Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.
When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review, courtesy of Bookjunkie’s Book Blog:
Dream World: Tales of American Life in the 20th Century
by William Charles Krebs
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 978-1478745396
Synopsis:
The Andersons are in Ocorlampa, Florida to look at the college for their daughter Liz. They saw their daughter move into a family home of the Wilsons. At the same time a young man, Willie, has come to Florida to settle in so he can go to the local college. He finds a room with an elderly widow. Both of these young people find jobs at “Dream World” where they are destined to meet. Therefore Liz and Willie begin dating. Neither are very experienced in dating, so it is new for them. They fall in love, but Willie gets scared as he is not ready for marriage yet, so he drops Liz without any explanation. Sue, who fancies herself ‘the complete woman,’ pursues Willie. She does not think Liz is right for Willie and they have heated relationship. Liz is puzzled. Willie does not love Sue, and by Christmas has broken up with her, and then sets out to get Liz back. This takes some maneuvering to get Liz back, and he signs up to be in the same class in the new term. Another young man, Mike, is in the class becomes competition for Willie. The three of them end up going to lunch together. There is much lively discussion in class. Mike also gets to know Sue. Willie and Mike get into a fight, and Sue claims they were fighting over her. Read the book to see how it turns out.
Critique:
Dream World: Tales of American Life in the 20th Century by William Charles Kreb is a story about two young college students who are entering a world without their parents’ watchful eye and into the world of love, lust and expectations in marriage.
The story opens with Liz Anderson, 17, who dreams of going to college in another state and her parents make her wait. It isn’t until her 19th birthday that she decides to go to Lake Shore College in Florida and assert her independence. The summer before school starts she gets a job as a tour guide at Dream World, an amusement park, which many students from Lake Shore work. It is there she meets, Willie Johnson, a young man who comes to Florida for spring break and decides to come back for college. He soon gets a job at Dream World. Liz and Willie casually date during that summer when something happens which leaves Liz hurt and Willie dating someone else. Willie soon realizes his mistake about breaking up with Liz and now he must fight to win back her affections as a new man enters her life. Both Liz and Willie struggle to find their place in the world, to form their own ideals and forge their own paths in life. Will Willie be able to win Liz back? Will someone win her heart?
I liked this book. I enjoyed the sparing between characters about life, love and marriage. Willie is the frugal man who wants love and marriage and Liz doesn’t know what she wants. The new man, Mike, is the typical egoistical pig who thinks he can get any woman because of his money. I love the scene where Liz gives Mike a speech which shows him that she is not the kind of woman who falls in love (and bed) with any man just because he flashes money and a handsome smile her way. I love how she poked holes in his proposal when basically points out that he wanted a wife without the legal bidding marriage. She also shows Willie that if he wants her back, he will have to work hard to win her heart. I also loved how the ending leaves the reader without a definitive answer if Willie and Liz get back together.
[ reviewed by Jennifer Lara of Observations From a Simple Life ]
Here’s what another reviewer is saying:
This is the first offering by William Charles Krebs. The novel was very long and rather drawn out. I finished reading it; however, it took me almost a third of the book to actually start caring about what happened to the various characters present in the story. It was well written but the pace was inconsistent and choppy, and for most of the book it was relatively slow and hard to keep up with due to the slowness. The story is that about a group of young people in what ends up becoming a love square instead of just a triangle. The back if the book indicates that there are future novels possible, this would not be a bad thing unless they are over 500 pages as this one was. I feel like it could have been about 200 pages shorter and left with a minor cliffhanger so to speak and it would have been a much smoother enjoyable read. I know this seems to be a rather negative review and I do not mean for it to be so; I just was unable to derive nearly as much pleasure as I had anticipated. I will gladly read another book by this author especially if it is a continuation of this story.
The Good: The characters, the premise of the story as a whole.
The Not So Good: The pacing of the story at times.
The Bad: The overall length of the book.
Rating 6/10
Recommendation: Literary fiction fans that like a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure.
– Blogger Victoria Roberts of Bookjunkie’s Book Blog
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