Official Review: Never Give Up by Claus Hede Nielsen

[Jgideon]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Never Give Up" by Claus Hede Nielsen.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Never Give Up by Claus Hede Nielsen is an autobiography. Nielsen takes the reader through the most defining moments of his life. As the title of the book suggests, perseverance enabled him to overcome many challenges.

Nielsen’s autobiography is a short read. It has 37 pages. The author has kept the chapters very short. Every chapter brings a new aspect or stage in his life. His survival tactics began when he dropped out from high school three months before graduation. He chose to become a bartender in a local joint. When he became of age, he married Brandy. However, they later separated and divorced due to his wife’s infidelity. He later married Sally but their marriage did not last either. Through his social connections, he was able to become a successful businessman. He owned homes and fancy cars. However, at some point, he lost everything and even became homeless. However, he managed to rise up again through hard work.

I liked a few aspects of the book. The author only highlights the events that mattered to him at different stages of his life. In addition, he has a good sense of humor that keeps the reader smiling. For instance, he had an encounter with armed robbers who tied him up and threatened to kill him if he did not co-operate for a period of fifteen minutes. His reply was that he was not in a hurry and they could take even an hour. That was hilarious. I also liked the author’s love for pets. For instance, he had a very closely knit relationship with Lisa, a lioness that he acquired shortly after he married his first wife. He includes a photo of Lisa among other photos at the end of the book.

There is a lot that I did not like about the book. The book is not edited. It has very many mistakes that kept me distracted. Moreover, the beginning of the book is very unclear. The author says that he chose his parents very well. This left me with questions about where and when he was born. In addition, he does not give the reason that made him choose the people who would become his parents. I did not find the answers in the rest of the autobiography. I also noted that the book has formatting issues. For instance, there are many inconsistencies in the spacing between paragraphs. In some places, the author uses double spacing while in other parts of the book he uses more than two spaces between the paragraphs. I also noted that the author has repeated some aspects of his life especially towards the end of the book. He even uses the same words from the previous chapters.

Overall, I give the book 2 out of 4 stars. The book has many mistakes. Thus, I could not give it a higher score. The author’s choice to write down his story irrespective of the flaws made me not to give him a lower score. Unfortunately, due to the quality of the book, it is very hard to recommend it to anyone.

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Never Give Up
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Like Jgideon's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Sonya Nicolaidis]

I appreciate your frank review. It is not easy to write an appraisal about an autobiography, particularly when there are so many negatives that need to be highlighted. Thank you for handling it so honestly.

[fredrick otieno]

Thanks for this review. Even though the book had certain issues you still managed to finish it. As for me, i will pass this.

[Sahar Majid]

I'm sure it's very difficult to pack so much into 37 pages so I have to commend the author for that, especially since it's an autobiography (most people would go into as much detail as possible when writing about themselves).
Thank you for the review!

[Samantha Simoneau]

I appreciate your frank review. It is not easy to write an appraisal about an autobiography, particularly when there are so many negatives that need to be highlighted. Thank you for handling it so honestly.

I agree - a balanced and honest review. I do like the humor, though. Maybe the reference to "picking" his parents was sarcastic or tongue-in-cheek?

[kandscreeley]

I appreciate that the author wanted to keep the book short and sweet, but it sounds like he didn't quite include enough details. It also needs to be professionally edited; I still don't understand why so many think they can skip this step. Hopefully, after some work, this one will be a great read. Thanks.

[melissy370]

The author had a lion for a pet? Wow! I would not want him as my neighbor. For an autobiography I am surprised it is so short and it sounds like he needed to expand upon hus experiences. Thanks for your review.

[Ronel_Steyn]

Thank you for the review. Autobiographies are not my favourite topic, so I will most probably skip this one. Good review!

[fernsmom]

Good review! I do like the humor when he was at the store being robbed as well. But, only 37 pages, the editing mistakes, and not my normal type of book, makes me think I will skip this one.

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

It is unfortunate that you had to come across so many mistakes within a span of only 37 pages. Repetitive language within such a small span is also equally frustrating. Also, how does one 'choose' his/her parents?
Anyways, thanks for the honest review.

[Sahani Nimandra]

When you mentioned about the robbery event and how the protagonist acted. I reflected upon how calm he was which enabled him to handle the situation wisely unlike most people who would panic at that situation. Impressive! And even more for it been a memoir. Too bad about the errors. Thank you for you exquisite review!

[LV2R]

The short book has some interesting things about the author's life. It should be interesting how he gained and lost a lot of money. I like the title of the book. It is too bad that the book was not well edited.

[Espie]

Someone I know got nabbed recently and his baby got sick around the same time. These are the unwanted valleys of life, which are also real and could even be much worse for some. I admire those who had been through a lot and still emerge positive enough to inspire others to move on, too. Thank you for your honest review.