Review of Burke

[Liza Chulukhadze]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Burke" by Ed Clemons.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Burke by Ed Clemon walks the reader through the life of Joe Burke starting at age 7, telling up to 30 more years of his occurrences. Joe was raised by a loving mother and an abusive, alcoholic cop father. Because of his menacing nature, Joe's father gained many enemies and a contemptuous reputation, which took a toll on Joe’s life. With Burke's massive build, some people perceived him as a threat, which got him in a lot of trouble. Yet Joe was a harmless and kind-hearted young man; the world seemed to be against him. Despite all the hardships, Joe remained a decent and trustworthy person, which did him a lot of good later throughout his life journey.

I am glad to admit that the author did a great job at writing this story. The chapters of the book are kept short and informative, which both gives the whole perspective of the scenario and makes the book easily readable. His writing style is also exquisite. There were many ups and downs to Burke’s story, which kept me intrigued and looking forward to the next chapter. The events unfold during World War II and have just the right amount of life lessons, romance, drama, humor, and heroic backgrounds. I enjoyed reading the story of Burke transforming from a fragile, bullied boy to a man capable of defending his town, his features filled with a strong mind, dedication, patience, dignity, and discipline.

Even though there are countless positive sides to this book, I came across countless grammatical errors and typos. There were so many errors that I don’t think the book was at all professionally edited. It broke my heart that such a good story was ruined by them. I'd also like to mention that the author has used dialects and improper English spelling to characterize some personages, and I obviously did not count them as errors.

I appreciate the author’s hard work in writing this book. I have fallen in love with its plot, characters, Ed’s writing style, humorous scenarios, and the lessons this book teaches. I would definitely have given it a determined 5 stars if not for the unprofessional editing that hardened the reading process. I feel like, based on the intensity of the mentioned problem, I have to deduct 2 stars, and therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I would love to read an edited version and give this book all the stars it deserves.

In my opinion, this book would be enjoyable for people who look for humor, easy-going narration, romance, a little bit of motivation in books, or just an enjoyable read in their free time. It would be better suited to people who have advanced knowledge of English, as the book contains dialects. I am sure that after professional editing, this book will become one of my favorites.

 

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Burke
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Catherine Radford]

Is this based on the authors own life and experience or is it entirely a work of fiction?