Official Review: Comets by Clive Algar

[joreasonable]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Comets" by Clive Algar.]

Historical Fiction, with 189 pages, it is a quick and enjoyable read.

I chose to read this as I was attracted to the name and the cover of the book as well as the summary, based in Cape Town in the 1830´s. I was not disappointed, the beginning has wonderful descriptions of the main characters in the book, a little like a saga might and it also reminded me of some of the earlier Jeffrey Archer books, which I have enjoyed immensely.

There are rich descriptions to allow the reader into the world that the book is in, Cape Town, South Africa in the 1830´s, not so much the locations, but more description on the upbringing of each person. The character development is well laid out. The book covers the relationships within various families, friends and employees and what goes on between them, sometimes a little incorrect but more often than not it is probably reality.

There was a moment in the book, at around the 39% point where there was a pointless part dealing with a snake, there was no end to this section, it just finished with no follow through. This was my least favourite part but also the only part I found to be a little lost. My favourite part was when Charles Darwin was in town and the discussion he had with Herschel, James and Michael. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the clothing, although not amazing it came alive in my head. I enjoyed the characters, Isabelle was my favourite but there were also the young Cupido couple Adam and Catharine and their children.

It is a solid book, but there seems to be something missing that I can´t quite put my finger on. I wanted to enjoy it more than I did, I have read plenty of other saga books and this falls into that category, but it wasn´t stellar, just good. I feel a sequel coming, covering more of the lives of the characters.

Recommended if you enjoy a short saga from a South African author. This is his third novel. It is well written, so please don´t let the negatives I have added above put you off. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.

***
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[c1ivea1gar]

Thanks for the review. Think about the snake episode as a symbol of what was to come for Isabelle - a dangerous visitor in her house and no way to resolve the problem. Best wishes, Clive Algar.

[joreasonable]

You´re welcome Clive, and thanks for clearing up the snake part, now I get it.