Official Review: Things You Can Do by Daniel Burnette

[LivreAmour217]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Things You Can Do" by Daniel Burnette.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Things You Can Do by Daniel Burnette tells the story of a promising fiction writer whose creativity is stifled by the constraints of his employer's censorship committee. Rather than being allowed creative license, the hero must produce works that fit neatly into market-driven templates provided by his superiors. Although thoroughly downtrodden by the limited nature of his job, he decides to devote time to an original work of his own, and is determined to finish it at any cost.

Things You Can Do explores the frustration and despair of a writer who has lost creative control of his work. The main character (who remains nameless throughout the story) wants more than anything to be free from his artistic shackles, but is locked into his bland, thankless job by a contractual obligation. Still, he looks forward to the day when he once again has complete creative freedom, and this possibility inspires him to work on a new story without his employer's knowledge.

In addition to exposing the darker side of traditional publishing, this book discusses the larger social systems that have contributed to the hero's predicament. Media influence and rabid consumerism are given a great deal of attention, and the author shares many interesting insights on these topics. Other subjects woven into the plot include censorship, socioeconomic divisions, and what it means to be a good human being. I found the author's philosophical musings to be intellectually stimulating, and I was impressed by how seamlessly he incorporated these heavy topics into the narrative of the story.

The writing within this book is superb and almost free of errors. The novel is quite detailed considering its short length (one-hundred eighteen pages), and I was able to conjure very clear mental images of the settings and characters. The author also made the bold decision to not bestow names upon his characters, which initially concerned me, as I was afraid that the absence of names would make the dialogue difficult to follow. Thankfully that turned out not to be the case, and I had no problems comprehending who was saying what.

I have no complaints with this book, other than the possibility that some readers might find it to be a bit of a downer. As already mentioned, the author tackles some heavy subject matter and the hero's life is far from ideal, so this isn't the sort of book that one would read to alleviate a bad mood. However, Things You Can Do is a unique and well-written story, and I give it 3 out of 4 stars. This book would be especially appreciated by writers and artists, but I also feel that the main character would be relatable to anyone who has ever felt trapped by their circumstances.

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Things You Can Do
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Like LivreAmour217's review? Post a comment saying so!

[NickLock]

Great review. It was an intelligent analysis of the book without talking over people. You wrote it in a way that made me interested in reading the book. By the title of the book alone, my interest wasn't sparked. But, your summary along with your musings of the book helped me get a full idea of what I would be reading.

[kandscreeley]

It sounds interesting. I saw this on the list to review, but I wasn't sure it would be any good. I wasn't quite sure about the description. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It does sound unique! Thanks for the review.

[bookowlie]

Very insightful review. I don't care for books where the characters are nameless, but I am glad you enjoyed the story. Congrats to the author for receiving a positive review for a well-written, unique book.

[Jaime Lync]

Great review. I am especially drawn to this book because I'm struggling to write my first fiction novel at the moment.

[LivreAmour217]

Great review. It was an intelligent analysis of the book without talking over people. You wrote it in a way that made me interested in reading the book. By the title of the book alone, my interest wasn't sparked. But, your summary along with your musings of the book helped me get a full idea of what I would be reading.

Thanks! I am glad to help and I hope that you enjoy the book!

-- 19 May 2017, 13:23 --

It sounds interesting. I saw this on the list to review, but I wasn't sure it would be any good. I wasn't quite sure about the description. I'm glad you enjoyed it. It does sound unique! Thanks for the review.

You are welcome, and thank you for taking the time to read my review!

-- 19 May 2017, 13:24 --

Very insightful review. I don't care for books where the characters are nameless, but I am glad you enjoyed the story. Congrats to the author for receiving a positive review for a well-written, unique book.

Thank you very much! The author does deserve congratulations!

-- 19 May 2017, 13:25 --

Great review. I am especially drawn to this book because I'm struggling to write my first fiction novel at the moment.

Thanks! I wish you luck in your writing endeavors!

[Zero]

Great review. I liked the way you wrote the review (It's an informative one I must say). You did nice job on pointing out why some people would not like the book (i.e. because of it's uniqueness and hero far from an ideal life, which is rear).
Anyway, the book sounds interesting to me. Thanks for the review.

[Amagine]

I think I would really enjoy reading this book! I think the part that I like the most is the fact that the main character is someone who I can relate to. I can definitely understand the frustrations of being a writer but having to write a certain way. I would prefer for the characters to have names but I think I would still enjoy the book anyway.

Great Review! ?

[LivreAmour217]

@Zero and Amagine: Thank you both for reading my review!

[Zero]

...I would prefer for the characters to have names but I think I would still enjoy the book anyway... ?

I know right? It would be tough to discuss about the characters.....

@Zero and Amagine: Thank you both for reading my review!

Nice work :thumbs up:

[Heidi M Simone]

Thank you for the well-written and descriptive review, LivreAmour217! I can't imagine how it must feel to be restrained from your creativity, but I'm sure that it is a real struggle. But, I also like knowing the character's name. I'm always curious how (and why) does an author decide to not name their characters...

I'm not sure if this is a read for me, since it is a bit of a downer, but I'm glad that you were able to enjoy the book!

[LivreAmour217]

Thank you for the well-written and descriptive review, LivreAmour217! I can't imagine how it must feel to be restrained from your creativity, but I'm sure that it is a real struggle. But, I also like knowing the character's name. I'm always curious how (and why) does an author decide to not name their characters...

I'm not sure if this is a read for me, since it is a bit of a downer, but I'm glad that you were able to enjoy the book!

Thank you for reading my review! Even though he was nameless, main character's struggles made him very relatable. I don't know why the author chose to not name his characters, but I've wondered if it was way to get readers to insert themselves into the main character's situation.

[WordHound]

Great review! It sounds like this book explores some interesting themes. I'm adding it to my "Want To Read" list.

[Spirit Wandering]

Somehow I missed this one in the list of books to be reviewed. Your description of the author's philosophical musings has me interested and I will check into this one. Thanks for the review.

[Kitkat3]

I've never read a book with nameless characters. Just from the description alone, it doesn't sound very interesting, but it sounds as though you really enjoyed it and it is well written. I'll add it to my to read. Thanks for the review.