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Prairie Winds Golf Course #3
Tuey's Course
Mystery and Fantasy Amid DiscriminationHow Does A victim React?Racial tension had been building for years near Prairie Winds Golf Course on the east side of St. Louis. Minority businessman Tuey O'Tweety faced the brunt of the discrimination.
Life becomes more difficult for Tuey when the frustrations of harassment become a daily nuisance. Corrupt politicians, manipulated city hall employees and hypocritical community leaders add to the unrelenting aggravation.
Through an odd connection Tuey lands with an eclectic group of golfing misfits. Daily visits to the golf course expose him to an unfamiliar slice of life. An unlikely player leads him down a seemingly innocent path. The world of black and the world of white become intertwined in a world of intricate fantasy.
Join head golf pro J Dub Schroeder and his brother, Curt, as they open the clubhouse doors to a man trying to find his way out of an impoverished situation.
˃˃˃ Satire and HypocritesHypocritical community leaders at City Hall enforce specific nuisances in local ordinances. Many affect minority businessman Tuey O'Tweety.
However Tuey lives in a simple world trying to balance basic needs. He reacts in a way that pours gasoline on the flame.
Enter J Dub Schroeder and his brother, Curt. They provide an opportunity that no leader dared to suggest. But for Tuey the golf course property provided an escape into fantasy after an encounter with an odd group. Hypocrites beware! The mind can deliver a warped sense of reality.
This is a satire with a lot of dialect.
˃˃˃ City Hall Decisions Can Bring Unpredictable ResultsOfficials at City Hall have envying responsibility. However all of their decisions are not popular with the public. Citizens react to their policies in varying ways. One such member of the public, Tuey O'Tweety, grew tired of the unrelenting aggravation caused by minor violations.
Frustration and unhappiness subside when local golf course operators J Dub and Curt Schroeder provide Tuey with a lucrative business opportunity. However, daily trips to the golf course open up relationships with a host of eclectic figures.
Tuey's mind becomes misguided. A confused state twists reality. Try to figure out the how he deals with the situation at hand. Explore the convoluted path through the fairways of Prairie Winds Golf Course that has become "Tuey's Course."
Click on this today!
Life becomes more difficult for Tuey when the frustrations of harassment become a daily nuisance. Corrupt politicians, manipulated city hall employees and hypocritical community leaders add to the unrelenting aggravation.
Through an odd connection Tuey lands with an eclectic group of golfing misfits. Daily visits to the golf course expose him to an unfamiliar slice of life. An unlikely player leads him down a seemingly innocent path. The world of black and the world of white become intertwined in a world of intricate fantasy.
Join head golf pro J Dub Schroeder and his brother, Curt, as they open the clubhouse doors to a man trying to find his way out of an impoverished situation.
˃˃˃ Satire and HypocritesHypocritical community leaders at City Hall enforce specific nuisances in local ordinances. Many affect minority businessman Tuey O'Tweety.
However Tuey lives in a simple world trying to balance basic needs. He reacts in a way that pours gasoline on the flame.
Enter J Dub Schroeder and his brother, Curt. They provide an opportunity that no leader dared to suggest. But for Tuey the golf course property provided an escape into fantasy after an encounter with an odd group. Hypocrites beware! The mind can deliver a warped sense of reality.
This is a satire with a lot of dialect.
˃˃˃ City Hall Decisions Can Bring Unpredictable ResultsOfficials at City Hall have envying responsibility. However all of their decisions are not popular with the public. Citizens react to their policies in varying ways. One such member of the public, Tuey O'Tweety, grew tired of the unrelenting aggravation caused by minor violations.
Frustration and unhappiness subside when local golf course operators J Dub and Curt Schroeder provide Tuey with a lucrative business opportunity. However, daily trips to the golf course open up relationships with a host of eclectic figures.
Tuey's mind becomes misguided. A confused state twists reality. Try to figure out the how he deals with the situation at hand. Explore the convoluted path through the fairways of Prairie Winds Golf Course that has become "Tuey's Course."
