I loved the true history about John Ashley and Florida's historical background (especially since we were in that same area just last week- Swamp Bandit - you should read about it - very interesting). The book started out promising. I liked the mystery and action it promised as well as the historical context - but as I went along I was distracted by something that came up over and over again.
Edna Buchanan's hero and heroine were perfect. It was off-putting. I grew tired of the statuesque Laura who was highly intuitive with raven hair and had a lithe body and down to earth personality. She was not real to me. She seemed cardboard. She wasn't ever scared except of losing her love (John Ashley) and she wasn't even clumsy. She was an expert marksman and kind hearted to all except those who threatened her happiness with the man she loved.
Yuck.
John Ashley was said to be "the golden boy". He was upstanding and brave and good looking. Very successful as a sergeant in the Miami PD and had a wonderfully close hugemongous family that revered him as just about perfect. He was kind to animals and the homeless and did not care that a very rich, very shady lawyer who had politicians in his pocket did not like him because he pulled him over for DUI. He managed to slide through the incident with accolades and merit. But of course it became his undoing when the man showed up on a beach dead. All fingers pointing to John.
And to add to the tedium of perfect people, the rest of it became a massive web of impossible intrigue. Every time I turned the page it got worse and looked less likely to have a happy ending. The book switched between the very interesting and sad life of John Ashley, who was a criminal of circumstance from the 1920's and the present day Ashley family(fictional). I loved the story of the Swamp Bandit. The history of how things were named down in Florida and how the Ashley gang came to be was wonderful. I did my own research and found that it was true. He and Laura had a tragic ending. Very sad - but it was good stuff. But I would groan when it came to the present day John and Laura. I could not wait to get through with it so I could see how it ended and be done with it.
And of course through all of that build up - the close of the book was incredibly simple and ended with no complications or ramifications. Much too easy. Too tidy.
So - my issue with the book: It wasn't that it became tedious to read. It was the characters. I love a story that lets you see the flawed with the good. The two are always intertwined. We all have the ugly and the beautiful in us. We are a mess of contradictions and inconsistencies. It is what makes us interesting.
My mother always scolded me a bit for my distrust of people who seemed "too good". Yes - that is wrong of me - but it always seems to me that if someone seems too good to be true - they are probably hiding something. We all are. I just prefer to pick and choose what naughtiness you get to see. The ones who batten down the hatches make me wonder what kind of bad they have hidden in there. Of course I am kidding - mostly. But I do believe there is a grain of truth to it.
I love the way God made us. Do I want to be better? Of course. Do I want to live in a world where people are loving and kind and seek to serve others before themselves? Absolutely. But for now - we are on a journey toward that.
Perfection gets old real fast. Is this a failing of mine? Maybe. I am not sure. But I am mulling it over.....God will give me the grace I need when I need it to be what he has called me. It is a journey.
If you are going to write a book about people in today's circumstances, keep it real. At least that's how I feel about it - today.
Looking for my next book.
Happy Summer folks -
No comments:
Post a Comment
Let me know what you think and how you deal with things. I am always looking to do things better!