Official Review: Three Man Game by Jim Jarrell

[KRay93]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Three Man Game" by Jim Jarrell.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Three Man Game by Jim Jarrell is a non-fiction book in which the author, an attorney by training who has spent most of his career as in-house counsel for various companies, exposes his struggle to raise his two sons after losing his young wife to cancer. Encouraged by his daughter-in-law along with several people who experienced similar situations, Jim decided to put his story on paper.

The book begins with the narration of the moment in which the author learns about the newly developed medical condition of his wife. From here on, Jim recounts the events that led him to meet the woman of his life, including the setbacks of their relationship and the arrival of their children. Then, he narrates the comings and goings of his wife's battle against cancer, including a three-year temporary recovery. After her death, Jim continues telling how his family manages to overcome such a tragedy.

The first half of this book falls short in relation to its title. Although mentioned and partly explored, the figures of the author's two children feel a bit relegated. He exposes he would have liked to incorporate the vision of his children into the text, and he would do well to take this into account in case of any future revision. In contrast, the second half flows more naturally as the author fully explores the central point of the book. Additionally, at the end of each chapter, Jim includes a more recent perspective on the events he depicts, since he completed the story's first draft ten years before the final release.

As the reader may come to imagine, the book is told from the point of view of the author. The prose is relatively fluid and intimate, as expected in these kinds of texts. Nevertheless, from time to time, the reading process may be interrupted given the author's repeated attempts of resorting to clarifications and parentheses. Also, the editing work is second-rate. While there are no typos, there are a couple of missing commas, a few absent words, and some grammatical errors in the use of hyphens. Additionally, some simple semantic constructions with questionable grammar could have used some extra work.

The purpose of these kinds of books is to serve as a reference so that the potential readers can better deal with difficult situations in their lives. Despite a few drawbacks in the writing work, I believe the book fulfills this purpose in a remarkable way. The author is not afraid to delve into complex topics or to share his personal feelings, enriching the purpose of this text even further. For this reason, I give it 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it for people looking to overcome the loss of a loved relative or a significant person in their lives, outside of those that are going through the particular situation that Jim and his family faced.

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Three Man Game
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Like KRay93's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Jackie Holycross]

I'm not sure this one is for me, but it sounds hopeful.

[stacie k]

Losing a loved one to cancer is so difficult. I hope that writing this book brought peace to the author and will bring comfort to all who read it.

[Laura Ungureanu]

This book looks very sad. I know a person who lost someone from cancer too and the feeling is unbearable. I hope anyone who lives in this situation finds the strength to not give up and be happy.

[Africa12345]

the book is a sad news I doubt if the author will ever be heal from this sad story

[cpru68]

That part you wrote about the author having a first draft sit around for ten years gives me hope! I have a few of my own like that, but the danger then is not to have the second part of the story flow like the first. The topic of this one does sound interesting as many have lost spouses in this way so it can offer healing to those who need it. Nice job on this review.

[KRay93]

Losing a loved one to cancer is so difficult. I hope that writing this book brought peace to the author and will bring comfort to all who read it.

That part you wrote about the author having a first draft sit around for ten years gives me hope! I have a few of my own like that, but the danger then is not to have the second part of the story flow like the first. The topic of this one does sound interesting as many have lost spouses in this way so it can offer healing to those who need it. Nice job on this review.

In relation to that first draft that I mention, the author wrote it at first as some kind of personal therapy exercise. Then, encouraged by several people, he decided to transform it into this very same book, precisely with the hope of bringing other people the same relief that it brought to him the process of writing the book.

[420waystoreachthesun]

This is honestly a very intense topic. Thank you for writing this review.

[haleygerstenberg]

Sounds like it's a sweet book by the end of it. I can't imagine losing a wife and mama with two small children like that.

[gen_g]

Thank you for the detailed review, and seems like a great resource for people who are looking to overcome the loss of their loved ones. It does sound familiar to a book I reviewed previously titled Tears in His Bottle, which is also a book about dealing with trying situations in life.

[Sharon serena]

The book sounds very interesting to read as the author narrates his own struggle with the death of his wife. It is very hard to deal with the lose of a loved one and having such a book that particularly targets those in grief is quite welcoming . I also love the cover of the book . Thanks for the detailed review.