Click on this today!
357 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2009
About the author
James Ross
160 books119 followersI'm a cancer survivor who had something to say. One story has become several novels from fictitious Prairie Winds Golf Course high atop the Mississippi river bluffs just east of St. Louis.
My stories are character-based with the genre being realistic fiction. My writing style utilizes the use of dialogue from an eclectic cast of characters. Aside from the recurring regulars roughly 20 new personalities are introduced per story.
There will be a Midwestern flavor, solid themes, social issues, and a few lessons in life learned from the golf course which reflect my roots.
My stories are character-based with the genre being realistic fiction. My writing style utilizes the use of dialogue from an eclectic cast of characters. Aside from the recurring regulars roughly 20 new personalities are introduced per story.
There will be a Midwestern flavor, solid themes, social issues, and a few lessons in life learned from the golf course which reflect my roots.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 23, 2010
From the first book in the Prairie Winds series, Lifetime Loser, author James Ross shows his penchant for exposing the bad guys—those unscrupulous and unsavory among us in the fields of real estate, law, accounting, and governance who play dirty politics and prey upon the well-intended but not-overly-astute average Joe. In Tuey’s Course, Ross ratchets up the heat and widens the gap between the haves and have-nots, shining a glaring light on a wider-than-you’d imagine ring of greed, power, and hypocrisy in white America.
Twenty new characters combine with several we already know in an intertwined series of quick-moving and interesting plots and schemes, some of which come to bear heavily on the shoulders of protagonist WeWildapheet Ulysees O’Tweety (Tuey).
Tuey is an excavator married to his high school sweetheart (LaVournique) for nearly twenty years and living, as he would say, among his own kind on the edge of town. His gapped-toothed constant smile, poor black man’s dialect, and innocence have us sympathetic as he struggles under a mountain of injustice bestowed on him by a host of animal look-alikes at city hall.
The government’s incessant message that his business isn’t welcome in their town presses down on him and strains his marriage, but when Tuey tries to make things right he becomes further alienated by the city and victimized by bank president Harold Syms. Syms is portrayed as a sly fox who has numerous people in his pocket and skillfully beguiles them to join him in using other people’s money to increase his and their personal wealth. One of Syms’ deals is with a local farmer/landowner who decides to sell the family’s land adjacent to the golf course for development. Syms stands to exact a hefty profit for himself, of course. In exchange for a necessary easement through Prairie Winds Golf Course, J Dub and Curt, who have met Tuey and understand his plight, insist that Tuey be awarded the job of running a long sewer line for the project. This brings Tuey into the fold of the colorful Prairie Winds family.
Much of the time we’re back in the company of the regulars—in and out of casinos, the clubhouse, and the golf course—and enjoying their antics. Is it my imagination, or is Ross hinting that there might be a somewhat rotten apple in the barrel?
Tuey’s Course happens to overlap with Finish Line at the time Curt is battling cancer. A knock-out, athletic govie-gal who can play the game catches Curt’s eye and brightens his world at the same time that weather set-backs, equipment breakdowns, mounting friction at city hall and at home have Tuey crying for help and relief. He turns to religion in a church in his neighborhood where congregants pray for him and believe there are mighty lessons to be learned from the animal kingdom. He turns to the regulars at Prairie Winds, including Puddles who leads him to a cave. Here is where Ross flexes his fictional muscle. The reader is uncertain whether they are in a dream or real time, but the plot sorts itself out and the book comes to a surprising and quite climatic ending.
Ross’s writing shows an increasing level of skill that includes the simultaneous climax toward the end of the book, a lot of satire, and fantasy—something new for him. Knowing Ross, he’s dropped a few crumbs along the trail that we might expect to surface in some future tale. I’d bet there will be more about the human tooth from Lifetime Loser, certainly some further romantic development with Curt, and I wonder if something might be lurking about the GPS killer.
