Official Review: The Deserving by Efren O'brien

Please use this forum to discuss historical fiction books. Common definitions define historical fiction as novels written at least 25-50 years after the book's setting.
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JessNWheeler
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Re: Official Review: The Deserving by Efren O'brien

Post by JessNWheeler »

I love historical fiction. It's such a shame that the storyline is hard to follow. Good review. Thanks!
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KellyDawn2018
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Post by KellyDawn2018 »

Great review. The book was interesting in it's own way I agree.
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Post by eddix »

Thank you for this review. I had a similar feeling to yours while reading the sample, so I think I'll skip this book, for now, to follow your suggestion.
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Post by SainteD »

A great review of Efren O’Brien’s The Deserving! The reviewer describes the storyline enough to let me know it’s interesting. She does a good job of endorsing it as one of the best she’s read in historical fiction, while pointing out where it goes amiss. I applaud the author for all the detail and research, and recognise how hard it must be to remain focused on the main storyline when there’s so much information you know and want to include. In filmmaking, we call this “killing our darlings.” Mr. O’Brien might be well served by learning the painful process of killing his darlings to make his good story even better, not bogged down by extra weight of inconsequential characters or historical details. Thank you to the reviewer...I know whether or not I’ll read this one. 😉
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Post by MarisaRose »

I enjoy historical fiction when it’s done right. I’m worried that the overly detailed historical elements and sometimes dry storytelling will become tedious for me to read. I’m going to pass on this one. Thanks for the insight.
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Post by Manang Muyang »

The sample had too much history. Her story (Carmen's, that is) wasn't even mentioned. As I have little background on the war between the Confederacy and the Union, I was lost in the details of soldiers and locations. I hope to make more sense of the story as I read on.

I'm glad you enjoyed the book despite the drawbacks you enumerated.
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Post by Emmanae »

I’m thankful for this review saying that this is a long read, I’ve been in a little bit of a book slump and as I don’t typically read historical fiction I don’t think this would be a good choice for me personally. Congrats to the author!
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Post by halismom1016 »

This book seems like a history book turned into a story to me. Thanks for the review and congratulations to the BOTD
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Post by Spirit Wandering »

Too bad about the novel being more "history book" than "historical fiction." Thanks for the review.
Interested in books that help one's spirit move beyond the ordinary.
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Post by kfwilson6 »

Libs_Books wrote: 04 Mar 2018, 14:49 This sounds like a really interesting book. It's a pity that the author is sometimes too keen to share the results of all that research with the reader, but even great historical novels sometimes make that mistake early in their writing careers. Although I'm interested in the Civil War, I have a low tolerance for detailed descriptions of battles, so I think I'll pass on this one - but thanks for the review.
This pretty much sums up how I feel about the book. I really enjoyed the beginning and if the book focused on the characters and their lives before and after war without getting too deep into battle descriptions, I think I could really enjoy it. I tend to like the fiction in historical fiction more than the history. Great review.
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Post by vinodsai »

I love reading historical fiction about the Civil War. Emile met a young woman named Carmen and marries her, and soon troubles start when second civil war starts. Love to read the entire book. Thanks for the insightful review.
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Post by dhomespot »

Thank you for the honest review. I look forward to reading this book. It sounds like it is a great read.
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Post by Camille Turner »

I love historical fiction when it has been researched well, as you suggest it has. It is unfortunate though that the storyline gets lost in some of the details and side events. Thanks for a great review!
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Post by N_R »

This definitely sounds like my kind of book so I can not wait to buy and read it. Thanks for the great, comprehensive review.
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BlackBerry 1982
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Post by BlackBerry 1982 »

I'm not much into historical novels ,but I might consider reading this book! :)
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