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A review by nvblue
Beyond the Ranges by Walter R. Averett
2.0
Summary of Review:
This book is part memoir, part history, and part family story. No unifying thread connects the stories in the book apart from the author’s interests and past, yet it isn’t truly a memoir as he rarely speaks about himself directly. While this book could contain valuable information to a member of one of the families, or perhaps a person interested in the history of Elgin, Nevada, the frequent grammatical and spelling errors combined with prose that is clunky at best, make this 133-page book an utter slog.
Review:
There are three main themes in this book, contrary to the title, it has very little to do with anything beyond a range. These themes are, namely, Elgin, Nevada and nearby towns, the author’s familial history, and stories that the author reported on when he worked for the Las Vegas Review Journal in the mid 1900’s. A few scattered tales in the book were relayed to the author by a family member or friend, but the majority are connected to the aforementioned threads.
While the author was clearly passionate and interested in the subjects of the book, it was difficult to read and follow. A miscellany of random facts and thoughts are interspersed throughout the text, often making the narrative difficult to follow without adding any useful information.
While the credits at the end of the book indicate that Averett had an editor, it isn’t apparent from reading it. Misspellings, grammatical issues, and clunky prose are rife within the book. While it is beautifully bound and quite professional on the exterior, the book was self-published and it shows in the worst possible way.
I’m giving this book two stars, it does contain some notable information, and has a few redeeming qualities, it was lacking in most areas.
This book is part memoir, part history, and part family story. No unifying thread connects the stories in the book apart from the author’s interests and past, yet it isn’t truly a memoir as he rarely speaks about himself directly. While this book could contain valuable information to a member of one of the families, or perhaps a person interested in the history of Elgin, Nevada, the frequent grammatical and spelling errors combined with prose that is clunky at best, make this 133-page book an utter slog.
Review:
There are three main themes in this book, contrary to the title, it has very little to do with anything beyond a range. These themes are, namely, Elgin, Nevada and nearby towns, the author’s familial history, and stories that the author reported on when he worked for the Las Vegas Review Journal in the mid 1900’s. A few scattered tales in the book were relayed to the author by a family member or friend, but the majority are connected to the aforementioned threads.
While the author was clearly passionate and interested in the subjects of the book, it was difficult to read and follow. A miscellany of random facts and thoughts are interspersed throughout the text, often making the narrative difficult to follow without adding any useful information.
While the credits at the end of the book indicate that Averett had an editor, it isn’t apparent from reading it. Misspellings, grammatical issues, and clunky prose are rife within the book. While it is beautifully bound and quite professional on the exterior, the book was self-published and it shows in the worst possible way.
I’m giving this book two stars, it does contain some notable information, and has a few redeeming qualities, it was lacking in most areas.