A word about the new characters: some are caricature-like and compared directly to animals for reasons which become obvious, and others are so rife with stereotype that at times you think the author is kidding until you realize he expects you to say “typical.” He is certain that we all have noticed these characters around us, we’ve all formed opinions, and in most cases, we’ve mostly turned a blind eye and gone on with our own business as usual.
I’ve read and enjoyed all three of Ross’s books so far. This past weekend I was far from home driving through the St. Louis area when I caught myself looking to the right and left for signs of Prairie Winds and lime green skull caps.
Twenty new characters combine with several we already know in an intertwined series of quick-moving and interesting plots and schemes, some of which come to bear heavily on the shoulders of protagonist WeWildapheet Ulysees O’Tweety (Tuey).
Tuey is an excavator married to his high school sweetheart (LaVournique) for nearly twenty years and living, as he would say, among his own kind on the edge of town. His gapped-toothed constant smile, poor black man’s dialect, and innocence have us sympathetic as he struggles under a mountain of injustice bestowed on him by a host of animal look-alikes at city hall.
The government’s incessant message that his business isn’t welcome in their town presses down on him and strains his marriage, but when Tuey tries to make things right he becomes further alienated by the city and victimized by bank president Harold Syms. Syms is portrayed as a sly fox who has numerous people in his pocket and skillfully beguiles them to join him in using other people’s money to increase his and their personal wealth. One of Syms’ deals is with a local farmer/landowner who decides to sell the family’s land adjacent to the golf course for development. Syms stands to exact a hefty profit for himself, of course. In exchange for a necessary easement through Prairie Winds Golf Course, J Dub and Curt, who have met Tuey and understand his plight, insist that Tuey be awarded the job of running a long sewer line for the project. This brings Tuey into the fold of the colorful Prairie Winds family.
Much of the time we’re back in the company of the regulars—in and out of casinos, the clubhouse, and the golf course—and enjoying their antics. Is it my imagination, or is Ross hinting that there might be a somewhat rotten apple in the barrel?
Tuey’s Course happens to overlap with Finish Line at the time Curt is battling cancer. A knock-out, athletic govie-gal who can play the game catches Curt’s eye and brightens his world at the same time that weather set-backs, equipment breakdowns, mounting friction at city hall and at home have Tuey crying for help and relief. He turns to religion in a church in his neighborhood where congregants pray for him and believe there are mighty lessons to be learned from the animal kingdom. He turns to the regulars at Prairie Winds, including Puddles who leads him to a cave. Here is where Ross flexes his fictional muscle. The reader is uncertain whether they are in a dream or real time, but the plot sorts itself out and the book comes to a surprising and quite climatic ending.
Ross’s writing shows an increasing level of skill that includes the simultaneous climax toward the end of the book, a lot of satire, and fantasy—something new for him. Knowing Ross, he’s dropped a few crumbs along the trail that we might expect to surface in some future tale. I’d bet there will be more about the human tooth from Lifetime Loser, certainly some further romantic development with Curt, and I wonder if something might be lurking about the GPS killer.
A word about the new characters: some are caricature-like and compared directly to animals for reasons which become obvious, and others are so rife with stereotype that at times you think the author is kidding until you realize he expects you to say “typical.” He is certain that we all have noticed these characters around us, we’ve all formed opinions, and in most cases, we’ve mostly turned a blind eye and gone on with our own business as usual.
I’ve read and enjoyed all three of Ross’s books so far. This past weekend I was far from home driving through the St. Louis area when I caught myself looking to the right and left for signs of Prairie Winds and lime green skull caps.
March 16, 2011
As someone who doesn't work for Mr. Ross (see Barbara Milbourne and that first Sarah up there), or someone who hasn't received a free copy of this book and traded links with Mr. Ross (Sherry), I can give a more objective viewpoint of this book, I think.
First, I will share a few passages (which can be found on Mr. Ross's own website, so I'm not abusing privilege here):
“Uh few uh da guys wanted ta go golfin’,” Tuey responded as he
walked toward the television set. He lifted his fingers to the blinds and
snuck a peek outside.
“Golfin’!” LeVournique shouted. “Since win ya start golfin’? We’s ain’t
got no money fo’ ya ta be doin’ dat.”
