Genre: Romantic Comedy
Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words
Availability
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on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or
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Author:
Born in New
Zealand in 1947, Philip Marshall has also lived in Thailand, Japan, and the
Philippines. Marshall has a small internet footprint (from my quick searches),
except for a Wikipedia User page. Marshall has one other novel, The
Davenport Files.
Description:
Born with
an unfortunate name, John Pryck has an uphill climb overcoming the bullying of
his early years. Born British, he is polite and diplomatic, which helps with
his progression. With a co-worker even more socially challenged than he is,
Pryck sets out to find Ms. Right Now, with the hope of learning enough to
eventually catch Ms. Right. The journey takes both young men to Thailand, where
things really get interesting.
Appraisal:
This book
was not one I would have picked up off the shelf, unfortunately. I say that
because I enjoyed this book much more than I ever would have expected from the
cover or the description.
Using
gentle, polite humor, Marshall describes Pryck’s constant self-awareness and
low self-esteem, without making him pitiful or rage-filled. His moniker results
in very little positive social interaction with his peers in school, and a
woeful lack of experience with the fairer sex. The time in which the book is
set is unclear, but it is sometime after personal ads became popular, and
before the advent of the internet or cellular phones. I found it easy to read,
and didn’t think much about the “when” of it.
Pryck joins
forces with his Scottish colleague, who is even more clueless about dating and
love, and they set out, first in England, and later in Thailand, to search for fun
and love, in that order. Their romantic edification is humorous and educational.
I learned quite a bit more about England, Thailand, and Japan.
Although I
was able to put this book down to get a good night’s sleep, I was happy to pick
it up again the next day. Pryck’s Progress is a book that I would highly
recommend to any reader who can appreciate good solid writing, polite (not
crass or bawdy) humor, and a thoughtful, uplifting storyline.
FYI:
Some polite
sexual content, nothing overly graphic or non-vanilla.
Format/Typo Issues:
Not an
issue.
Rating: **** Four Stars
2 comments:
This sounds like a book I may be interested in, I will pick up a sample. If the book is not selling maybe the author should consider a change in the book cover. WOW, and maybe a price drop, $9.95 is a bit steep. Just sayin'.
Thanks, Linda. I had some of the same thoughts. Including thinking I might enjoy the book.
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