Gravy, by Ron Singer
ForumReviews of Early Reviewers Books
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1LyndaInOregon
Disclosure: An electronic copy of this book was provided for review by Ooligan Press, via LibraryThing.
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File this one under “be careful what you ask for”. I requested it for review because it was supposed to be an amusing look at the foibles of life over 70 – a point beyond which, according to the author, “everything is gravy”. Gravy, in my experience, is supposed to be smooth, rich, and savory, and to add a bit of zest to the meal. This particular batch, however, isn’t any of those. It’s pasty, lumpy, overcooked, and loaded with unnecessary spices, apparently because the author wants you to know he has cardamom, saffron, and amchoor in his pantry and isn’t afraid to use them.
This collection of vignettes, short-shorts, and observations, is over-written, condescending, and utterly devoid of humor. The tales – which sound interesting in summary – include a talking muffin, revenge-bent employees fired for being too old, and a married couple who attempt to purchase surrogate parents, among others.
Unfortunately, they are rendered in such opaque language and in such a supercilious tone, that the only thing the reader will feel is annoyance at being served up such a pile of tripe. A couple of random paragraphs here will serve to demonstrate:
“For most risk-management estimates, there is a set of parameters such that a combination of values produces a degree of actuarial soundness, as estimated by a valid actuarial model, that exceeds a specified level less than one.”
And, lest you think I am cherry-picking:
“The principle of revenge in ‘Inferno’, the first of the three books that comprise the ‘Commedia’, is called contrapassor, i.e., the punishment mirrors the crime. Yet the actual punishments that are meted out are often harsher, or less harsh, than the sinners would appear to deserve, even by the standards of early Fourteenth Century Italy. In many cases, Dante’s own loyalties,passions, and quirks richly dye the contrapassi, as do the sinners’ motives, virtues, and emotions.”
And it goes on like this for 216 pages in the ebook version.
Do yourself a favor – take a pass on this gravy, and load your literary plate up with something more digestible.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
File this one under “be careful what you ask for”. I requested it for review because it was supposed to be an amusing look at the foibles of life over 70 – a point beyond which, according to the author, “everything is gravy”. Gravy, in my experience, is supposed to be smooth, rich, and savory, and to add a bit of zest to the meal. This particular batch, however, isn’t any of those. It’s pasty, lumpy, overcooked, and loaded with unnecessary spices, apparently because the author wants you to know he has cardamom, saffron, and amchoor in his pantry and isn’t afraid to use them.
This collection of vignettes, short-shorts, and observations, is over-written, condescending, and utterly devoid of humor. The tales – which sound interesting in summary – include a talking muffin, revenge-bent employees fired for being too old, and a married couple who attempt to purchase surrogate parents, among others.
Unfortunately, they are rendered in such opaque language and in such a supercilious tone, that the only thing the reader will feel is annoyance at being served up such a pile of tripe. A couple of random paragraphs here will serve to demonstrate:
“For most risk-management estimates, there is a set of parameters such that a combination of values produces a degree of actuarial soundness, as estimated by a valid actuarial model, that exceeds a specified level less than one.”
And, lest you think I am cherry-picking:
“The principle of revenge in ‘Inferno’, the first of the three books that comprise the ‘Commedia’, is called contrapassor, i.e., the punishment mirrors the crime. Yet the actual punishments that are meted out are often harsher, or less harsh, than the sinners would appear to deserve, even by the standards of early Fourteenth Century Italy. In many cases, Dante’s own loyalties,passions, and quirks richly dye the contrapassi, as do the sinners’ motives, virtues, and emotions.”
And it goes on like this for 216 pages in the ebook version.
Do yourself a favor – take a pass on this gravy, and load your literary plate up with something more digestible.
