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The Sheriff of Nowhere
The story of one man's pre-conception preconceptions. From dating to dad-in-waiting. From fear to paternity.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2011
9 people want to read
About the author
Henry G. Radcliff
1 book3 followersBorn and raised in Maidstone in Kent. Attended Maidstone Grammar School and can still remember snippets of the Latin School song. Only a shame the rest of my time there is a blur. Studied Law and Economics at Keele University before realising I wanted to be Rumpole of the Bailey and not an actual Barrister. So left university and enrolled at East 15 Acting School. Spent my 20s in sundry plays and TV shows before realising at 30 that I was utterly broke and fed up with eating pasta every day of the week. Began a career in Technology just in time for the 1999 Nasdaq boom bust, so moved out of Technology and into Finance just in time for the 2007 Global Financial Crisis - was working at Lehman Brothers in London when they sunk. So gave that up and moved to Tokyo just in time for the March 11th Great Eastern Earthquake.
Wrote The Sheriff of Nowhere whilst in New York and am now putting finger to keyboard for the sequel.
Wrote The Sheriff of Nowhere whilst in New York and am now putting finger to keyboard for the sequel.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 7, 2014
Writing humour is not easy; writing a full length novel is not easy; getting readers to finish your book is not easy (many bailout after the first chapter or two) but the Sheriff of Nowhere by Henry G Radcliff succeeded on all three accounts for me. I’ve been through my twenties and thirties and have children, much of the story, the angst and uncertainty, resonated with me. Written in the first person, as a series of diary entries, this is a fun commercial fiction book, a great poolside read with laugh out loud moments, cringe making comments and descriptions that took me there; very enjoyable.
April 12, 2014
Henry Radcliff, our hapless hero, is on the verge of turning 40 and every nerve in his body screams blue murder at the prospect of reaching this milestone which he sees as a cresting of the hill with nothing to look forward to but a sad, inevitable decline. Henry's life is currently exciting but unsettled. He has just married Steph, a gorgeous, smart, successful corporate lawyer, and her recent big promotion has meant a move to New York. As the global credit crisis has affected his own career, the decision to uproot is an easy one. Steph's friends are all getting pregnant, and she, too, wants to make a start on her dream of having three children, but Henry is not so sure, in fact, he is terrified. He must deal with his deep misgivings about becoming a father and confront the demons of his childhood.
The story flows easily and is told through entries in Henry's diary. We get to follow him, Steph and their small circle of family and friends on an almost daily basis. The author does a very good job of maintaining the narrator's point of view consistent and plausible, while giving insights into the thinking and feelings of the people in his life.
The madcap, irreverent humour is enjoyable, and there are many moments of high comedy but sometimes the effort showed and I felt the author was trying a bit too hard to be funny all the time, which is a nearly impossible task when writing a book. In fact, I found the more serious, more heart-felt passages very effective. They held my interest and connected with my emotions. The jokes work best when they are counterpoints to the slightly absurd reality that we all struggle with.
I admired the honesty that comes through the pages, even when admitting one's innermost thoughts makes us look flawed and less than “good”. The lesson here is that life is never fair and we have to live with that. One snippet of philosophic acceptance comes via one of the older characters who often states that, “We cannot change what happened, only what happens” giving power back to the individual, just at the point where we feel victims of circumstances.
Characterization is excellent. The main protagonists are sometimes silly and annoying, just like real people, but their hearts are in the right place and I sympathized with them most of the time. The complexities of family relationships are explored with honesty and a refreshing lack of moralizing. Love is the motivator and the common thread that weaves through the whole narrative, even when it turns into a negative emotion, as in “not enough love”.
Henry Radcliff has undeniable comedic talent. He sees the ridiculous and the ludicrous in everyday life and takes pleasure in peeling back the layers of pretension like onion skins, but that dangerous exercise is well known for producing tears and Henry's soul weeps as often as not. The family tragedy that wrecked his childhood reaches out into his adult life and threatens to ruin his marriage and everything else. Henry is well aware of the problem but seems unable to find a solution. Aside from the universal truths, this story should appeal to any man who is ambivalent about procreating, or just anyone who has been baffled by the inner workings of the female mind.
The Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book for an independent, fair, and honest review. We are not associated with the author or Amazon.
Reviewed by Angelica Bentley (for The Kindle Book Review).
The story flows easily and is told through entries in Henry's diary. We get to follow him, Steph and their small circle of family and friends on an almost daily basis. The author does a very good job of maintaining the narrator's point of view consistent and plausible, while giving insights into the thinking and feelings of the people in his life.
The madcap, irreverent humour is enjoyable, and there are many moments of high comedy but sometimes the effort showed and I felt the author was trying a bit too hard to be funny all the time, which is a nearly impossible task when writing a book. In fact, I found the more serious, more heart-felt passages very effective. They held my interest and connected with my emotions. The jokes work best when they are counterpoints to the slightly absurd reality that we all struggle with.
I admired the honesty that comes through the pages, even when admitting one's innermost thoughts makes us look flawed and less than “good”. The lesson here is that life is never fair and we have to live with that. One snippet of philosophic acceptance comes via one of the older characters who often states that, “We cannot change what happened, only what happens” giving power back to the individual, just at the point where we feel victims of circumstances.
Characterization is excellent. The main protagonists are sometimes silly and annoying, just like real people, but their hearts are in the right place and I sympathized with them most of the time. The complexities of family relationships are explored with honesty and a refreshing lack of moralizing. Love is the motivator and the common thread that weaves through the whole narrative, even when it turns into a negative emotion, as in “not enough love”.
Henry Radcliff has undeniable comedic talent. He sees the ridiculous and the ludicrous in everyday life and takes pleasure in peeling back the layers of pretension like onion skins, but that dangerous exercise is well known for producing tears and Henry's soul weeps as often as not. The family tragedy that wrecked his childhood reaches out into his adult life and threatens to ruin his marriage and everything else. Henry is well aware of the problem but seems unable to find a solution. Aside from the universal truths, this story should appeal to any man who is ambivalent about procreating, or just anyone who has been baffled by the inner workings of the female mind.
The Kindle Book Review received a free copy of this book for an independent, fair, and honest review. We are not associated with the author or Amazon.
Reviewed by Angelica Bentley (for The Kindle Book Review).
February 12, 2015
Hilariously sweet!
Henry is deathly afraid, neurotic afraid, of life, aging, forgiving father who abandoned him as a child, of becoming a father, of everything! But he loves his wife and through his story he learns how much, what his life means to have her and that she knows him so much better than he knows himself. We ., as in loving wives, know things about our husbands they have never come close to knowing. Now, if they will only trust us and listen life would be so much smoother for them. I gave it 5 stars because Henry tells his story with truth, sweetness and humor. It made me laugh and cry.
Henry is deathly afraid, neurotic afraid, of life, aging, forgiving father who abandoned him as a child, of becoming a father, of everything! But he loves his wife and through his story he learns how much, what his life means to have her and that she knows him so much better than he knows himself. We ., as in loving wives, know things about our husbands they have never come close to knowing. Now, if they will only trust us and listen life would be so much smoother for them. I gave it 5 stars because Henry tells his story with truth, sweetness and humor. It made me laugh and cry.
July 23, 2014
any up and coming writer....henry g. radcliff
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews