Review of The Blacksmith's Arm

[Steinkar]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Blacksmith's Arm" by Keith L Wright.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Keith L. Wright presents two parallel storylines in The Blacksmith’s Arm. One begins in the 1630s with a lengthy description of the narrator’s family and his time. John’s father, whom he called "Tad," was a blacksmith who "knew everything" and was respected for it. Both neighbors and travelers would come to the forge and regale John with stories of people, places, and politics he knew nothing about. John learned that a civil war was threatening as tensions between the Parliamentarians, led by Oliver Cromwell, and the Royalists, loyal to the King, kept growing. The other storyline begins in 2008 in a bar called the Blacksmith’s Arms, owned by the father of the second narrator, who is a college student also named John. The bar's location allows for a parallel parade of people coming and going, each of whom engages John with stories of civil unrest that will eventually lead to the 2011 London riots. Even though there is almost a 400-year span between them, the two Johns lead shockingly similar lives. Both feel the normal teenage male urges and angst; both have failed relationships with fragile, flawed women; both start to burn with anger and anxiety, searching for more than their simple lives can offer them. In a fit of rebellion, the first John decides he must join the war, although he has no idea what army he is trying to join. His counterpart decides to join the police force in response to stories he heard of pending riots in London. Again, neither John finds what he’s looking for, and both lose an arm and what’s left of their naïveté in the midst of this fighting. The stories diverge at the end, one ending in heartbreak and the other in hilarious absurdity.

There is a lot to love about this book! First, the structure allows for a multitude of creative choices. At a glance, these two time periods would seem completely disparate, and in the specifics of both stories, this is true. However, Wright highlights both the repetitive trends of politics and humanity’s reactions to major events in a way that shows that the advances of time really don’t change people very much. It’s simply brilliant. Furthermore, the parallel venues of the forge and the bar allow for the introduction of a plethora of characters whose stories advance the plot. The use of both Johns as first-person narrators allows readers to understand their reaction to each bit of news and challenges us to question whether the narrators are reliable or not. Finally, I loved the endings of both storylines. The conclusion of the first John’s story took me by surprise because I mistakenly thought I had that storyline figured out. And the sardonic ending of the second John’s story made me laugh out loud.

There are a few negatives, though. First, there are many glaring editing errors. In addition to specific mistakes in grammar and punctuation, some sentences have random periods dropped in the middle, some have multiple periods at the end, some have obvious spacing issues, and some have flagrant misspellings. All of these make for frustrating reading. Also, the sections (I wouldn’t call them chapters) are very short, which interrupts the flow of the narrative. Many of these sections could have been combined to avoid the repetitive stops and starts.

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a genius concept, and Wright has done a masterful job exploring aspects of human nature that transcend time. Each storyline could be a satisfying novel in itself, but Wright’s perspective is the connection between the two. However, editing errors significantly detract from the novel’s success.

Fans of historical fiction will love this book, but I think the intended audience is adults. Although the book is done in good taste, there is an examination of human sexuality, implications of sexual abuse, and some vulgar language.

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The Blacksmith's Arm
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[Oluchi23]

History is what link the past with the present and is used to predict future. I love historical books as it makes me know the past of the present and also the future of the present too. Kudos for the work.