Friday, November 5, 2010

Book Review: Calico Pennants by David A. Ross



Calico Pennants: A Novel
Calico Pennants by David A. Ross
Publisher: Open Books
Publish Date: May 2, 2009
Ebook
Fiction





My Review:
Why I read this: I was asked to review it by the publisher.  I found the storyline intriguing so I agreed. 

How is the novel driven: There is some action, but primarily this is about the characters.

My thoughts: This book is really hard to describe without giving anything away.  It's a lovely story of a Julian who is recently divorced, his child is grown and he has been pushed out of his job.  So he goes to stay at a friend's condo in Hawaii.  While there he purchases a boat and ends up shipwrecked.

The second part of the story involves Amelia Earhart and her around the world trip that ended in her being missing.  Through the story both end up on a magical island of sorts.

Calico Pennants is really interesting, though at times it moved slow, but as I stuck with it the story picked right back up.  I liked the tale of them on the island and especially loved the talking parrot.  His dialog is funny and thought-provoking.

As the stories of the two who are in separate times come together it's fascinating to watch.  My main complaint - the story is too short, I would have loved more.  That said, it does form a complete story in the time you have and it forms a very enjoyable story.  I love the magic of the island and Julian and Amie when they are there.  I like the lessons it teaches and I enjoyed the ending.

With beautiful language David A. Ross paints perfect pictures of the settings and the feelings of the characters and makes Calico Pennants a very enjoyable story.
 

My Rating: 4.0/5.0

See my interview with the author as well. 

About the Book:

A weekend sailor shipwrecked on a South Seas atoll discovers the island's only other human inhabitant - a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to 1930s lost flying ace Amelia Earhart.

First published in print edition under the title THE TROUBLE WITH PARADISE. The ebook edition, CALICO PENNANTS, is the author's updated and amended edition. 


About the Author (from his website):
David A. Ross was born January 6, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois. In addition to his career as a novelist (Good Morning Corfu, 2009; Open Books; How High The Wall, 2008; Open Books; Sacrifice and the Sweet Life, 2003, Escape Media; A Winter Garden, 2003, Escape Media; Stones, 2001, Escape Media; Xenos, 1998, Escape Media; The Trouble With Paradise; 1997, Escape Media), he is a former columnist and contributing editor for Southwest Art Magazine (1984-1985). His first novel, The Trouble With Paradise, was awarded third prize in the 1997 National Writer's Association Novel Competition. David A. Ross lives on the Island of Corfu, Greece, where he is the editor of Corfu Magazine.
Website 
Publisher's website  
David on Facebook

FTC Information: I received this book from the publisher for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.