Owen Purler Jr., who later gains the nickname of Opur, is the only son of a dysfunctional marriage between an alcoholic trucker who is rarely home and his high-school sweetheart. The constant, almost comical conflict between his parents when his father is home has driven Opur to become withdrawn, unsure of himself, and a consistent stutterer. However, when his mother takes him to a summer instructional program at a local public golf course, the club’s pro, J Dub, discovers that Opur is a child prodigy with the golf clubs and takes him under his wing. J Dub guidance helps Opur navigate family discord and tragedy through his teen years to the point of Opur’s turning pro and facing the number one ranked player in his first major professional golf championship. For readers, this 400+ page story can be broken down into two sections, Opur’s childhood and life overcoming adversity to rise to a professional golfer and the final day head-to-head, hole-by-hole competition between Opur and the current number one player at the major golf championship. The author provides a good sense of character that helps draw in the reader to quickly empathize and become interested in the growth of Opur and his fellow characters. However, some sections in the story, including the opening, appeared to be extraneous to the main drive of the story, slowing the story and proving a small distraction to the reader. At the same time, there are other elements that are brought in to enhance conflict which appear a bit unrealistic, even as they hype up interest in the competition. I felt it would be comparable to seeing two royal flushes appear in the same poker hand, somewhat exciting to see, but unlikely to truly occur. Yet, the main theme still held my interest. ( )

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

One of the things I'm fascinated by in the arts these days is the rise of what could almost be called the "pro/am" writer, who takes advantage of small-run publishing plants and social media to craft a humble career for themselves as the author of an ongoing, hyper-specialized series, maintaining a fan base that will never get them rich but is at least enough to justify writing another book; the reason I call these people pro/am, then, is that it seems sometimes that the writing on these specialized subjects (knitting, cooking, athletics) is as much of a hobby for these authors as it is a professional endeavor, and that in a different age these people might be spending that writing time building a model railroad in their basement instead. Take for example lifelong golfer James Ross, who decided only in his fifties to start writing for the first time, and who has now put out four novels in an ongoing series about the laid-back fictitious Prairie Winds public golf course over on the east side of St. Louis (locals, think more like Cahokia than East St. Louis proper), where a recurring cast of quirky characters take on different political and sociological issues in each title (broken families, legal corruption, fighting cancer) while mixing in plenty of golfing, discussions about golfing, theories about golfing, and golfing golfing did I mention golfing golfing golfing?

I mean, don't get me wrong, this latest in the series has more than its fair share of problems, and when directly compared to just about any mainstream novel is almost sure to come out on the losing end; but it's also very readable and entertaining, with a sprinkling of legitimate surprises and intelligent moments, a novel clearly meant for a niche audience (seriously, you better love golfing) but that keeps that niche audience highly satisfied. I find it charming that we live in an age where books like these can not only exist but can even have a decent-sized fan base, without any of the parties involved having to deal with big publishing houses or chain bookstores; and although it's far from the best-written thing I've read this year, I'm glad to know that such quietly enjoyable specialized novels as these are out there.

Out of 10: 7.5, or 8.0 for golf fans ( )

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I am not a big fan of golf (except for the movie - Tin Cup) but this book is about more than just golf. It is about relationships, coming of age, and never giving up.

We all have dreams and the main character in this story knew what he wanted and went after it. Opur's Blade was full of surprises, highs and lows, funny parts and at times was very sad.

I thought the character development was very good. I absolutely despised Opur's father, Owen. What a jerk, but at the same he was hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud at his antics. Although I couldn't help but scream at Rayelene (his wife) to just dump the loser. She was no great catch herself though. You find your self falling for Opur right away. He is an incredible young man.

The last half of the book is about one of America's greatest golfing events - "The Classic" which you would think would be boring, but it is so not! Ross includes the drama of the spectators, the golfers, as well as the commentators. I was very interested in the play-by-play action and was rooting for Opur all the way.

Without revealing more of the plot I'll simply say that Opur's Blade was an absolutely delightful book! This was my first exposure to this relatively new author and I think I will be reading more from James Ross. ( )

Opur’s Blade tells the story of a young man’s journey to adulthood. Owen Purler, Jr. is born into a family lacking the financial resources necessary for entrance into many of the opportunities life has to offer. The local golf course offers free instructional lessons one summer, opening a door that forever changes the course of Owen, Jr.’s life.

The story is well written and fast paced. The chapters are short, and the plot moves briskly. I found this book to be both an easy and enjoyable read, thus I spent a whole day reading it, anxious to find out how the story ended. I have never swung a golf club in my life, nor have I ever stepped foot on a golf course. James Ross does an excellent job of describing the game and the character one must possess to master golf. After reading this book, I believe I can now watch the game of golf and actually understand what is going on! If you enjoy reading about life’s challenges expressed in a realistic manner, then you will enjoy this book. Many things described in this book hit home for me, and evoked fresh thoughts and ideas for my own life. I do not recommend this book for the faint of heart or those who are easily offended, as this book contains mature content and is not suitable for children. ( )