Review of The accidental accountant

[Kirsi Cultrera]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The accidental accountant" by Keith Westmacott.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The chaos around the pandemics caused by COVID-19 is slowly starting to pass and is to be remembered only in the pages of history books. However, many of us have lived through bizarre times with rules, regulations, and restrictions. Some were even locked down in their houses or apartments. The time with pandemics has been hard on everyone, but we all react differently. For example, it might not have been such a significant issue for introverted personalities. However, Keith Westmacott describes himself as a fairly active personality, so a sudden lockdown was an enormous shock. To prevent going mad, he used his time to write a memoir.

Now we know the birth story of our title, The Accidental Accountant. The pandemic, however, is mentioned in the actual content only briefly. This book covers the main events of the author's life, focusing mainly on his career as an accountant and business owner. Nevertheless, it also gives a reasonable amount of attention to his personal life. Keith Westmacott was born in Ireland but moved to Paris, France, after meeting Marianne, his Danish wife. His businesses later took the family to Brazil, but their travels did not end there. Currently, Keith and Marianne live in Switzerland with a son they adopted from Brazil. At first sight, it seems that the author became an accountant and later a business owner merely by a chain of coincidences. Be it as it may, he was very successful in everything he did. He faced many tricky situations, and detecting frauds almost became his second nature. How did he come around those and other challenges he faced, both professionally and personally? The author shares many of those enticing stories in this memoir.

I very much enjoyed the international atmosphere of this book. Mirroring my own life experiences, I could very well relate to the challenges a person might face when traveling or relocating from one country to another. The situations caused by language barriers or cultural differences can be exhausting at the time, but they do result in situations that, in retrospect, are hilarious. For example, I laughed hysterically at Westmacott's experience of buying a house in the French countryside. Having lived many years abroad, the best feature of this book for me was the peer support it offered. I also enjoyed the jolly atmosphere of this book. This special personality trait always seems to follow the Irish folks everywhere. In addition, I must commend the author's excellent storytelling abilities; he would probably light up any party.

However, I also found a few negative issues. The biggest matter casting shadows over my reading experience was that the story's beginning appeared disorderly. The author's glimpses from his life seemed random and scattered, and I could not connect them with the book's title. As a result, I quickly grew tired of reading. I figured the author would have been better off telling these memories around a campfire, or in this case, perhaps at a party. However, the book found some structure later when the author got past the winding descriptions of his earlier years and moved on to his professional life. Suddenly, the entity started making sense. Towards the end, I found it more and more difficult to put this book down. That said, I must mention that the author seemed to be quite fond of the f-word. I found this slightly disturbing. There are more creative and appropriate ways to express negative feelings.

Due to the vague beginning, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. However, The Accidental Accountant by Keith Westmacott was an entertaining read. I would have happily granted this well-edited book a full rating if it had been possible to find the red thread earlier instead of getting lost in the author's past. This book shows that there's no obstacle we could not overcome with some positive attitude and hard work; the solution is always somewhere out there. I am glad the author turned the lockdown fruitful by writing this memoir.

Readers who enjoy memoirs will find this book worth reading. I especially recommend it to lovers of memoirs living abroad or having a multicultural family. However, because of the multiple usages of profane words, this book is for adults only.

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The accidental accountant
View: on Bookshelves

[Yasmine Zaki Muhieddine]

The themes in the book will be relatable to many readers, whether it is the pandemic or the consequences of lockdown, the move to a foreign country and the language barrier, etc.
On the review, it is mentioned that the author became an accountant and later on a businessman by a chain of coincidences, I would say he is rather someone who knows how to cease opportunities. I liked reading this review and I am certainly adding this book to my shelves, thank you.

[Faisal Kurfi]

The pandemic affected people differently as your pointed out. I'd be interested to read this book

[Paully_]

It's good that the author found an outlet through writing a memoir. I don't appreciate book with curse words so I will pass on this book.

[Ikechukwu+12345]

I must comment that the author utilized gis time well in writing this aspiring memoir. The pandemic period came with a whole lot casualties. All thanks it's gradually passing out.

[Wildflowertheorist]

A vague beginning to a not-putting-down-until-I-finish-reading memoir. There's travelling, culture differences and hilarious incidents due to it. It would be nice to read it. Lovely review!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

Thank you, @Wildflowertheorist @Ikechukwu+12345 @Paully_ @Faiso and @Yasmine M for reading and commenting see you around!

[MsH2k]

It sounds like the author found a way to share his stories with "friends" during the lockdown. I certainly admire his international travels and love the scene on the book's cover.

Thank you for your insightful analysis in this excellent review!

[Azubike Richard]

Thank you soo much for sharing this. But I am not interested in reading the book. I love your review, very detailed.

[Kirsi Cultrera]

It sounds like the author found a way to share his stories with "friends" during the lockdown. I certainly admire his international travels and love the scene on the book's cover.

Thank you for your insightful analysis in this excellent review!

Yes, the cover has a special atmosphere. The international aspect was definitely the best part of this book, at least for me, anyway thanks for stopping by!

[Kirsi Cultrera]

Thank you soo much for sharing this. But I am not interested in reading the book. I love your review, very detailed.

Thank you for your kind feedback. I hope you’ll find the perfect books for you to read, reading can be such an adventure!

[Tara D Morgan]

This isn't a book I would ever have considered reading as the title isn't very inspiring but thanks to your great warts and all review it is now going on my to read shelf

[Kirsi Cultrera]

This isn't a book I would ever have considered reading as the title isn't very inspiring but thanks to your great warts and all review it is now going on my to read shelf

I hope you’ll enjoy it! Thanks for your kind words!

[WriteOn]

I very much enjoyed the international atmosphere of this book. Mirroring my own life experiences, I could very well relate to the challenges a person might face when traveling or relocating from one country to another. The situations caused by language barriers or cultural differences can be exhausting at the time, but they do result in situations that, in retrospect, are hilarious.

I enjoyed reading your perceptive review Kirsi_78. I'm now interested in a book I previously ignored. The international aspects and the humour make it more appealing and relatable. It's a shame about the negative issues, but it's good to know they don't spoil the story. Thank you.

[Jatto Onimisi]

This is such an expository review. The author seems like one experienced fellow, considering his foray into and success in different fields and his varied cultural experiences living in different countries. The book will surely be a good read from your review.