“Sum uh da fellas wanted ta git tagedda fo’ ole times sake,” Tuey
replied as he adjusted the oscillating fan to blow more directly on him.
“I’s only duz it once or twice uh year.”
----------------------
“Dat’s my good frien’ D. Wayne singin’ dat song.”
“You told me that once before.”
“Yeah,” Tuey answered. “His rappa name is Shriek Caramel U-Hop.
Da lady in dat song be MiSSuS KuLe BReeZe SiSTa JaNeLLe.”
. . .
J Dub went to the boom box and turned the volume down [on the gangster rap] significantly.
“Whew. Now I can hear myself think.”
-----------------------
“None’s of ’s us can’s helps ya,” was the drunken response from across
the room, “causes nones of ’s us is workin’. Excepts maybe Elia, here.”
Captain Jer laughed harder at his imitation of Tuey. “He’s stills workin’.
Maybe’s he’ll cuts yo’ hair an’ clean yo black ass up fo’ dat meetin’.”
Elia glared at Captain Jer. Then he broke out in laughter. “If I didn’t
know better and Tuey wasn’t a gentleman, then we’d both smack you
down to size.” He got up and headed for the door. “Come on Tuey. Let’s
go out and give you a haircut.”
“Dat Captain Jer’s gettin’ pretty good wit’ dose imitashuns uh me’s,”
Tuey said with a chuckle.
-------------------------
I honestly find the entire book appalling. I have read in various places that it is supposed to be a parody of racism, but I don't find it that much of a parody--I think it's actually fairly racist. There are other bits where Captain Jer, who mocks Tuey for his own amusement (as seen above--and Tuey just chuckles and takes it, like one of those goofy uncle Tomming African-American characters in old literature written by white men--yessuh, massa, that's verrah good, you jes' keep makin' sport outta ol' Tuey here, yessuh), also makes fun of a Mexican immigrant for having crossed over illegally. I mean, I can see what Mr. Ross claims he was going for here, if his claims of writing parody are genuine--his attempt falls far short of his goal. His writing is steeped in typical stereotyping, but in successful parody, stereotypes must be taken to extremes or extreme opposites in order to show that they are risible. A successful parody must turn convention over on its head to make the audience see it in a different light. Mr. Ross merely writes standard stereotypes, which really just serves to illustrate how he, a middle-aged white man, views black culture. (Shriek Caramel U-Hop? Really? And I love how all of the African-American characters speak severe-dialect English, yet all of the white characters are accent-free, in the Midwest, where even white folks often have accents. Your true thoughts and feelings are showing, Mr. Ross--it's hard to hide in something as intimate as the written word.)
And the tired stereotype that African-Americans don't play golf--indeed, that they are too poor to play golf--is not only absurd all 'round, but one of the best golfers in the world is African-American. If you're going to tackle stereotypes through poorly-written parody, I would think you could at least tackle one that is relevant to today's society. That "black people are poor" shtick in fiction has been old for awhile now. That's why Bill Cosby played a doctor on his show and Will Smith lived with his wealthy relatives; they're trying to reverse that stereotype, not prolong it by giving it airtime. Yes, there still are poor African-Americans, but there are poor Caucasians as well, and poor Latinos, and all kinds of poor people out there, and regardless of their individual races, I bet none of them "ain’t got no money fo’ ya ta be doin’ dat."
Can we talk for a second about the written dialect in this book? It's way over the top; read it out loud a bit, word for word, and you'll see what I mean. Mr. Ross is not Alice Walker or Zora Neale Hurston and should stay away from heavy dialect. Dialogue is stilted and artificial at best. Mr. Ross also tends to greatly overuse dialogue descriptors; people don't "say" things as much as they "blurt," "shout," "confide," "butt in," "drawl," "question," "gush," "intervene"--you get the picture. This is writing 101; those kinds of speech descriptors have little to no place in good writing. (Why in the world would one ever use the word "intervene" as a speech descriptor, anyway?)
