Review of The ALTER Call

[Sam Ibeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The ALTER Call" by Shea Rose.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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In The ALTER Call, Shēa Rose recounted her journey to finding peace through a fictional character, Danielle Winters. Known to be scholarly, she attended Arts High and went to Seton Hall University, where she graduated on the dean's list. She finally worked for the State Department of Insurance, at which point she had been married to her husband Ted and had gone through two ectopic pregnancies. Her life seemed to be on track until her marriage took a downhill turn around the same time as Jamison Banks entered her life. Jamison was an independent counsel for the department, rich and handsome, and provided the exotic romance that Danielle seemed to need. Still, it all appeared too good to be true. While trying to make sense of her romance with Jamison, Danielle had to rely on the support of her kindred sisters, Stephanie and Kasandra, if things ever went south.

There wasn't much the author did in terms of character background and development. When she did present a somewhat background, it came off as shallow and didn't give room for me to connect with the story. It contributed to my lack of empathy toward the author's experiences. For such a personal story, I had no idea who the narrator was, and by the end of the book, Danielle Winters remained somewhat of a stranger.

The story appeared almost ridiculous and possibly irritating at some point in the book. This would form part of the significant challenges readers would encounter in the book. There would be the inability to connect emotionally with the author or her story because they seemed superficial. One of the characters pointed out that the author's description of her experiences as a life 'storm' was inaccurate in comparison to the struggles of others. Granted, you cannot discount another person's experiences as 'non-traumatic enough,' even if they appear pretty exaggerated, childish, and raise questions about the purpose of the book. However, this book failed to communicate the author's experience to me appropriately.

To cap off the negative aspects of the book, it wasn't professionally edited. I found several errors that shouldn't have gone past a professional editor. I even felt like the book title should be corrected. The correct word should be "altar," not "alter," considering the content and message of the book. I'd recommend another round of thorough editing.

On the bright side, the informal tone adopted by the author in her narration helped the story come through as less 'too serious.' Also, the narration was fast-paced, and the story came to an end within a reasonable time. Keeping all technicalities aside, the author expressed her desire for the story to be a lesson point for others. She neither spared herself any blame nor presented herself as a saint, which was commendable, as she was honest with the stories she shared. Through her story, Danielle shined the light on the challenges of relationships and marriages — from the lies and lack of trust to infidelity, inadequate communication, and the absence of quality time. By the end of the book, readers in relationships would have picked a thing or two from the author's experiences and the other characters in the book.

Intrinsically, The ALTER Call told the story of 'change,' its inevitability, and its importance in life, especially when it came to discovering purpose. The author had a call to change her life to become better. The book was a call to action and also a voice of encouragement to all those who would read it to break out of any 'rut' and actively do things differently in their lives. More importantly, as its name suggested, the book was indeed a call to salvation for all. The author intended with the unabashed telling of her story to showcase the saving grace of God for those who assume they had gone too far from being saved.

I recommend this book to the patient, open-minded reader who loves biographies. The ALTER Call has its fair share of negatives and positives. Therefore, I rate it two out of four stars.

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The ALTER Call
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Patty Allread]

Though I am not interested in reading this book, I found your analysis and review very well-expressed.

[Okoye Chinonso+]

At first, it seemed like an interesting story that would be worth the while, but not giving enough reference to the protagonist wasn't a good idea.
Thanks for the review of the book.

[Christopherio]

thanks for the honest review. I find the book quite confusing so I'll pass.

[GNerd]

As a critique, I need a work of art shouldn't be based on the million choices the creative should've made but in his/her apt delivery of the storyline. I enjoyeded reading through your review.

[Horlarmidey Harkinolah]

It's so sad that this book got a bad rating. I thought it will be interesting based on the book title.
Even though it was badly rated, I enjoyed the review. It was interesting.
Thanks for the honest review.

[Jen Nghishitende]

Wow, I thought the book cover and title seemed exciting, but the book itself would be a disappointment. I need to connect with the characters of a book to enjoy it thoroughly, and I can't even imagine a romantic book without this connection! And can I say well done for finishing it because I would have been drained reading that! Thanks for the review.

[Akinola John]

This book would be more interested if the author worked on some errors pointed out by the reviewer. Thanks for the honest review.

[Austin Debby]

This book does not interest me. But your review was honest and constructive to the teeth. Well done.