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Jack Todd

Auteur van Sun Going Down: A Novel

5 Werken 189 Leden 10 Besprekingen

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Bevat de naam: JACK TODD

Fotografie: Jack Todd

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Werken van Jack Todd

Sun Going Down: A Novel (2008) 103 exemplaren
Come Again No More: A Novel (2010) 35 exemplaren
Rose & Poe (2017) 14 exemplaren
Rain Falls Like Mercy: A Novel (2011) 11 exemplaren

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I received this book through the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. Before I started it, I read the first in the series, [b:Sun Going Down|1655625|Sun Going Down|Jack Todd|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266858117s/1655625.jpg|1650270]. It was an excellent book and I was instantly hooked on the Paint family story. The beginning of Come Again No More did not disappoint, continuing the saga in fine fashion. The problems began about a third of the way in, when the Jake character was introduced. The reader could tell right off that he was 'bad news'. Unfortunately, the author felt the need to repeatedly drive this point into the reader's head by using excessive lewd talk and foul language. Twice, Mr. Todd used words so revolting to describe a certain part of the female anatomy that if I had had the chance, I would have slapped him. I understand that most people curse, I do it myself when pushed too far, but this was way overboard and totally unnecessary. The reader was perfectly capable of understanding how low Jake and his friends were without that kind of assault. I had to skip sections of the narrative and missed parts of the story. Just about the time I was going to give it up, the language smoothed out and I was able to finish what was a fine story. I'm looking forward to a third book to finish out the Paint saga- I just hope Mr. Todd can return to the form of the first book and not resort to the cheap writer's tactic of using trashy talk to convey his character's personality instead of quality writing.… (meer)
 
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tiasreads | 1 andere bespreking | Dec 11, 2019 |
Shakespearean plays focus exclusively on the nobility. Rustic, working class characters, if represented at all, were limited to the sidelines, basically acting as buffoons in the comedies. Author Jack Todd has opted to flip the script on “The Tempest” by moving Prospero (here known as Prosper Thorne) and the rest of the upper class characters to the margins, instead giving center stage to two possibly misunderstood characters - the sorceress Sycorax (aka Rose) and her monster son Caliban (Poe).

In this day and age, where audiences more and more are demanding diversity and equal representation, Todd makes the case that the problems of the common man are arguably more interesting, and certainly more relatable, than those of the one-percenters. After all, Caliban was a slave, so it’s safe to assume he and his mother were defined by those who were in control the narrative. So it might be high time we re-considered this nasty woman and her half-caste offspring. This story centers on Rose, a dirt poor, sexually liberated, plus-sized single mother, and her gentle son Poe, a simple giant, who together eke out a living selling goat’s milk and doing odd jobs in a small town in upstate New York.

Poe falls into unrequited love with Thorne’s beautiful daughter Miranda while building a stone wall around the retired lawyer’s property and is wrongfully accused of committing a violent crime against her. The townfolk automatically vilify him because of his mental disability and freakish appearance, but Rose fights to see him exonerated. While this is hardly a literal re-telling of “The Tempest,” anyone familiar with the original will recognize characters and plot points. Ariel has become Airmail, a courier and unofficial spy on a lightning fast Kawasaki Ninja. Stefano and Trinculo are Skeeter and Moe, two city boys attending a Fresh Air Fund type camp who spend their days following Poe’s enormous footprints, under the mistaken impression they’re on the trail of the mythical “Sasquank.” And of course, there’s a terrible storm that figures prominently in the dramatic action.

This is a vastly entertaining book. The characters are believable and full of life. The story is engaging and, at times, suspenseful. Even if you aren’t familiar with the Shakespeare, Rose & Poe stands on its own as a captivating and uplifting story of dignity, loyalty and a mother’s love.
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blakefraina | 2 andere besprekingen | Feb 17, 2018 |
Shakespeare’s plays are fertile ground for reinvention with contemporary authors recasting the stories with new context and even new interpretations. Jack Todd took on the reimagination of The Tempest with Rose & Poe. While The Tempest is centered on Prospero and Miranda, Rose & Poe is about Sycorax and Caliban.

Poe is a simple, gentle giant with six digits on all his hands and feet, with a hump on his back and a huge birthmark. He cannot read and can only tell time twice a day. He spends his day milking their goats, fishing, and building a stone wall for his neighbor Prosper Thorne, whose daughter Miranda is one of his few good friends.

When Miranda is assaulted during a tempestuous storm that takes out the roads and cuts Belle Coeur County off, Poe carried her broken body from the old gravel pit where he found her. Calling “help her – help her” he is still the natural suspect because, of course, he is. The strange and outcast are always suspect.

I enjoyed Rose & Poe quite a bit. It is exciting to see Caliban take center stage and the dead Sycorax reanimated, a living, loving mother. It reads more like a fable, the characters are archetypes, there is this uncanny magical element in the story with the violent storm that erases all evidence that could prove or disprove Poe’s innocence or guilt, and the story reveals a moral lesson for the community and of course, for the reader.

The story is heartbreaking, but then Caliban is a tragic figure. I was moved by Rose’s powerful love for her son and by Poe’s confusion. There are also moments of sly humor that will make you smile.

It was interesting to contrast this with Hag-Seed, Margaret Atwood’s version of The Tempest written for the Hogarth Shakespeare series. They could not be more different and yet they are both phenomenal recasting of a classic.

I received an e-galley of Rose & Poe from the publisher through Edelweiss.

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/9781770413993/
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Tonstant.Weader | 2 andere besprekingen | Oct 22, 2017 |
Thanks to ECW Press for an advanced copy of Rose & Poe by Jack Todd. This book is due out October 17th and I'm anticipating that it will get a lot of buzz. Put this one on your list. This book squeezed my heart and is a relevant read addressing hatred for others who may look or be different than us. 📚This book is advertised as a modern re-telling of the Tempest but from the viewpoint of Caliban (Poe). Rose gives birth to Poe as a young, poor 15 year-old. Poe is over 18 pounds when he is born, has six fingers and six toes on each hand and foot, and has a large port wine stain on his face and body. He is simple-minded and grows into a giant of a man at over 7 feet and 400 lbs. Though huge, Poe is gentle and kind and his mother's love for him is fierce. Prosper and Miranda appear in this book though Prosper only thinks he causes the storm through his dementia riddled mind. The sprite Ariel appears as a Airmail an almost fairytale-like character. And Sebastian shows up as the son of Prosper's arch enemy. Miranda even references Romeo and Juliet at one point which was clever. As the story unfolds, Poe discovers Miranda brutally beaten and carries her for miles to get help at which time he is accused of and arrested for the attack. Poe is unable to articulate what actually happened that day but the townspeople are quick to judge and hate rises. In addition, Miranda suffers amnesia after the attack so is unable to provide details or help Poe's defense. Jack Todd classifies this book as a fable and the town is described as mythical but no part was unbelievable to me, nor did the story come across as a children's fairytale that stretches the imagination. (There is some adult content so it's definitely not a children's read).… (meer)
 
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MyArmchairAdventures | 2 andere besprekingen | Oct 17, 2017 |

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Statistieken

Werken
5
Leden
189
Populariteit
#115,306
Waardering
3.9
Besprekingen
10
ISBNs
26

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