Example:
The front door opened and Tuey started to step through the door and
into the clubhouse. “Whoa! Whoa, big fella!” Julie shouted. “Where do
you think you’re going like that?”
“My’s backhoe’s stucks in da mud agin,” Tuey blurted.
-----
Not only does that use unnecessary speech descriptors, it uses them incorrectly--one "blurts" something that they don't mean to say, and Tuey was answering a direct question. (Also, "my's"? Who says that? I grew up in the south and I've never once heard anybody say "my's".)
I digress, though.
From the small samples, you may already be able to tell that this poorly-written tome probably will not be worth the money that Mr. Ross has to charge due to being self-published. I believe that the audience for this book is limited to conservative, middle-aged white men who don't mind reading flat, vacuous stereotypes because they're in a golf setting. I wouldn't ordinarily go after a small-time author so much, but the racist overtones all throughout this book churn my stomach and make me ashamed to be a white girl.
First, I will share a few passages (which can be found on Mr. Ross's own website, so I'm not abusing privilege here):
“Uh few uh da guys wanted ta go golfin’,” Tuey responded as he
walked toward the television set. He lifted his fingers to the blinds and
snuck a peek outside.
“Golfin’!” LeVournique shouted. “Since win ya start golfin’? We’s ain’t
got no money fo’ ya ta be doin’ dat.”
“Sum uh da fellas wanted ta git tagedda fo’ ole times sake,” Tuey
replied as he adjusted the oscillating fan to blow more directly on him.
“I’s only duz it once or twice uh year.”
----------------------
“Dat’s my good frien’ D. Wayne singin’ dat song.”
“You told me that once before.”
“Yeah,” Tuey answered. “His rappa name is Shriek Caramel U-Hop.
Da lady in dat song be MiSSuS KuLe BReeZe SiSTa JaNeLLe.”
. . .
J Dub went to the boom box and turned the volume down [on the gangster rap] significantly.
“Whew. Now I can hear myself think.”
-----------------------
“None’s of ’s us can’s helps ya,” was the drunken response from across
the room, “causes nones of ’s us is workin’. Excepts maybe Elia, here.”
Captain Jer laughed harder at his imitation of Tuey. “He’s stills workin’.
Maybe’s he’ll cuts yo’ hair an’ clean yo black ass up fo’ dat meetin’.”
Elia glared at Captain Jer. Then he broke out in laughter. “If I didn’t
know better and Tuey wasn’t a gentleman, then we’d both smack you
down to size.” He got up and headed for the door. “Come on Tuey. Let’s
go out and give you a haircut.”
“Dat Captain Jer’s gettin’ pretty good wit’ dose imitashuns uh me’s,”
Tuey said with a chuckle.
-------------------------
I honestly find the entire book appalling. I have read in various places that it is supposed to be a parody of racism, but I don't find it that much of a parody--I think it's actually fairly racist. There are other bits where Captain Jer, who mocks Tuey for his own amusement (as seen above--and Tuey just chuckles and takes it, like one of those goofy uncle Tomming African-American characters in old literature written by white men--yessuh, massa, that's verrah good, you jes' keep makin' sport outta ol' Tuey here, yessuh), also makes fun of a Mexican immigrant for having crossed over illegally. I mean, I can see what Mr. Ross claims he was going for here, if his claims of writing parody are genuine--his attempt falls far short of his goal. His writing is steeped in typical stereotyping, but in successful parody, stereotypes must be taken to extremes or extreme opposites in order to show that they are risible. A successful parody must turn convention over on its head to make the audience see it in a different light. Mr. Ross merely writes standard stereotypes, which really just serves to illustrate how he, a middle-aged white man, views black culture. (Shriek Caramel U-Hop? Really? And I love how all of the African-American characters speak severe-dialect English, yet all of the white characters are accent-free, in the Midwest, where even white folks often have accents. Your true thoughts and feelings are showing, Mr. Ross--it's hard to hide in something as intimate as the written word.)
