From Afar by Frank Scozzari
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I want desperately to set Morgan (the MC) up with my best friend. This poor, love-sick fool needs the affection of a good woman and decides to go all the way to Russia to find it.
Reflecting on this read, two things make me smile:
1) Morgan. I fucking love this guy. That sort of talk would upset Morgan, because he does not like to swear. Although he’s a bit of a pansy, I still love the guy. Hearing his perspective on women and love entertained me thoroughly. The recent Twitter firestorm around how men portray women combined with my recent read of another male author’s characterization of women as over-sexed and soft {shutter} has me REALLY appreciating the sweet and kind-natured way Mr. Scozzari describes women. His character is attracted to them, but deeply respects them. I dig it. I felt like I accompanied him as he tried to decipher his feeling on love and his reactions to the women and men he met along the way. It was a fun journey to travel with him.
2) Russia. Yes, big, bad Russia made me smile throughout. I felt like my issue with the supporting cast of my last review is the exact opposite here. Mr. Scozzari brings characters (good and bad) to life. I even just love the easy (not completely overdone) Russian accent, primarily the use of Da instead of Yeah. There was just enough time spent explaining the cold and how Morgan attempted to thwart it, especially with one of those big, obnoxious fur hats. Then, how Morgan didn’t realize he looked like a dork in it — man, that’s so Morgan!
Two things that drove me insane:
1) Passive sentences. I’m a believer that between a first and second draft, the word “was” should be searched out and destroyed as much as possible. That did not happen with this novel. At one point, I rewrote a paragraph and read it, to stop reading the “was.”
2) Other editing miscues. Some scenes and dialogue didn’t add to the ultimate story and should’ve been cut completely or heavily cut back IMO. I found myself skipping half pages, because I got the point in the first two sentences. I don’t need the full, sappy story told across two people — it adds nothing to my life or the story.
Ultimately, the story by Mr. Scozzari is absolutely phenomenal. The conversational tone of the manuscript wins, until it’s too loose with passive sentences. I’d recommend this book to my friends, who aren’t as passionate about the editing process.
Review by: Andrea Lechner-Becker
Author of new release,
Sixty Days Left: A Novel
What a lovely cover — and thank you for a really good review:)