A Review of "Tales of a Paperboy"

Introduction

As always, let me first put the disclaimer that I received a free .mobi file of Tales of a Paperboy from author Andrew J. Mair in exchange for an honest review. Readers, I am so delighted that this book was the book that marked my return to reviewing. It was a beautifully heartwarming Christmas story that really replenished a "Christmas Spirit" in me that I haven't felt in quite a few years, and I'm so thrilled that I was able to read it so close to the holidays.

My Rating: ★★★★

Synopsis: "Following the death of his mother, fourteen-year-old Daniel Morgan moves from Texas to Utah to live with his grandma and new step-grandfather while his dad pursues a job out of state.

Encouraged by his father, Daniel reluctantly starts his first job as a paperboy. Lonely and lost in an unfamiliar environment and with the holiday approaching, Daniel finds comfort and hope in the sound of local church bells. 

Through his grandparents and the retired families living on his paper route, Daniel learns valuable lessons about responsibility and family. But will he find the spirit of Christmas he longs for?" (via Goodreads) 

Thoughts and Comments

Pros

• The autobiographical prologue provides an interesting backstory towards the motivations of writing the book. It sets the tone for the shared theme of loss that echoes throughout the novel.
• The characters are believable and charming--the author does a lovely job at portraying a sleepy neighborhood filled by those that are retired.
• The epistemological inserts in the book are a delightful touch to the rest of the narration--they really emphasize the importance of journaling, both to the author and to the story.
• The author is gifted with description. Scenes and settings illustratively come to life with the way that Mair writes them into the story.
• Daniel's character development was planned carefully and executed wonderfully. Even though the book only took up a time span of two or so months, it was really effective to see him grow throughout the story.

Cons

• The writing seems a bit shaky at times. There are a few sentence fragments and enough run-on sentences to occasionally be distracting--perhaps another round of editing would be beneficial to really make the book shine at its full potential.
• Often times, it seemed like the narrator was younger than fourteen. I personally thought of him as closer to ten or eleven until his true age would be mentioned in the novel, and it would surprise me each time. The narration is much closer to that of a child rather than that of a teenager.

Conclusion

This book is an excellent ode to how a young person deals with a great loss in life. It offers quite an insight to adults that may be fortunate enough not to have experienced such a loss, and the entire story is portrayed with an enormous amount of tender care and grace. Finally, it was a fantastic reminder at how helpful a tool journaling can be, especially when circumstances feel solitary or alienating--Tales of a Paperboy truly inspired me to start regularly putting my accounts and emotions to paper again, and I'm sure other readers will feel exactly the same way. Mr. Mair, thank you for the opportunity to review your work. I look forward to seeing more from you in the future!

Amazon Link: See here

Goodreads Link: See here

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