Review of Eastside Story

[Joyjim]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Eastside Story" by Steven C. Thedford.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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High school students are often mischievous and daring. However, the behavior of students may vary based on geographical location and environmental influences. Eastside Story by Steven C. Thedford is a story with a high school setting.

Egypt, the protagonist, is a beautiful and well-formed teenager who is on a mission to find her father. She got admitted into Eastside High School where she developed friendships that had a life-changing influence on her. Egypt's father left the family when she was only nine years old, and her mother would not tell her about his shady way of life. Her debutante ball is drawing near, and she greatly desires to have the father-daughter dance at the ball. Egypt's boyfriend, William, seemed to be sincere and in love with her. However, it appears that secrets are being kept by William. One of these is his relationship with the LD03 Gang.

This book of 163 pages has a well-developed setting. The conversations and activities in the story are an exact representation of high school environments. Various themes were interwoven in the story. The most hilarious of these is the treatment meted out on a teacher, Mr. G, by the students. I almost had a fit when I read about Stephen and Mr. G on page 27.

Another outstanding theme in the book is the choice of friendships. Egypt's association with Paris, her best friend, obviously contributed much to the decisions she made. Although Paris appeared to be an innocent and decent girl, she had lost her innocence since ninth grade and had other secrets as well.

My favorite feature of this book is the creative choice of names for some of the female characters in the story. Some of the names are Egypt and India. The names made the characters appear classic and interesting.

Although the story had interesting characters and plot, it was not narrated in an interesting way. This is my most disliked aspect of the book. Also, the narrative lacked flow, and I often felt lost. The emotions of the characters were not properly portrayed. For instance, on page 116, when Egypt noticed William's attraction toward a male, all she said was "Oh my." This did not carry the depth of shock that she would have felt. This frequently occurred throughout the story and made me struggle through the story. It is my most disliked aspect of the book.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars due to the dislikes above. It was professionally edited. The story had captivating high school characters and activities. It also reflects the decadence prevalent among students in some countries. This book is appropriate for readers who are interested in high school themes.

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Eastside Story
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[Goodness C N]

Sadly, the stories were not portrayed well. It'd have made a difference. Well done for a great review.

[Amy Luman]

I was thinking that the names were very unique and unnecessarily awkward I am sorry that the story was not narrated well. That sure makes it hard to read.

[Patty Allread]

I appreciate your analysis of this book and think your rating sounds fair. I find the overabundance of unusual names like Egypt, Paris, and India to be a distraction and an effort to be clever. It sounds like the author should have spent more time developing these characters' personalities and working out their reactions and emotions.