Kinmount

Kinmount by Rod Carley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was a nice quirky little comedy, not quite the laugh riot suggested by the blurb but worth a few smiles. The author knows a LOT about Shakespeare and the classics in general. Some may object to the amount of information divulged to the reader but I found it interesting. Still, if you object to information dumps you'd be better reading something else. There are a number of generic cultural references tucked away inside so I was left wondering if the author took the name Lola, the apparent villain, from the movie/play Damn Yankees. That will remain a mystery.

I listened to the audio version but I think print might have been better for this one. The readers were good. It's just with the number of characters and the amount of dialog I think I'd have preferred to create the voices in my imagination.

I'm not certain who the target audience is for this book. Initially I thought it was for Gen Z but then the characters from that generation came across as decidedly unimpressive. Initially the author, through the main character, adopts the young urban manner of sneering at small town life but once the author arrives in Kinmount the author backs off.

The central conflict revolves around the issue of censorship by those who are politically correct, specifically of Shakespeare's works. I don't remember anyone ever criticizing Romeo and Juliet so it seemed a bit of a stretch to have Lola convinced it was going to harm the children. Had he selected The Merchant of Venice he would have had a book which had been censored quite a bit in recent years.

The author is so enthusiastic about Shakespeare I think I might listen to the audio recordings of a few plays. I'm pretty sure I've read most of them but he makes a point of suggesting real appreciation can only come from hearing the words.

In general I liked the book. The ending was a little rushed it seemed and there was a very late plot twist which, while interesting, wasn't really developed sufficiently. Nevertheless, I think most people can find the book enjoyable.



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