Rate this book

The Dropper (2009)

by Ron McLarty(Favorite Author)

3.88 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1587672758 (ISBN13: 9781587672750)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fiction

publisher

Cemetery Dance Publications

review 1: Loved this book. It's 1922, the family lives in a small port town in England facing the Irish sea. "Shoe" Horn, a plumber apprentice, at 17 takes on the responsibility for his household after his mother dies. He takes care of his "special" younger brother Bobby, Bobby's new found dog Blacky and has to deal with their drunken abusive father Albert; Shoe takes the blows so Bobby is protected. I loved the relationship between Shoe and Bobby. There are also some very good secondary stories - the "giant" McAvy, Shoe's boxing at father Albert's insistence to earn more money, and a scary woman nicknamed "The Dropper". This book is very well written and the characters, while human and flawed and wonderful (some), are fleshed out very well. I love Shoe and Bobby, and The McA... morevy. There's a sweetness to the book, even in the hard times and circumstances in which they live. I highly recommend this one!
review 2: Ron McLarty's latest is a powerful family saga of one 17 year olds journey into adulthood against all odds. In reality he has been the adult in the family for most of his life and he certainly has his charater flaws and plenty of them. But he also has a strong sence of loyalty and hard work. Unlike McLarty's other novels there is only a passing nod to East Providence. All the action takes place in 1922 England for the most part. (I can't wait to hear what others think about what may have happened in the "unwritten" life of Shoe Horn??) The romantic in me wants to think I know what happended at the end of the book, but then I know that McLarty based the charater on his Uncle/Grandfather? who he said was a "prick". I am going to go with the fact that his "Uncle" was the "seed" for the story and Shoe Horn was his own man. As I usually do, I invision this as a film and a fantastic one it would be. Why people aren't making films of original stories like this instead of remakes of Footloose and Dark Shadows is beyond me! If only Andre The Giant was alive to play McAvy! A compelling and at times hard to read tale loaded with colorful and disturbing charaters. Loved it. less

Download links for: The Dropper

Advertising