Review of CrackerJack!

[Brett Linette]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "CrackerJack!" by Shea Rose.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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CrackerJack by Shea Rose is a novel about wanting to be "tussled." Not even knowing what such a word could mean, Cindy Jack takes a few minutes out of her morning routine to look it up. Little does Cindy know that these few minutes are going to have her late for another day of work. Despite how boring life as a stenographer is, Cindy can't help but feel that something is on the horizon. She isn't wrong. When Alonzo Prier returns to her life as the big man on campus, Cindy can already envision them "tussling" with one another. The problem is that Alonzo is busy tussling with matters of his own. When those in high places are said to have had the Health Department grant them as much as five million dollars, Alonzo has a desire to know why. If Cindy can fulfill this desire of his, could he be the one to fulfill this desire that she has to be tussled?

While it's usually boring to read about a character getting dressed in the morning, the clothes in Cindy's closet are described in such detail that they're actually fun to read about. I want that black skirt. I want that white shirt. I want those low heels. I want it all. Because there's a lot of talk about dressing up and going out, this book reads a lot more like a romance novel than anything else. While the suspense is there, one could argue that it's overshadowed by all of the romance. Rather than compliment one another, I actually feel that the suspense and romance clash. While the romance was goofy in the best way, the goofiness of the romance took away from the seriousness of the suspense. Just when Cindy appears to be working, she's striking poses from behind her stenotype machine. If that isn't a good example of how wishy-washy this story can be, I don't know what is.

One thing that's always clear is the imagery. Rather than just detailing the scene, the author has a way of framing the picture. When Cindy is said to watch the folks come and go from various directions, I can really visualize the crowd and how animated it is. For a minute there, I felt just as lost in the crowd as Cindy appeared to have been.

There's a debate on whether hospitals should have to justify the spending of any financial aid that they are to receive. While the first arguments are solid, the following arguments come across as replicas. I understand the logic of reinforcing a statement by repeating it, but there's a point where the repetition does more harm than good. When Gary Numan makes his point more than enough times, I don't see the benefit of having multiple characters wear it out. A lot of the dialogue is redundant. I can't count the number of times that Gina tells Cindy to stop longing for Alonzo. Cindy's desire to be tussled is probably repeated more than anything. As much as it initially irked me, I made peace with it; the ending made it easy for me to.

All things considered, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The story ends up embodying so much heart that I'm willing to dismiss the beginning's lack thereof. Because the beginning of the story is intentionally boring, I'd recommend this book to those who have the patience to wait it out. There's a point in the story where Gina's temper is referred to as an "Italian" temper. While it's obvious that the author is commending Gina's temper, it's still a stereotypical thing to say about it. While I find the racism to be a flaw, it isn't technically an error, given that it was written intentionally.

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CrackerJack!
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[Umesh Bhatt]

Seems to a romantic book of its own kind. Would like to check it at a later date. Thanks for the interesting review.

[Blessing Odii]

I can't wait to read more about Cindy. Nice book.

[Mbenma Esther 080]

This is an insightful review. Thank you

[Brett Linette]

Seems to a romantic book of its own kind. Would like to check it at a later date. Thanks for the interesting review.

Thank you so much for the comment, my fellow reader, let alone such a positive one.

I loved your review of "A Dream For Peace" by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah.

[Brett Linette]

I can't wait to read more about Cindy. Nice book.

Thanks so much for the comment, my fellow reader, let alone such an enthusiastic one.

I loved your review of "One Jesus, One Way" by The Proving Jesus Group.

[Brett Linette]

This is an insightful review. Thank you

Thanks a bunch for the comment, my fellow reader, let alone one of praise.

I loved your review of "Killing Abel" by Michael Tieman.

[Aisha Yakub]

Though it started out boring, the plot got more interesting in subsequent pages. Great review.

[Brett Linette]

Though it started out boring, the plot got more interesting in subsequent pages. Great review.

Thank you so much for the comment, Raymond, let alone such an informative one.

I loved your review of "Reluctant Angels" by dodie Hamilton.

[Pauline Parnell]

I love the cover. Alonzo is a handsome fellow and the plot is intriguing. Already full marks for me. Thanks for the review.

[Brett Linette]

I love the cover. Alonzo is a handsome fellow and the plot is intriguing. Already full marks for me. Thanks for the review.

Thanks a million for the comment, Pauline, let alone one that not only acknowledges the quality of the plot but the beauty of the cover.

I loved your review of "Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature" by Chet Shupe.

[Yasmine Zaki Muhieddine]

Thank you for the detailed review. I would like to read the book, not so much for the story itself - I feel it lacks originality - but for the writing style mentioned here(the detailed descriptions of clothes, the framing of scenes, etc.).

[queen anirah]

This sounds like an interesting romance novel and the review really discloses the perks of this book. I think it will be great to see life from the protagonist’s perspective.

[Candy Candy_]

This book would pretty much suit the audience of romance and so on, but from your review I don't think it's the kind of story that I might enjoy.
But great review!

[AntonelaMaria]

While I like to read romance novels the informative review gave me a better idea about the book and I don't think it is for me. You covered all the aspects of the book in your review and the clash of romance and suspense is an interesting observation. Great job.