Not a '6' But a Very Good Book

BROKEN WING by Judith James is not a 6 out of 5 read for me, but it IS a very good book that is well written. I have absolutely no problem recommending this book to any reader that wants to read a story that has multi-layered and complicated characters.

As I believe Kristie mentioned in her review, it is difficult to talk about this book without giving too much away. I certainly don't want to do that because a great part of this read is one of discovery. Every step of the way we are discovering who Gabriel St. Croix is much as the character himself.

Kristie was right on the money when she said that this is a dark story and sometimes a wrenching one. But Ms. James is very able in her work and the story is also moving and beautiful.

I enjoyed the journey of this book very much. I could hardly stand to know what was going to happen to the characters next. The story is peppered with secondary characters that would make interesting books of their own. I don't want you to be mislead and think that Ms. James belabors or leads too much in that direction. I only mention it because a couple of characters appealed to my curiosity and 'what if' enough to want to read their stories.

I did have some issues that kept this book from being perfect for me. However, in light of the depth of the story and how well written it is, it seems petty to mention them. If you really want to know more, email me separately and we'll discuss.

While Gabriel St. Croix is certainly a tortured and dark hero he is not mean spirited or cruel. We, as readers understand him better than the people he meets because we know his back story and his thoughts. This discovery and understanding of Gabriel is an integral part of the reading experience. It's not hard to understand why Sarah Munroe falls in with him.

If you want to know more about the book I suggest you read Ms. James excerpts. I am happy to report that they don't take away from the reading experience. Much like a well done movie trailer, I think choosing just the 'right' excerpt is important for a book.

If you like a book that puts you in that place in history, a book that doesn't apologize or equivocate or back away from the unsavory truth, you'll like BROKEN WING.

Not a 6 out of 5, but a very good book. Thanks Kristie!