Review of Marlowe

[Marsha JJ]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Marlowe" by Mark Mc Quown.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Mark Mc Quown’s Marlowe is a creative book featuring a mouse named Marlowe, who is not just an ordinary mouse. Not only does he have special powers, but he also wears doll’s clothing. As the story begins, Marlowe contemplates changing locations from his lonely burrow to the nearby inviting farmhouse. Interestingly, Marlowe has discovered some special objects and has been keeping them in his burrow. When he arrives at the house, he makes his way to Cole’s room. Cole is a bright eleven-year-old boy. There’s some trouble in the household because the family has fallen on hard times. Their farm may be taken away from them unless they can find some money to keep it going. Will Marlowe save the day? This unique story shares the obstacles and triumphs that the family experiences together with Marlowe’s involvement.

I thought Marlowe was an engaging story. The author effectively draws the reader into the story with Marlowe’s adventure to get to the farmhouse. There he had to overcome scary obstacles, like avoiding the resident cat. The plot is unique. There are plenty of twists and turns to maintain interest. The narrative was generally enjoyable, and I appreciated the creativity the author demonstrated. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the character development of Marlowe. He was bright, inquisitive, and truly unique.

One area where I thought the book could have been improved is the transition from one key part of the narrative to the next. For example, one part of the story involved a major change for the family, but it did not explain why they made that dramatic change. There were several confusing transitions such as this one. Another aspect of the book that didn’t resonate with me was the blend of lightheartedness with some darker topics. One would think that a story about a mouse in clothing would be very charming. However, the plot sometimes veered into serious topics such as the pandemic or serious incidents.

Marlowe is a memorable book that is interesting to read, despite its few flaws. The book had several grammatical errors but nothing too significant. I subtracted one point for the opportunity areas mentioned in the above paragraph. For those reasons, I rate it 3 out of 4 stars.

I recommend the book for young adult readers ages twelve and up. Those who enjoy imaginative stories with some unique aspects will appreciate the book. I applaud the author’s creativity in creating an engaging story.

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Marlowe
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