Well, I'm sorry but in this respect ... and only in this respect mind you ... you are going to be disappointed.
BACK COVER BLURB: Some people can’t stay out of trouble. Happily married, the father of two precocious nine year old girls, and comfortably off, Max Brown should have it easy. Not yet; that’s where the little girls come in. They maneuver Max and his wife into a dangerous treasure hunt through abandoned gold mines. As Max forewarns, “the closer you get to the treasure the more competitors show up, some of whom don’t play by the rules.” The competitors in this case are seven Klansmen who believe that the object of the treasure hunt, a large cache of Confederate gold, is theirs to finance a second rebellion.
Set in northern Georgia, Max combats bears, snakes, and the Klan to protect those he loves. His most cunning and committed adversaries, though, turn out to be his own children.
FIRST SENTENCE {1}: "But why can't we?"
MEMORABLE MOMENT {PAGE 13}: It didn't matter; they weren't listening. As I concluded my admonitory lecture Margaret boarded a suitcase on the luggage carousel and disappeared around the turn while her mother tried to fight free of the other luggage watchers to chase her down.
SOURCE: Received from the author.
READ FOR: Not applicable.
MY THOUGHTS: A man questioning his virility for the first time (hence the reference in the title to sex, of which there is actually very little), a wife who turns heads everywhere she goes and, handily as it turns out, is something of a sharp-shooter, Margaret and Mary aka M&M the wickedly funny and resourceful twins prone to getting into trouble who, though they make great reading, at the same time make you thankful that they're not yours, good old Uncle Skeeter with his stories of buried confederate gold hidden in them there caves (thus the Speleology of the title) .... just some of the memorable cast of characters to feature in this wonderful madcap rollercoaster of an adventure that, with its themes of racism and police corruption, sadly if cleverly hi-lights just some of the current political and social environment.
Perhaps a tad too reliant on stereotypes - but then don't they say that stereotypes are in fact based in truth no matter how loosely? Arguably not altogether politically correct and yet so gloriously OTT as to be inoffensive. Utterly compelling from start to finish, How Speleology Restored My Sex Drive is way up there when it comes to my favourite reads of 2017.
17 comments:
This sounds fun. Without a doubt there are some people who would be offended in some way :)
Sometimes over reliance on stereotypes gets in the way of me enjoying a book however.
One of your favorites? Well, I might just have to give this a closer look. It does sound entertaining, though living in a part of the world that tends to get overly-stereotyped, that might get old. There's certainly no danger of being offended on my part. I'm one of those that believes PC-ness has gotten to the point of being ridiculous since there will always be those who get offended.
I just looked at Amazon, and it's book three in a tetralogy. Have you read the first two and if not, I gather this one worked okay with them?
I've added book one to my wish list. It sounds like an entertaining series.
Hi Tracy,
I definitely agree with Kelly's comment about PC getting almost too ridiculous.
You can never hope to appease everyone, in fact there will always be someone who is offended, no matter what you say or do!
Me, I'm a bit too long in the tooth to worry about all that nonsense. I'm afraid that I sit in the camp of "Don't dish out what you are not prepared to accept in return!" - In a nice way of course :)
This is definitely one of those rare books which I am more than happy to pass on, I genuinely don't think I would enjoy it as much as you so obviously did.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and enjoy your weekend :)
Yvonne
Tracy,
After reading your excellent
review, this sounds like a
very engaging book. Like
Kelly, I went to Amazon, to
read a bit more about the
series to which it belongs.
But I think I would start with
the first book.
Raven
This does sound interesting, starting with the title. (I Googled Speleology to find out what that meant, then found that you revealed that in your post.) I'm glad that you found this book to be "utterly compelling from start to finish". Excellent review, Tracy.
Ha ha Tracy that title is certainly intriguing, but that aside it sounds like a brilliant story. I’ve added it to my ‘must’ list.
You asked me about the Liz Perrat story. I replied on my blog, but just in case you don’t see it this is what I said.
I absolutely adored The silent Kookaburra (Liz Perrat), and read it in record time. I was initially attracted to it because of the setting, 1970s Australia, The story is told from the viewpoint of eleven-year-old Tanya Randall. Tanya has been experiencing a difficult time, bullied about her weight and her looks. She longs for a sister or brother to play with but when her mother Eleanor has multiple miscarriages, the problems escalate. Eventually, her mother becomes pregnant and a new baby girl joins the family, but it’s not long before things start to unravel. In the midst of all this Tanya is befriended by the mysterious Uncle Blackie, and you just know things are only going to get worse. It is an emotional, beautifully written book.
I had forgotten I read about it on your blog. Silly me! I added it to my Pinterest boards and then forgot who recommended it. The good news is I love it, so thank you very much. :)
Loved your thoughts on this one, Tracy. Thanks for sharing!
I am glad you liked this one, Tracy. It sounds delightful, while at the same time covering some very serious topics. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.
Definitely one for keeping an eye out for :D
Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net
Sounds fun to me :) and not at all offending!
Great to hear that you found a possible fave for this year
Well, that's certainly an eye-catching title. It's set where I live. Might be an interesting read to see how accurate it is.
The title is catchy and I'm glad the story lived up to it. It certainly sounds like a lot of fun.
For What It's Worth
This sounds like a unique book. I haven't heard of it before- but I am curious about it after reading your review. Thanks for sharing!
Can the author come out from behind the curtain – if only briefly?
Interesting comments about political correctness. The topic is overt racism which, at the time this book was written, was generally uncommon, although easy to find in the north Georgia mountains where I live. Subtle racism was the norm at that time. How things have changed!
A few have opined they might like to start with the first novel in the series. A sale is a sale, but be warned that it's a work in progress. I wrote it when I was in a bad job, a bad relationship and living in a difficult place (Bangladesh). Long on artifice (debut novel) and bitterness; short on entertainment value before page 150 (life got better). No hesitation, however, in recommending the third and fourth in the series. I think they're decent books.
Thanks for your interest.
Mike Bernhart
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