This book is a spoof wherein W is cast as the top chef in a restaurant.

What follows is a copy of the review I posted on Amazon as a Kindle Book Review Team member.

The Adventures of George    Blair Gowrie

An interesting tale told in verse, a fun read

four stars

This is a tricky work to rate, so as always, do not let my star count override your judgement of content. More on the stars, counting, and my rating challenges later. I found that, the more I read, the more I enjoyed and appreciated the work.

It is essentially a set of connected short stories told in rhyming verse. You need either to know world figures, or have someone help you if you don’t. I mention this because younger readers might get a kick out of this work too.

Everything revolves around the staff of a restaurant and its chief chef and owner, George. Various international figures try to influence various things, from kidnapping George to threatening violence if Mister Hamburger does not get out of certain countries. The plot moves around the world a fair bit.

The book is light-hearted despite the serious situations. The various tales interweave as the work walks forward, one of the reasons I suggest a purchaser read the entire book for sure(but probably not in one session – it’s fairly long and includes some thirty-one poem sections, all of more than one page.)

For an example of the style of writing, consider this: “One day there came into the club /a stranger causing a great hubbub /with his soldierly, swaggering, uniformed figure,/ and short black hair and moustache a-quiver, /and with him aides and associates ten, /all muscular, military, mustachioed men, /and looking around with disdain he decried /not a table there was which was not occupied, /and noticing a nearby noisy group /of diners spooning up their soup /at a longish table seating twenty /and laden with food and drink a-plenty, /he called the captain with this demand, /“Give me that table, it’s my command.””

Again, the section entitled David Chipperfield begins thus: “The theatre was arranged in a dinner type style, /with tables for patrons to watch and to dine, /or have a few drinks, whisky, or perhaps beer./ And to the stage Vince’s table was near, /providing a view of the chorus line /where the sequined beauties all looked divine/in ostrich-feather costumes with beaver-fur trimming,/ high-stepping, high-kicking, dancing and spinning, /with perfect co-ordination and timing, /and dazzling smiles, white teeth all a-shining.”

If you’re scrolling for the tiny carps, they are few. Maybe a typo. The odd not-rhyme and a few close rhymes. Nothing of consequence, and not surprising in a work of this size.

So, back to the star count. Again, this is an unusual work and your opinion may be different. My personal guidelines, when doing an ‘official’ KBR review, are as follows: five stars means, roughly equal to best in genre. Rarely given. Four stars means, extremely good. Three stars means, definitely recommendable. I am a tough reviewer. I try to be consistent. I think four stars is about right. If you understand the ‘form’ of this work, you should be happy with your purchase.

Kindle Book Review Team member.

(Note: this reviewer received a free copy of this book for an independent review. He is not associated with the author or Amazon.)