Official Review: The Life of a Book by Danial Suits

Rachaelamb1 · Post by **Rachaelamb1** » 22 Apr 2015, 05:33

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Life of a Book" by Danial Suits.]

1 out of 4 stars

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I recently read, The Life of a Book by Danial Suits. It is a children's story told from the point of view of a library book. Each chapter tells a different story about the families that check out the book. Some of the families are happy and fun while others are going through difficult times. The book silently watches everything going on and is happy when he is able to help the family. He does not always get read before his due date, though, and that disappoints him a little.

I think this is a cute idea for a story. I am disappointed that many of the stories about the families seem to be the same thing over and over. Only 3 or 4 of the chapters (out of 15) have anything to set them apart from the others. There is only one story that is about a girl, the rest are boys. I am also surprised to see that every child is an only child. There is never any mention of brothers or sisters which is one of the reasons why the families all look the same.

There is no dialogue in the book whatsoever. It is tedious to read sentences that explain what everyone is saying without actually having a person speak. It is never made clear if the book can hear or not. One sentence in the book seems to imply that he can not hear, but throughout the story he is explaining every conversation so that is kind of inconsistent.

This book needs to be edited. It is difficult to read because there are so many grammatical mistakes. Many sentences make no sense. I feel like I was reading the rough draft rather than a completed book. The word “kid” is overused, big time. It would have been refreshing to see the words; child, boy, girl, or the child's name, used in its place. Also, the book is primarily written in present tense but frequently jumps to past tense.

On top of all that, I can not connect with any of the characters or even with the book that narrates the story. I wish the book had a personality but he is just a boring narrator. For these reasons, I can only give this book 1 out of 4 stars. It is a good idea, but a whole lot more is needed to make a good book than just an idea.

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The Life of a Book
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Danial_Suits · Post by **Danial_Suits** » 24 Apr 2015, 13:58

I gave the book a sense to read lips.

PashaRu · Post by **PashaRu** » 24 Apr 2015, 15:26

Great review! This sounds like a great idea. Too bad it wasn't executed better.

Danial_Suits · Post by **Danial_Suits** » 24 Apr 2015, 21:09

I appreciate the review. Friends are nice but they are not objective. I will probably do a second edition to this book to have a better review.

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 25 Apr 2015, 00:29

Great review! This book has a good premise to build on.

Rachaelamb1 · Post by **Rachaelamb1** » 26 Apr 2015, 22:44

Danial_Suits wrote:I gave the book a sense to read lips.

I think that would have been more clear if it was mentioned earlier on. Also, just curious as to why you chose not to have dialogue? I know books don't have ears but they don't have eyes either

I think some dialogue would have made the book much more interesting!

-- 26 Apr 2015, 22:50 --

Danial_Suits wrote:I appreciate the review. Friends are nice but they are not objective. I will probably do a second edition to this book to have a better review.

I understand, it must be hard to get good advice from people you know! I applaud you at stepping out and getting a complete stranger's honest opinion (even though it's probably an opinion that is hard to take). I hope that my criticism is constructive and wish you all the best in your second edition!

-- 26 Apr 2015, 22:52 --

Thanks PashaRu and zeldas_lullaby!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 26 Apr 2015, 23:10

You're welcome! Keep us posted about your progress!

Rachaelamb1 · Post by **Rachaelamb1** » 27 Apr 2015, 09:51

Yes Danial_Suits please do keep us posted!

ashley_claire · Post by **ashley_claire** » 27 Apr 2015, 10:15

I agree that it sounds like a great idea for a book. Too bad it seemed to fall a little flat.

Ealasaid · Post by **Ealasaid** » 27 Apr 2015, 10:23

It does sound like a very good premise for a book. Thank you for the review. I look forward to hearing more about it and the possible sequel.

Danial_Suits · Post by **Danial_Suits** » 27 Apr 2015, 17:58

I mentioned to my sister about some of the advice. She replied that some of the advice would be could for a sequel. After taking in the comments and feedback...the premise for a sequel is in the brainstorming process. Just as soon as I figure the first one.