Synopses & Reviews
What would a novel written by an eight-year-old girl be like? Thats the question that Mockys Revinge poses. Combining originality, linguistic playfulness, humor, and a serious moral dimension, its set in the summer of 1985 in a small Ohio town, and told by Carrie Ann Watson. She tells the story, in her own idiosyncratic style, being sure to stick to facks no matter what, of her Uncle Mocky, a wry, gentleand openly gayFrench teacher whos returned to his home town to reconcile with his estranged, dying father, and how Mocky vanquishes the spiteful bigotry of Carries new stepfather. The result is a tart, funny, charming, and poignant excursion into literary terrain unlike any other, as Carrie, the self-described heroin of are story proves that revinge is indeed sweet. The author, a copy editor and retired instructor who spent 32 years trying to get reluctant freshman to write clear, correct English at the University of Cincinnati, combines his wide experience of (shall we say) inventive modes of English, with his affection for the inhabitants of small-town Midwestern America (one of whom he is married to).
Synopsis
Combining tart humor, playful language, and a serious moral dimension, this unusual novelette depicts the growing friendship between just-turning-eight Carrie Ann Watson and her Uncle Mocky, a wry, gentle, and openly gay French teacher who has returned to his home town to reconcile with his dying father. Set in the mid 1980s, the story is told as a "novel" written by Carrie herself, complete with all her linguistic idiosyncrasies and unvarnished candor. The result is funny and touching, but hardly an idealized portrait of childhood as a state of grace.
Synopsis
Combining tart humor, playful language, and a serious moral dimension, this unusual novelette depicts the growing friendship between just-turning-eight Carrie Ann Watson and her Uncle Mocky, a wry, gentle—and openly gay—French teacher who has returned to his home town to reconcile with his dying father. Set in the mid 1980s, the story is told as a "novel" written by Carrie herself, complete with all her linguistic idiosyncrasies and unvarnished candor. The result is funny and touching, but should anyone read the book for an idealized portrait of childhood as a state of grace, Carrie has the right advice: "Dont hold your breadth."
About the Author
Mark Louis Lehman is a retired composition instructor at the University of Cincinnati, a copy editor, and a music reviewer for the American Record Guide. He lives in Cincinnati.