, a doctor with very few patients, finds himself in the midst of an sticky love affair with a married woman and a large pile of unpaid bills. Over the course of the novel, Howard attempts to find ways to increase his monetary gains in order to support his small business and to keep his personal assistant, Dare Derringer, from losing her job. Both Howard and Derringer have secrets, and as the story unfolds, those secrets are revealed, causing unwanted consequences.
While the premise of the novel is interesting, the execution of this story is poorly done. Newell’s characters are underdeveloped, and the motivations for the character’s actions feel illogical and unbelievable. As a reader, I could not relate to any of these characters in any way, and while a writer should try to capture the essence of our human nature, the complexity behind our decisions, etc., Newell’s characters fail to exhibit traits that offer a complex picture of a human being. Instead, Newell employs stock characters - the handsome yet rogue male doctor, the manipulative female philanderer, and the underappreciated, mysterious, yet, of course (insert eye roll here), very attractive female secretary.
As I read through the story, I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at the absurdity of the characters’ behaviors and even the setting itself. I could not actually picture the setting or where in the world this particular village might be. It’s a world without much modern technology, where everyone in the village knows the other, but the description of the setting is so generic and undeveloped that I felt this town could not possibly exist. It seems to attempt to portray the sort of small village Agatha Christie creates in her novels, but Christie actually includes strong cultural references that allow us to see that the town is set in rural England. Red Lory fails to do so.
If there is any part of this novel that is redeeming, it is in the portrayal of Howard’s pet talking parrot, Hannah. Hannah is the most interesting character of the entire novel because her behavior is actually humorous, and it is interesting to see her interaction the doctor and how she contributes to the plot at the end of the novel.
I rate the book 1 out of 4 stars. I cannot in good conscious recommend this book to anyone I know, and therefore feel that I need to be completely honest in my rating.
***
Buy "Red Lory" on Amazon
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While the premise of the novel is interesting, the execution of this story is poorly done. Newell’s characters are underdeveloped, and the motivations for the character’s actions feel illogical and unbelievable. As a reader, I could not relate to any of these characters in any way, and while a writer should try to capture the essence of our human nature, the complexity behind our decisions, etc., Newell’s characters fail to exhibit traits that offer a complex picture of a human being. Instead, Newell employs stock characters - the handsome yet rogue male doctor, the manipulative female philanderer, and the underappreciated, mysterious, yet, of course (insert eye roll here), very attractive female secretary.
As I read through the story, I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at the absurdity of the characters’ behaviors and even the setting itself. I could not actually picture the setting or where in the world this particular village might be. It’s a world without much modern technology, where everyone in the village knows the other, but the description of the setting is so generic and undeveloped that I felt this town could not possibly exist. It seems to attempt to portray the sort of small village Agatha Christie creates in her novels, but Christie actually includes strong cultural references that allow us to see that the town is set in rural England. Red Lory fails to do so.
If there is any part of this novel that is redeeming, it is in the portrayal of Howard’s pet talking parrot, Hannah. Hannah is the most interesting character of the entire novel because her behavior is actually humorous, and it is interesting to see her interaction the doctor and how she contributes to the plot at the end of the novel.
I rate the book 1 out of 4 stars. I cannot in good conscious recommend this book to anyone I know, and therefore feel that I need to be completely honest in my rating.
***
Buy "Red Lory" on Amazon