And the tired stereotype that African-Americans don't play golf--indeed, that they are too poor to play golf--is not only absurd all 'round, but one of the best golfers in the world is African-American. If you're going to tackle stereotypes through poorly-written parody, I would think you could at least tackle one that is relevant to today's society. That "black people are poor" shtick in fiction has been old for awhile now. That's why Bill Cosby played a doctor on his show and Will Smith lived with his wealthy relatives; they're trying to reverse that stereotype, not prolong it by giving it airtime. Yes, there still are poor African-Americans, but there are poor Caucasians as well, and poor Latinos, and all kinds of poor people out there, and regardless of their individual races, I bet none of them "ain’t got no money fo’ ya ta be doin’ dat."
Can we talk for a second about the written dialect in this book? It's way over the top; read it out loud a bit, word for word, and you'll see what I mean. Mr. Ross is not Alice Walker or Zora Neale Hurston and should stay away from heavy dialect. Dialogue is stilted and artificial at best. Mr. Ross also tends to greatly overuse dialogue descriptors; people don't "say" things as much as they "blurt," "shout," "confide," "butt in," "drawl," "question," "gush," "intervene"--you get the picture. This is writing 101; those kinds of speech descriptors have little to no place in good writing. (Why in the world would one ever use the word "intervene" as a speech descriptor, anyway?)
Example:
The front door opened and Tuey started to step through the door and
into the clubhouse. “Whoa! Whoa, big fella!” Julie shouted. “Where do
you think you’re going like that?”
“My’s backhoe’s stucks in da mud agin,” Tuey blurted.
-----
Not only does that use unnecessary speech descriptors, it uses them incorrectly--one "blurts" something that they don't mean to say, and Tuey was answering a direct question. (Also, "my's"? Who says that? I grew up in the south and I've never once heard anybody say "my's".)
I digress, though.
From the small samples, you may already be able to tell that this poorly-written tome probably will not be worth the money that Mr. Ross has to charge due to being self-published. I believe that the audience for this book is limited to conservative, middle-aged white men who don't mind reading flat, vacuous stereotypes because they're in a golf setting. I wouldn't ordinarily go after a small-time author so much, but the racist overtones all throughout this book churn my stomach and make me ashamed to be a white girl.
September 24, 2017
I was initially tempted to give this book a 4-star rating because it was well-written. However, I found it a bit long-drawn at times although the surprise ending made up for long read. The characters in this book tended to become stereotypes in the form of a venal banker, a corrupt politician and an uneducated black entrepreneur. Having said that, James Ross did a good job of creating interest in their actions and motivations. The black protagonist's dialect was overdone to a point that it was difficult to understand what he was saying but James Ross was probably striving for authenticity. I found that his other books were better but some fans may want to read the whole series.
December 28, 2018
Ross on top of his game
As usual,never disappointing. Surprise ending which caught me off guard. But was a different way to end the story. Recommend.
As usual,never disappointing. Surprise ending which caught me off guard. But was a different way to end the story. Recommend.
July 28, 2010
Tuey’s Course is the 3rd novel in James Ross’ series of 3 that showcase the human spirit, flaws, resilience and frailties using a golf course as a backdrop and plot enhancer. I have already registered my opinion on Ross’ first 2 novels; Lifetime Loser and The Finish Line.
This 3rd novel was not my favorite of the three but that does not mean you should ignore it. Ross again displays his adeptness at showing how the world of golf mirrors life in so many ways. This story is about a hapless and downtrodden black businessman, WeWildapheet Ulisees O’Tweety, a.k.a. Tuey, who is targeted by the corrupt politicians at City Hall in St. Louis and a local bank president among others based on their personal greed and agendas.
Ross’ mastery of Tuey’s dialect is of note as it takes you deeper into Tuey’s mind and world. You really start to feel Tuey’s pain and frustration in a way that only his use of the special dialect can allow. At first the story line does seem encumbered with too many references of the key players’ physical characteristics to their animal counterparts. However, as the plot develops and the ending ensues it all seems to make sense.
