Official Review: Annie Russo by J. L. Baumann

[Tanaya]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Annie Russo" by J. L. Baumann.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Annie Russo: Tenacity Born is a historical novel by J. L. Baumann.

Raised in the suburbs of northeast America, Eugene Kavanagh and Annie Russo have always had comfortable lifestyles. Like everyone else, they also have their fair share of obstacles to overcome. The two meet at a state college close to their childhood homes. Though they are from similar worlds, their paths to university are incredibly different. Serving as the backdrop to this coming-of-age tale is the Vietnam War. During this tumultuous time, Eugene and Annie navigate the waters of friendship, young love, and the ever-looming future.

This book can best be described as retrospective, anti-war propaganda. It starts on the day JFK was shot. As the story goes on, the author highlights the consequences of the Vietnam War, such as the Kent State massacre, social programs for the poor, and the high tension between Americans and the government. The historical explanations and political commentary are often asides to the plot.

A complex use of language is often employed. Sometimes the sentences are wordy or run on: “The magnitude of her considerable desires and ambitions evoked a constitutional vigor within her that engendered a vivacious quality about her that was beguiling to almost everyone the older she had become.” Even so, the book is vividly written, with great lines like “she focused her entire persona down upon him to the exclusion of all else.” The characters’ interactions are quite splendid. The dialogue is believable and everyday situations, like playing poker or eating at a diner, are realistically portrayed.

Eugene becomes a typical frat boy; but he’s also intelligent and forms his own opinions. Most of the female characters use their sexuality to get what they want. They play mind games to control the men in their lives and the male characters do their best to play along. The various relationships are gradual and absorbing. The greatest character development belongs to Annie. As she grows older, she figures out her philosophy on life and grows independent. The astounding development of her character is the best part of the novel.

The structure of the book is quite an oddity. The story begins with the first-person narration of a boy who watches Eugene through a window. Strangely, this narrator dissolves and never reappears. Then the point of view switches to third person omniscient. It takes several chapters before the true narrative finally begins. After Eugene and Annie meet in college, the story goes into flashback mode to explore Annie’s past. This takes up the vast majority of the book. Thus, Eugene is only present in the first and last few chapters. By the time Eugene reemerges, the reader is likely to have forgotten all about him.

Much of the background information is irrelevant and unmemorable. This is especially true for minor characters. The reader is informed how long Katie's family has lived in Lenape, when her ancestors immigrated to America, what her great-grandfather did for a living, and so on. Instead of being woven into the story, these drawn-out details are abrupt and disengaging. The excessive descriptions prove to be the worst aspect of the book.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I was prepared to give this book 3 stars, but my negative criticisms outweigh the good. The plot is quite enjoyable, and most of the characters are rather intriguing. At an estimated 379 pages on Kindle, this book would benefit from removing the excess. Because of my initial confusion and the numerous narrative disruptions, I found myself wanting less.

If the issues I’ve mentioned would take away from your enjoyment of the story, then stay away. This book would most appeal to history buffs who also like coming-of-age romances.

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Annie Russo
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[bookowlie]

Nice, balanced review. It sounds like the plot doesn't flow well. You brought some really good points. That is so weird that the story starts of with one narrator who quickly disappears.

[gali]

Nice review indeed!

[Tanaya]

@bookowlie @gali Thanks! I was afraid that I was too harsh. It really was a good book but there were just so many things that didn't work well. I commend the author for trying to do something a bit different from the norm, at least. We wouldn't have great literature if people didn't try to break from the mold. There's definitely potential there.

[literarycat]

Very nice review well balanced. It hard to understand a book when the backstories take away from the original story. I just read a book that did that as well. The back-stories done as flashbacks didn't specify which character was remembering things which made it hard to follow. Thank you for the honest review.

[hannahbm13]

I'm really into history but am not so big on romance! Do you think this would be a good book for me? Thanks!

[Tanaya]

@hannahbm13 I think you would definitely appreciate the historical and sociopolitical aspects of the book. There's plenty of it. The romance is realistic, grounded and not over the top. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the war and the time period provide an interesting backdrop for the relationships in the book. If that sounds appealing, then maybe you should give it a try.

[hannahbm13]

Thank you! I appreciate it a lot

[Rachaelamb1]

Great review! I think the complex wording would turn me off to this boom.

[Tanaya]

Yeah, I had to go back and reread certain sentences or passages a few times because of that.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review! It's never a good sign when you find yourself wanting less.. except maybe in the case of Stephen King's uncut edition of the Stand.

[csimmons032]

Well this definitely seems like an interesting book. I must say that you did an excellent job on this review. It is very descriptive. Because of what is said in your review though, I don't know if this is really a book I would be interested in. You really did do a great job on the review though.

[Tanaya]

@csimmons032 Thanks! I appreciate the feedback.

[Levi]

Well done, Tanaya. If this was a book I planned on reading, you're review would not turn me off to it necessarily, but would let me know what to look for. In fact, you made the story sound very interesting while still giving your honest opinion. You've also done the author a service as they can now go and possibly edit some sentence structure and possibly tighten the book up a bit. That is what this is all about.

[Rachaelamb1]

Sounds like the book would be really good with some tweaking. Excellent review.