Official Review: The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid

[Quinto]

It's interesting reading about these characters and how they are trying to make it in life in spite of their poor education. It speaks volumes on what a good positive attitude can mean in life. Thanks for a wonderful review.

[Ashiyya Tariq]

Duke is an interesting as well as sympathetic character that needs attention of people. Great review.

[Bonny97]

That was a very short and on point review. It captured almost the all story. It is very interesting how the author deals with the two characters and brings them together through sharing a common tragedy that is alcoholism

[grimson]

[Following is an official review of "The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid" by Gary Robinson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid by Gary Robinson is divided into three parts. The first part follows the life of Duke Reynolds, the sword swallower, and the second part is about Gary Robinson, the Chico kid. The third part brings the two characters together and discusses their impact on each other.

Duke Reynolds lives for the rush and the adrenaline whenever he performs at the circus or out in the streets. He is especially known for his sword-swallowing skills, but is able to do other performances like fire-breathing or acting as a human blockhead. However, his severe alcohol addiction often gets him into trouble and even lands him in jail. On the other hand, Gary Robinson peaked in high school as the well-liked, funny student body president at Central Valley High. However, his alcohol addiction mixed with his outgoing personality lead him to a dangerous path where all he does is party and drink. All throughout college, he rarely attends class and spends most of his days drinking and partying with friends. Once he graduates college, he realizes that he has not learned a thing in college and resorts to picking up odd jobs to get by. As his life continues in a downward spiral, he starts to lose hope until he meets Duke Reynolds.

The author takes his time in developing the characters and really bringing out their faults and insecurities. What I liked best about this book is that even though Gary has a severe alcohol addiction and does things that are very shocking, I was still rooting for him. Although it seemed like Gary was always drinking, I found his character to be likable and humorous at times. Moreover, I found the interaction between Gary and Duke to be light-hearted and funny even though they were going through some serious problems.

This book is not for those who like action-packed thrillers. It focuses mostly on the characters and their development throughout the book. There is a lot of alcoholism, drugs, and nudity mentioned throughout the book. However, there is humor, especially in the dialogue between Gary, Duke, and to the other characters that they interact with. In the parts where Gary and Duke talk a lot about social and religious issues, I found the dialogue to be simple and not at all out of place.

Overall, I rate this book a 4 out of 4 stars. I noticed a few errors, but they didn’t detract from the book. Other than that, there wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about the book. I would recommend this book to those who like character-driven stories and are not bothered reading about alcoholism or drugs.

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The Sword Swallower and a Chico Kid
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Like ZenaLei7's review? Post a comment saying so!

Well that was quite the review capturing the characters, settings and the set up

[Nephyz+254]

Character-driven stories are always my cup of tea. I love it when characters are well developed. The only thing that will disturb my interest is reading about alcoholism or drugs. Otherwise thanks for this review.

[ianfrb77]

I would recommend it to people struggling with alcohol. The story sure has a moral that might be of help to overcome either alcoholism or any other addictions. Can't wait to read it all!

[Moddesser Elahi]

I sampled the book on Amazon. Gary Robinson is a performer who is an expert in the skill of swallowing a sword as a public performer. The story begins with Gary performing the stunt in front of a biker's gang. The unconventional character in the story and the intriguing writing style seems to definitely make this book worth giving a try. Cheers

[ObsessedBookNerd]

Based on the review, I don't think that the book is for me. I don't like to read books about drugs, alcoholism, or religion. These are topics throughout the story. I don't like to read stories like this so I will pass on reading the book.

[gucci_juli]

Thanks for the review. The book seems like an exciting read, looking forward to developing my own ideas on the characters. Love 'point of view' books as it gives a greater depth into the various characters.

[T_stone]

This book sounds like a very interesting read. I am so keen on reading this book. I'll like to know more about the impact Duke and Garry will have on each other. I like a well-written character driven book, and this one sounds like one. Definitely going to check this one out. Thanks for detailed review.

[Zhariah]

Thank you for your review, it was a pleasure to read. I'm going to have to pass on this one for now because of the alcoholism in it, but I'm glad you enjoyed the book and hopefully others will too

[fndirangu20]

Nice book. 3 stars is my rate because of the leave for today and no future character traits of Duke and Gary. Drugs and alcoholism(the morning wash) and the witty nature. It is a nice book.

[Zimall]

Sounds good book with light-heart humour. Would have loved to read it if it had not been about drugs and nudity. Thumbs up for a great review

[Flowers123]

This seems like an interesting fun read. I like the description of the characters despite their flaws. It seem the author did a good job of making difficult, negative traits seem easy and conquerable. Good review, thanks.

[warda-55]

Its seems that book is interesting and has different topic.I like the character of sword swallower and the the boy gary. Story has a lesson and good for reading.The review written by @Zenalei7 is explained in a very defined,comprehensive n amazing..Thanks