The problem is that unless you hang onto the end you think Ross has gone down a totally bizarre path in Tuey’s Course. I am glad I kept reading as the ending clears up the confusion of the analogies and smacks you in the face with what Tuey does to deal with his discriminations and frustrations.
For an overall review of James Ross’ series, I rank Lifetime Loser as my favorite with its Grisham-like plot, The Finish Line is next but a close second to Lifetime Loser and that leaves Tuey’s Course coming in as my 3rd choice
This 3rd novel was not my favorite of the three but that does not mean you should ignore it. Ross again displays his adeptness at showing how the world of golf mirrors life in so many ways. This story is about a hapless and downtrodden black businessman, WeWildapheet Ulisees O’Tweety, a.k.a. Tuey, who is targeted by the corrupt politicians at City Hall in St. Louis and a local bank president among others based on their personal greed and agendas.
Ross’ mastery of Tuey’s dialect is of note as it takes you deeper into Tuey’s mind and world. You really start to feel Tuey’s pain and frustration in a way that only his use of the special dialect can allow. At first the story line does seem encumbered with too many references of the key players’ physical characteristics to their animal counterparts. However, as the plot develops and the ending ensues it all seems to make sense.
The problem is that unless you hang onto the end you think Ross has gone down a totally bizarre path in Tuey’s Course. I am glad I kept reading as the ending clears up the confusion of the analogies and smacks you in the face with what Tuey does to deal with his discriminations and frustrations.
For an overall review of James Ross’ series, I rank Lifetime Loser as my favorite with its Grisham-like plot, The Finish Line is next but a close second to Lifetime Loser and that leaves Tuey’s Course coming in as my 3rd choice
July 20, 2011
Tuey's Course by James Ross is the third of the Prairie Winds Golf Course series. It, though, has little to do with golf (and could use some more).
Tuey is a down and out African American man living in the inner city. He feels he is being targeted by a ruthless cop who is regularly fining him and his business for things that other businesses seem to get away with. When he can't get a fair hearing or even a sympathetic ear, he's driven to extreme measures.
I read the book against the context of some recent local police and government scandals. That angle of Tuey's Course therefore had a hint of believability. Tuey though doesn't have the means to demand justice and the book doesn't give us a character who does to see that piece of the plot to its conclusion.
Instead of a complete follow through on Tuey's problem, there is a smattering of a golf story. Really it's more of a golf novella woven into the book.
The deal killer though for me was Tuey's ghetto speech. I get that he's poor and he's probably under educated as well but the dialect is over done and gets in the way of the plot. Dialect is a very difficult thing to do well and in most cases should be left alone or at best, hinted at through sparsely used local slang.
Review copy from author.
Tuey is a down and out African American man living in the inner city. He feels he is being targeted by a ruthless cop who is regularly fining him and his business for things that other businesses seem to get away with. When he can't get a fair hearing or even a sympathetic ear, he's driven to extreme measures.
I read the book against the context of some recent local police and government scandals. That angle of Tuey's Course therefore had a hint of believability. Tuey though doesn't have the means to demand justice and the book doesn't give us a character who does to see that piece of the plot to its conclusion.
Instead of a complete follow through on Tuey's problem, there is a smattering of a golf story. Really it's more of a golf novella woven into the book.
The deal killer though for me was Tuey's ghetto speech. I get that he's poor and he's probably under educated as well but the dialect is over done and gets in the way of the plot. Dialect is a very difficult thing to do well and in most cases should be left alone or at best, hinted at through sparsely used local slang.
Review copy from author.
April 20, 2016
This is the second in the series I have read. This book takes readers back to the Prairie wind Gold course and adds new characters to the others from book one. I found it a bit racist, but I think that may have been the author's point.Anyway, the book is an interesting look at people and the times we live in. I am going to read one more in this series. I think I liked this one a bit less than the first and hoping number three may be the lucky chair of the bunch.
July 16, 2010
Mark Twain, a distant relative, was a master of dialect. This is my attempt to portray various ethnic groups.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews