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Review
For:
Farewell
Alexandria
, by Derek Adie Flower
ISBN:
9781847534422, Publisher: LULU
After
reading Farewell Alexandria, by Derek
Flower, I am exceedingly impressed. Derek Flower has lived in
Egypt
,
France
, and
Italy
. He has an Honors Degree in Modern Languages and speaks English, Italian, and
French. He has three fiction and three non-fiction titles to his name. Currently
he resides just outside of
Rome
with his wife.
Although
a work of fiction, many of the background accounts in the story are factual,
accounting international history. A family saga, of sorts, this memoir follows a
family through three generations over a span of eighty years- beginning with the
birth of Antor Caspardian, to his son, George, his daughter, MaryAnn, and
grandchildren, Nelson, Jemima, and A.J. It
relates the elation of love, the devastation of loss, and the rise from poverty
to the power wealth can bring; all amidst the economical and political history
he lays out.
The book had a few editing
issues such as: misplaced and/or needed commas, and misspellings. Overall, there
were few, and was not a distraction while reading. Following all of the
secondary characters could be, at times, a bit difficult to keep straight. In my
opinion, the book should have been published in hard cover.
In saying that, I cannot
possibly conjure enough positive adjectives to describe this book. It was so
eloquently written that I found myself completely immersed in the story-line
from page one. The characters were not only believable and relatable, but you
felt as if you’ve known them your entire life. The pure ambition of the
characters, along with the adventure and intrigue written, were a true testament
to the human spirit and the force that drives us all. Beginning and ending the
book in the same place, with the same character, only added leverage. It was
extremely difficult to put down. I, at no time, lost interest, nor did I find
any dead spots. It was not predictable in any form. The mixture of emotions that
floods your system, from rage, fury, and wrath, to delight, amusement, and
euphoria, engage you in this assault from the first chapter. Readers can take
with them a history and cultural lesson they will not soon forget. This was a
heartbreaking, bittersweet, and poignant tale; one that will stay with me for a
long time. I need not say that I hope to find more titles from him in the
future, as I know there will be.
Kelly
Moran,
Author
and Reviewer
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