Tag: Professional

Lucy Cruickshanks – The Road to Rangoon | Review

Title: The Road to Rangoon

Author: Lucy Cruickshanks

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 440

Rating: 3.5/5

 

Lucy Cruickshanks - The Road to Rangoon

Lucy Cruickshanks – The Road to Rangoon

 

This is the second of two books that Lucy has written and which are set in Burma, and I was kind of expecting this one to be a sequel. It wasn’t, at least as far as I could tell, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it. Perhaps it’s not the kind of book that I’d usually read, but I’m still glad that I picked it up.

Cruickshanks has a knack for establishing a sense of place, and when you’re reading this book it really feels as though you’re there. The plot was great as well, although I wasn’t too attached to the characters. I think the characters were better in the first book but that the plot was better in this one, so perhaps it just depends on what kind of reader you are.

Another good thing about this book was how quick and easy it was to read. I whizzed through it in two or three days and when I finished, it felt like I’d just got back from a holiday. It wasn’t much of a holiday though, because the book is set during the 1980s before armed conflict in the country led to it changing its name from Burma to Myanmar. Rangoon was also changed to Yangon, which means that even the title of this book helps to establish a sense of time and place.

 

Lucy Cruikshanks

Lucy Cruikshanks

 

Because of that, this novel is a sort of weird mixture between literary fiction, historical fiction and a sort of military thriller. I can’t think of anything that I’ve read that’s quite like it, and I read a lot of different stuff. I’d be interested to know what some of Cruickshanks’ inspirations were when she wrote this, although I also watch her talk about books on BookTube and so I already know what she’s into.

So would I recommend this one? Yes and no, because I don’t think it’s quite right for everyone. That said, I think if the synopsis sounds good and you have some sort of interest in Burma then it’s pretty much a no-brainer, because it’s well-written, well-edited and an all-round professional release. The only reason I can think of that someone might not like it would be if they’re just not that interested in the subject matter.

All in all, then, Lucy did a great job with this one and I think it was a worthy follow-up to her first book. She didn’t just try to imitate herself and that’s to be commended. Good stuff.

 

Lucy Cruikshanks - The Trader of Saigon

Lucy Cruikshanks – The Trader of Saigon

 

Click here to buy The Road to Rangoon.


Jade Sharma – Problems | Review

Title: Problems

Author: Jade Sharma

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 224

Rating: 4*/5

 

Jade Sharma - Problems

Jade Sharma – Problems

 

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this book for free to review.

I’m pretty sure I didn’t even request this one, but it arrived at my door and so I figured I might as well give it a go. Luckily, I really enjoyed it, and while I did find occasional problems with it here and there, it was entertaining enough and pretty typical for a professional qualitydrugbook.

Here, we follow an unlikable heroin addict and see the highs and lows of her life through her own eyes. It’s bleak and pretty visceral, but it does get a little tedious over time just because of the protagonist’s personality. But drugs do bad things to people – and it can make them do bad things, too.

If you don’t like drug books then you won’t like this, but if you like stuff about heroin and prostitution and the dregs of society trying to survive in a world in which they’re only looking for their next fix, you’re in luck. There were a few problems with the layout in my copy, but it was also an uncorrected proof and so perhaps that was why. All in all, I thought it was pretty good.

 

Jade Sharma

Jade Sharma

 

Click here to buy Problems.