Pelican Proofing _PA

Alana is an epic tale of life, perseverance, love discovered, lost, found, family, unbreakable bonds, greed, and loyalty with a classic ‘good versus evil’ theme. Barrie does an amazing job of setting the scene. Every time I opened this book, I felt like I’d stepped back a couple hundred years or so in time. It got to the point where I’d sort of hide out with this book for a break from life, it truly was an escape for me. I missed it terribly when I put it down and even with it over, I’m pretty sure it’s one of those that will stay with me for a while. The dialogue for both affluent whites and their help feels accurate and the picture painted for me has southern charm but also war-ravaged disarray. Pretty impressive There’s no shortage of drama in this world, and it makes for some juicy reading. Plausibility is there; many things in present day would seem too coincidental perhaps, but I suspect a couple hundred years ago, when the world was much smaller, that these things could happen. It’s pretty long, Alana just can’t seem to catch a lasting break. Or every time it seems like she might, there’s sort of a detour. Multiple times, I found myself cursing the author out, it was quite the roller coaster. I need to read Barrie’s entire catalog now, as few authors can provide such a vivid escape. Can’t afford a vacation, or get time off work? Just read Monica Barrie… seriously! I think this is what I’ll do from now on. Editing/proofing: This is pretty decent. As I understand it, this book was originally produced in the 1980s but it doesn’t show. Manuscript is mostly clean and continuity works. Flows well and is an addictive read. Formatting is clean as well. Cover is fitting. Character development is advanced; to the point that they even evolve appropriately as they go through more of life’s trials and learn hard lessons. This really is a brilliant depiction of basic human nature. 4.5 stars.