Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
I do like me a good, long coming-of-age story, about a young person coming into his or her own as a mature grown-up. One of the nice things about internet serials is that they’re not bound by the physical limitations of a bound book—tales can run on as long as they need to cover the ground the story demands. Occasionally, authors will split things up into smaller chunks, apparently thinking this will make them more digestible. That’s the case with Living Two Lives, which it’s partitioned into 25 installments. It’s all one story, though, with continuous chapter numbering (ETA: for the first few installments, anyway).
IOW, it is long, and going by this installment, it is indeed good. Andrew is an appealing character, with an appropriate balance of strengths and weaknesses, and he’s got a lot of growth to get through. And for that matter, a lot of age—this installment covers ages 11 to 14, with a lot happening in those years, setting the foundation for what’s to come.
Heartily recommended.
(BTW, note that despite the title, this is not a Do-Over. Just to be clear.)
Is the writing perfect? Nope—there’s occasional repetitions and typos, some inconsistent character names (changed during edits but ctrl-F didn’t find?), plus a couple indications that it was initially written with a first-person narrator later edited to third-person omniscient—most tellingly, the narration gives glimpses of future events in the manner of a memoirist who isn’t strict about keeping events chronological. This might sound like a bug, but it’s a feature—an omniscient narrator (as opposed to omniscient POV) is not easy to pull off, but done as smoothly as this one, it makes for a good read. My main writing complaint is that what we’re told about Andrew’s mother never matches what we’re shown.
One big caveat, partly alluded to above: as of this review only half the story is available on SOL. New chapters go up regularly, but still, fair warning. Personally I HATE reading serials that aren’t finished—haaaaaate it with a stabby hate of hatred. I want to read the story straight through, not stutter-step every few days or weeks or months. Am I going to keep reading this, instead of waiting for it to wrap up? You betcha.
Because it’s that good.
(In fact, confession: I initially planned to review each volume in turn, but I’ve been bounding ahead without writing down enough notes to do that. Best laid schemes gang aft a-gley, and all that.)
ETA: That big caveat no longer applies, as the story is now complete. My review of the novel as a whole is attached to Book 25.
Reviewed:
Living Two Lives -Book 1 is, of course, the first in the series. Don't jump into Book 5, start with Book 1 and come forward. Book 1 is the foundation on which the rest are built and is so.id as all foundations must be.
The story follows the life of Andrew McLoed , a 14 y.o. Scots lad who is diagnosed with skin cancer. Along with Andrew we follow the lives of a collection of assorted characters. This is a coming of age story, a telling of joy, and great sadness. In his journey of treatment for cancer as a child Andrew meets other children with cancer. Unfortunately, not all have happy endings and Andrew has to watch death claim people he knows at to young of an age. Too young for him and certainly for the child that dies.
It's a well written book that follows Andrew and friends. It is important to understand the person that Andrew becomes and his interactions with others. It is definitely too good of a read to skip.
Reviewed:
Several good authors have disappeared from SOL over the last few years, some called to higher service, some overtaken by RL, post Covid and some just not feeling the need to write at the moment.
It is good to see a new author making such a strong entry with his first book. 'Living Two Lives' is well written and well edited. Yes, there are a few typos and minor errors but they are few and not a major problem.
The plot is very well thought out, maybe a bit harrowing in places for some folk, but full of depth and insight. I wonder if some of it is a little biographical or from personal experience. The characters come to life very quickly and maintain their semblance of reality. It is easy to identify with the principals and this adds to the enjoyment of reading this book.
I understand from Mr. Gruinard's blog, that the whole series is available from Bookapy. This means that the impatient reader will not have to wait for a slow release on a posting schedule. The rest of us can rest assured that the works are complete and we just need a little patience.
I am now halfway through book 2 and looking forward to the rest of the series. It's a wee bit creepy for me, in some ways. It is set in Edinburgh, where I lived in the late 1940s and the early 1970s, and a character has emerged with the same name as my daughter!
In conclusion, if you want a different and well written story , with the promise of more to come, you won't find much better than this.