Review of Hello Old Friend

[Aisha Yakub]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Hello Old Friend" by Joseph Tristan.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Hello, Old Friend: Awright Auld Mukker by Joseph Tristan is an interesting novel that tells the story of the relationship between Christian Macgregor, a nine-year-old boy, and his new Scottish neighbor, Kian Maclinktock. About 26 years down the line, an attorney reached out to Christian while he was at his family camp, telling him about the death of Kian. This news was a sad one for him because he was close to Kian when he was still a boy. Christian begins to share his life story and the experiences he had with Kian while growing up with Kian's wife and two children.

This may sound familiar, but I mean it when I say that this book is one of the most captivating novels I have ever read. I must say that Joseph Tristan is a wonderful writer. I read each line carefully and hung onto every word in the book. Reading this book was a beautiful experience. There was a lot to learn from it. Kian was a mentor to Christian. I liked the way he directed and taught Christian as though he were his child. Kian was a personification of selflessness and joviality.

From the relationship in this book, I learned that there are friends who become family, and it was refreshing to see. I liked that this book contained great life lessons. I admired how the author wrote about the bond and love each family member and friend shared. It reminded me of how important quality time spent with people you love is. From this book, I was also reminded that no matter the situation I find myself in, I should always look at the brighter side. It was interesting to see that putting a smile on another person's face can make one happy. This book was insightful, humorous, and sad. In addition, I liked the bonus stories added to this book. I found them hilarious. All the themes explored in this book were heartwarming.

The only concern I had while reading this book was the fact that I found it hard to understand the Scottish English spoken by the characters. An interpretative section would have been appreciated. I barely found errors in this book. It was professionally edited. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because I had a great reading experience. The stories were able to evoke different emotions in me.

I recommend this book to young adults and aged readers. This book contains stories that anyone can learn from and relate to.

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Hello Old Friend
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[Yasmine M]

Thank you for the review, while reading it I could feel that you really enjoyed the book. The themes of friendship and family are classic but also so refreshing.

[Amy Luman]

Relationships between older men and young boys are often misinterpreted and I assume that’s why they are not written about much. Kian, however, seems to have been able to teach several things about life to Christian.