I’ve had some very lovely feedback, some from quite unexpected quarters. I’ve also had ‘meh’ from people I would have expected to be more interested. All part of the journey.
If you would like to leave a review or comment I would be very happy. Even if you think it rates only one star, you are immediately my friend because you took the trouble to read it.
You can leave a review on my Amazon UK author page or as a comment below, or both.
Some of the verbal comments I’ve had so far:
“Surprisingly good! When does the next one come out?”
“An interesting insight into the Asperger mind.”
“An enjoyable read.”
“I wish we had people like that running the country.”
“Once I realised it was a romance, I really got into it.”
“Very intellectual.”
“I didn’t warm to the characters. I prefer Jane Austen.”
“The character development is excellent. I really want to know whether he’s a good guy in the end.”
“Quirky but satisfying.”
“Refreshingly honest, and eloquent.”
Via email:
“The aspy slant is very interesting, some insight perhaps for those less open to others’ way of interpreting the world? And, even those of us who feel they are open to other ways of seeing the world, it still opens vistas…”
You see, being an Aspie means I really don’t know what it reads like, and it looks as though everyone who’s read it has read a different book. I know how I read it, but I do miss the obvious rather a lot. For instance, I don’t know how much of the Asperger’s is in the writing and how much in the portrayal. It doesn’t matter because the book is written from an Aspie character’s point of view, but there will be elements that I’m completely unaware of, and it would help me in my personal life to have those things pointed out.
As for the political scenario, I want someone to tell me what’s wrong with this picture. Yes, it’s a fairytale, yes it can’t happen without plenty of spare housing and community enthusiasm. But if Star Trek can eliminate poverty by sheer force of civilisation, so can any other story.
I was fascinated by the premise of this story: rather than an action-packed thriller in which people fight and destroy each other, it’s about how to rebuild a country from scratch once you’ve vanquished the baddies. It begins where other stories end – a highly original idea. Asperger’s Syndrome is a strong theme, not just in the depiction of the two main characters who have it, but in the attention to detail of each step taken to recreate a functioning society, from providing housing to feeding a hungry population. The decision to make the toppling of a cruel dictator the beginning rather than the end of the story poses difficulties in the narrative, but what follows is interesting and at times touching (Vian’s growing rather baffled love for the bishop’s daughter is nicely drawn).