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The Sideshow Pickpocket
Tall Jerry and his friends grope with puberty while grappling with saving a down and out WWII air corps hero from a near death experience. The friends come together once again, and backed by the communities around them, they bring a criminal to justice. Showing the examples of what rural life was in the '50's, Jerry and his friends step up to help a disabled neighbor, unable to work his farm for a spell. Based on a true story, this adventure fleshes out what D-Day was like to the paratrooper - and what the blitz to the young Brits in England.
232 pages, Paperback
Published July 4, 2021
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December 4, 2019
A WISHING SHELF BOOK REVIEW
2nd December 2019
TITLE:
Legend One TALL JERRY in Summer of Shadows, Bodies and Bridges
Legend Two TALL JERRY and the Sideshow Pickpocket
Legend Three TALL JERRY in Heaven Sends for Hemingway
AUTHOR: JEROME MARK ANTIL
Star Rating: 5
‘Set in the 1950s, this gripping trilogy is full of exciting deeds performed my captivating characters. Highly recommended.’ A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
REVIEW
To begin with, let me just say I loved this trilogy from the first page to the very last. So much so, I am now enjoying another of the author’s books, The Pompey Hollow Book Club. This historically set trilogy is packed full of small twists and clever turns; and the central characters are fully developed and highly interesting.
The story basically follows a small number of characters growing up in the 1950s. There is a gripping adventure in all three of the books, but, in many ways, this is not a plot-led story. It’s all in the characters. And all of the characters – even many of the secondary – literally jump off the page.
Regarding writing style, this is a very well-written historical novel. The author is adept at many aspects of writing, from character development to plot development, from helping the reader to fall in love with the 1950s setting, to helping the reader understand the protocols of the day. He is also very good with speech. I recently read another historical novel set in the deep south, but set in the 1920s. I enjoyed it, but my enjoyment was marred by the insistence of the author to give the hero such a strong dialect, I could hardly understand a word he uttered. Thankfully, this author has not fallen into that trap. Yes, the author has his characters talk in a way that is fitting to the time, but, thankfully, it is always understandable, and, as such, only adds to the story.
In many ways, this set of books is an ode to the ‘good old days’; and I suspect the author remembers them with relish, and not a little yearning. As he says in the intro, ‘before there were cell phones and an internet…of a time when a full, hot meal at school cost a quarter’. But, although ‘history’ is a vital part of the story, the author also understands how important it is not to just simply describe the ‘historical’ setting but, rather, have the characters interact with it in a natural and unobtrusive way. Many authors, who set a book in a different century, seem determined to describe every silver spoon and every woolen tunic. Thankfully, this author has not fallen into that trap.
I was particularly impressed by the style of writing in many ways. Many authors tend to describe setting and characters in hefty lumps of text, particularly in historical texts. But this can kill the pacing. Thankfully, this author is wise to this, cleverly mixing up speech, fun happenings and the describing of character and setting. Subsequently, the writing felt light and not at all like wading through cauliflower-cheese. And, where there is description, it is imaginatively written.
It would be amiss of me not to comment on the drawings/pics littering the story. And, when I say ‘littering’, I mean in a good way. It’s always helpful to see – actually SEE – the setting, particularly when the story is set 70 years ago in a part of the world I have never even visited. Although the pencil drawing were not the best, they did add ‘charm’ to the story. I loved the pic of the old bus in the first book; now that’s what a bus should look like!
So, who would I recommend this trilogy to? Well, anybody interested in life in 1950s will find this enthralling. I suspect anybody living – or lived – in Delphi Falls might even know many of the characters in the story. So they’ll love this. But, even if you have never even visited this part of the world, I know you will fall in love with the characters and the often amusing antics they got up to.
To sum up, this is a gem of a trilogy. Most readers, particularly men, will find it gripping; the sort of books to get lost in; the sort of books where every character is the sort of character you wish lived on your own street. Also, I suspect, many will find this story helps them to reflect on family, the simplicity of youth and old school pals lost in time. It’s the sort of story you recommend to a pal; that gets tatty corners as it’s read so much.
Enjoy!
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk
2nd December 2019
TITLE:
Legend One TALL JERRY in Summer of Shadows, Bodies and Bridges
Legend Two TALL JERRY and the Sideshow Pickpocket
Legend Three TALL JERRY in Heaven Sends for Hemingway
AUTHOR: JEROME MARK ANTIL
Star Rating: 5
‘Set in the 1950s, this gripping trilogy is full of exciting deeds performed my captivating characters. Highly recommended.’ A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
REVIEW
To begin with, let me just say I loved this trilogy from the first page to the very last. So much so, I am now enjoying another of the author’s books, The Pompey Hollow Book Club. This historically set trilogy is packed full of small twists and clever turns; and the central characters are fully developed and highly interesting.
The story basically follows a small number of characters growing up in the 1950s. There is a gripping adventure in all three of the books, but, in many ways, this is not a plot-led story. It’s all in the characters. And all of the characters – even many of the secondary – literally jump off the page.
Regarding writing style, this is a very well-written historical novel. The author is adept at many aspects of writing, from character development to plot development, from helping the reader to fall in love with the 1950s setting, to helping the reader understand the protocols of the day. He is also very good with speech. I recently read another historical novel set in the deep south, but set in the 1920s. I enjoyed it, but my enjoyment was marred by the insistence of the author to give the hero such a strong dialect, I could hardly understand a word he uttered. Thankfully, this author has not fallen into that trap. Yes, the author has his characters talk in a way that is fitting to the time, but, thankfully, it is always understandable, and, as such, only adds to the story.
In many ways, this set of books is an ode to the ‘good old days’; and I suspect the author remembers them with relish, and not a little yearning. As he says in the intro, ‘before there were cell phones and an internet…of a time when a full, hot meal at school cost a quarter’. But, although ‘history’ is a vital part of the story, the author also understands how important it is not to just simply describe the ‘historical’ setting but, rather, have the characters interact with it in a natural and unobtrusive way. Many authors, who set a book in a different century, seem determined to describe every silver spoon and every woolen tunic. Thankfully, this author has not fallen into that trap.
I was particularly impressed by the style of writing in many ways. Many authors tend to describe setting and characters in hefty lumps of text, particularly in historical texts. But this can kill the pacing. Thankfully, this author is wise to this, cleverly mixing up speech, fun happenings and the describing of character and setting. Subsequently, the writing felt light and not at all like wading through cauliflower-cheese. And, where there is description, it is imaginatively written.
It would be amiss of me not to comment on the drawings/pics littering the story. And, when I say ‘littering’, I mean in a good way. It’s always helpful to see – actually SEE – the setting, particularly when the story is set 70 years ago in a part of the world I have never even visited. Although the pencil drawing were not the best, they did add ‘charm’ to the story. I loved the pic of the old bus in the first book; now that’s what a bus should look like!
So, who would I recommend this trilogy to? Well, anybody interested in life in 1950s will find this enthralling. I suspect anybody living – or lived – in Delphi Falls might even know many of the characters in the story. So they’ll love this. But, even if you have never even visited this part of the world, I know you will fall in love with the characters and the often amusing antics they got up to.
To sum up, this is a gem of a trilogy. Most readers, particularly men, will find it gripping; the sort of books to get lost in; the sort of books where every character is the sort of character you wish lived on your own street. Also, I suspect, many will find this story helps them to reflect on family, the simplicity of youth and old school pals lost in time. It’s the sort of story you recommend to a pal; that gets tatty corners as it’s read so much.
Enjoy!
A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk
Displaying 1 of 1 review