Official Review: Heart of Flint by Scott Stricklen

[RussetDivinity]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Heart of Flint" by Scott Stricklen.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Heart of Flint by Scott Stricklen tells the tale of Flint Monroe, an old man living in the Midwest with his daughter Shelby, son-in-law Jackson, and grandson (who is only referred to as Little Man). Flint seems to be little more than an amusingly ornery old man who causes annoyance to his daughter but loves his grandson dearly. However, the readers quickly learn that he holds a secret, one which he has kept for thirty years: his wife, Donna, is not Shelby’s birth mother. The revelation comes as a shock to the whole family and begins a voyage of discovery, leading the family to the Ozarks and bringing up the whole story of Flint’s past there. The story itself is compelling, but the writing style made it difficult to read, and for that reason I can only give the book 2 out of 4 stars.

Flint proves to be a fascinating character. At first, he is a difficult old man who enjoys spitting his chewing tobacco onto his daughter’s garden, but Stricklen quickly humanizes him through his interactions with Little Man, both by taking him fishing and by hiding the fact that the boy killed a chicken with his slingshot. His relationship with his wife, while tense, is lovely, and the love he bears for his family is evident throughout the book. His history plays out in a narrative that should have been a delight to read, and taken by itself, the story of his life in the Ozarks could be one of the best pieces of historical fiction I’ve read in a long time.

However, not even an excellent story can redeem wooden writing, and at times I found myself struggling to push on through the book. Stricklen prefers to outright tell the reader certain facts about the characters through narration rather than allowing us to guess at what lies behind the facts by showing us the characters’ actions. Flint makes suppositions about other characters that, while believable for a curmudgeonly old man, seem to come entirely out of nowhere with no bearing in the reality of the story. It makes for an exhausting read that ranges from tolerable to irksome.

What really kept me from giving the book 3 stars, though, which I might have (though I would have made sure to mention that it was a low 3), was the confusing grammar throughout. A few missing commas can be overlooked, even if the English major in me shudders with each one, but it was the quotation marks that really made me struggle. They only vaguely follow the normal conventions of grammar, and for at least two chapters vanish entirely. While it doesn’t affect the quality of the narrative, it did make the book harder to read, and I felt forced to bump down the rating because of that.

In the end, I might recommend this book to a few people, but only to those who are willing to be patient and who won’t be annoyed about grammatical errors. If you love history and family dramas, go ahead and give the book a shot, but be warned: It can be a trial to get through.

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Heart of Flint
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[chytach18-]

Excellent review, RussettDivinity. I also don't like to be told everything what is going on in the story. Let's the characters to show their life in a more subtle but at the same time more active way. You also commented on the author's grammar. I wonder if he is British, because we have more freedom of using the comma and we also have slightly different way of using the quotation mark. For example, if we put the quotation at the end of the sentence, we put full stop (period in America) outside the quotation mark. We put full stop inside of the quotation mark, if it is a dialogue. Complicated, isn't it? But it must be consistent. Just remembered: we are allowed to begin the sentence with "but" - something that the editors on this website don't like and consider as an error.

[Heidi M Simone]

I really enjoyed reading your review, @RussettDivinity! I also like when the characters are a bit of a mystery and you learn as you go. Hopefully your next book will be a smoother read for you!

[peprica21]

Thanks for your review. I like that it is so honest and gives the author proper feedback to work with.