Review of Everything To Me

[João Ramos]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Everything To Me" by Clifton Elliott.]

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1 out of 5 stars

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Everything To Me by Clifton Elliott is a fictional book with a woman named Gloria as its main character. She has a useless husband who is a drug addict and an alcoholic. Having to be both a mother and a father, earn money, keep the family structure intact, and still lie to the children about what happens to their father, Gloria eventually finds another man. She spends much of her free time wondering if her husband is a lost cause.

The book's premise is not just intriguing, but it also carries a powerful message that transcends gender. The idea of Gloria, a warrior woman, navigating the complexities of family life while shouldering the burden of her husband's shortcomings is a narrative that both men and women can deeply relate to. Despite the challenging subject, the book infuses moments of humor, adding a light-hearted touch that I found particularly enjoyable and will resonate with many readers.

Even though this book has the potential to be very good, it has many aspects that need improvement. First is the absence of a narrator: Gloria is both the protagonist and the narrator. That would be fine, depending on how the book was written, but from the first page, the protagonist starts talking to the reader as if she were talking aloud. That makes the reader unaware of where the story takes place or the context of everything. I assumed it was about an African-American family in the interior of the United States, but there is no explicit mention of this.

The book should also have different chapters. Not only is there no introductory chapter, but there is also no division between different chapters. Everything happens together as if the author had copied and pasted several chapters one after the other. That significantly harms the cohesion of the ideas. And what about the grammatical errors? Some grammatical errors could be justified as typical errors characteristic of how characters with little education speak. Even so, it is possible to notice several careless grammatical mistakes on the author's part, and I counted more than 50 errors.

While Everything To Me has its share of issues, I firmly believe in its potential. I am not privy to the author's intellectual background, but I assume this is a first published work. I offer this critique not to discourage but to encourage improvement. The book's core idea is substantial and could be a compelling read with some revisions. I rate it 1 out of 5 stars in its current form, but I am hopeful for a revised edition that could earn a higher rating. The book contains many problems, and it is impossible to give it a better score.

As it stands, I cannot recommend this book to many people. Once the improvements are implemented, fiction readers who enjoy strong female protagonists will enjoy this story. However, there is a lot of profane language and mild sexual content, so I do not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 18.

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Everything To Me
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[Enkay Favour]

Everything To Me by Clifton Elliott presents a compelling narrative about Gloria’s struggle with her flawed husband and the burden of managing her family. Despite its engaging premise and relatable themes, the book faces challenges with its narrative structure and editing. For readers interested in stories of resilience and complex family dynamics, this novel might hold promise if revised.

[Yasmine ZM]

Everything To Me has an interesting storyline that can hit home for many women around the World. Will Gloria manage to turn her life and her husband around? Although the book seems captivating, I will pass this time; hopefully it will be edited and corrected.