A review by dwcofer
Whiskey & Ribbons by Leesa Cross-Smith
1.0
Oh my gosh, where do I start. "Whiskey & Ribbons," by Leesa Cross-Smith was just horrible.
First, the writing. Ms. Cross has obviously never studied writing seriously. The book is all telling, no showing. I wanted to scream, "Show me, please!" The book could have been improved so much by showing me the action instead of a flat telling me what happened.
Second, the characters are so flat and not developed. They are not even underdeveloped. They are not developed at all. By not showing us their action and providing enough dialogue, I never felt like I got to know and relate to them. The characters were nothing more than just names. They all had the same voice, and all spoke alike.
Thirdly, the premise was a good one, but fell way short due to the inadequacies of the author. Who at the publishing house told her this was a good book? They lied to her. Again, the premise of grief, love, and memory are good ideas, but they needed the hand of a skilled craftsman to bring it alive for the reader.
Finally, Ms. Cross tries to hard to make this a literary piece of work. She uses flowery language when it is neither needed nor appropriate. The "romance" story is so cliché it is sickening. Ms. Cross is trying to create something (a work of literary fiction) in which she is incapable of doing.
Save your money and skip this book.
First, the writing. Ms. Cross has obviously never studied writing seriously. The book is all telling, no showing. I wanted to scream, "Show me, please!" The book could have been improved so much by showing me the action instead of a flat telling me what happened.
Second, the characters are so flat and not developed. They are not even underdeveloped. They are not developed at all. By not showing us their action and providing enough dialogue, I never felt like I got to know and relate to them. The characters were nothing more than just names. They all had the same voice, and all spoke alike.
Thirdly, the premise was a good one, but fell way short due to the inadequacies of the author. Who at the publishing house told her this was a good book? They lied to her. Again, the premise of grief, love, and memory are good ideas, but they needed the hand of a skilled craftsman to bring it alive for the reader.
Finally, Ms. Cross tries to hard to make this a literary piece of work. She uses flowery language when it is neither needed nor appropriate. The "romance" story is so cliché it is sickening. Ms. Cross is trying to create something (a work of literary fiction) in which she is incapable of doing.
Save your money and skip this book.