vivian-cc

An unusually creative and surprising tale A story about Winston Churchill, a young woman named Esther and a massive black dog called Mr Chartwell, who walks on his hind legs and talks. The intrigue of this introduction alone leads you to read on. The writing at first seems a little hesitant, almost as though the author isn’t quite sure and is trying too hard. The language used is sometimes beautiful but it doesn’t seem to flow as it should. However, the writing becomes more confident as you graduate into the story and if you stick with it you start to get into a rhythm and appreciate the art that is being crafted as you read. I feel the author has enjoyed playing with the words and there are some fantastic lines. Without giving anything away, once you know who and what Mr Chartwell is, the story takes on a whole new meaning. You want to read on to discover the relationship between this unusual dog and the other character’s in the story. You need to know how they are going to respond to him, and who will be the victor. It is an easy book to read; I finished it in a day. The chapters are short and punchy; the language creative but clear. That said, it isn’t a particularly light subject matter, but by utilising the concept of Mr Chartwell the author has managed to inject humour and a familiarity into what could have been a pretty gloomy tale. The story looks at a difficult topic from an unusual angle, derived from Mr Churchill himself. There are funny moments, for example the bathroom scenario in Chapter 15, and in spite of what Mr Chartwell is he comes across as an almost lovable character and I think that’s a key point in this story. I was surprised by this book, both by how the story developed and how it touched me. It is imaginative and clever and despite some initial apprehension I found it to be a very enjoyable read.

2022-10-29 03:12