Delivering Virtue, The Epic of Didier Rain, Book 1 (Book) - 6/30/2018 6:16:28 AM
A very strange tale, indeed! The story's voice comes from the main character, Didier, a bumbling individual with the West on his mind and a singular focus that was thrust upon him without warning - delivering a girl named Virtue to her suitor across the country.
Along the way, Didier finds himself and his traveling companions - mostly animals, sometimes straggling humans - in strange situations that defy explanation and logic, but he accepts them as they are. We experience joy, heartache, love, loss and everything in between along with the characters.
The story is humorous, reflective, and shows just how truly weird our world can be.
Delivering Virtue, The Epic of Didier Rain, Book 1 (Book) - 6/7/2018 6:34:03 AM
A Daring and Entertaining Novel
Near the very end of this fascinating and provocative novel, our narrator Didier Rain ruminates: “I wondered about all the people in America – both young and old – the Mormons and the gentiles and the Indians, too – with all of their thirsts and their hungers.” Thirsts and hungers, indeed. Delivering Virtue by Brian Kindall captures a mid-Nineteenth Century American West in all its beautiful vastness, its brutal violence, and its perverse isolations. Rain and a peculiar cast of characters are largely overwhelmed by the unforgiving landscapes even as they play out their roles. That is except for the preternaturally astute Virtue, an infant (and ultimately young girl) whom Rain is hired to lead across the harsh and treacherous countryside and to deliver to the prophet of The Reconstructed Truth, a fringe Mormon sect.
The journey Rain and Virtue take is more disturbing and harrowing than the average picaresque. A good measure of the wretchedness derives from Rain himself, since debauchery and misery seem to cling to him like a rare contagion. And yet, Delivering Virtue is a funny and entertaining novel. Much of that comes from the skills of Kindall as a writer, since he is prone to wit and deft turns of phrase. For all his faults (and they are legion), Rain is a narrator who never fails to engage and amuse: “At any rate, it seemed like the kind of map that could, if followed too closely, lead a man to becoming profoundly and most hopelessly lost.” The journey itself is a wondrous odyssey, including bison stampedes, severe storms, grizzly bear attacks, and the forsaken community of Ablutia.
Along the way, Rain has what can be loosely described as romances, particularly with Delight Tuttles and Turtle Dove. Without giving too much away, let’s just say Rain has troubling conditions and issues, many of those developed in an adolescence that makes Huck Finn’s look like Lord Fauntleroy’s. Little wonder that the broken, wounded, oddly dressed Rain finds Virtue a stabilizing force. “Virtue led me onward, urging my haste. Who now, I had to ask myself, is delivering whom?” On one level, Delivering Virtue serves a satire of a pilgrimage, rife with Biblical allusions intermingled with references to poets ranging from Homer to Shakespeare to Shelley to (anachronistically) Eliot.
Right to the very end, Delivering Virtue takes many surprising twists and turns; some are downright shocking. Interspersed are disarming scenes of poignancy: Rain’s “conversations” with his horses (truly traveling companions) are marked by unexpected tenderness. Ultimately, Kindall’s Delivering Virtue challenges the reader to reconsider the America psyche. That Kindall has written a daring and lively novel in the process makes for a very satisfying read.
Sideshow: A Novelette (Book) - 5/20/2018 8:23:01 AM
I see you have great reviews, so no doubt you are a good writer although there is no excerpt to show us your writing. Your lead in and description are the same and redundant.
You note that it's historical fiction. I looked up your protagonist/bard and found that he isn't a historical figure and there's no date or place to indicate when this "sideshow" occurred in history. Finally, at 37 pages, I have short stories that are longer.
I see that it is free and that's great. From Amazon? No.
Ron
Pearl (Book) - 3/22/2018 2:51:47 PM
This was such an interesting novel! At first, there were some parts that seemed confusing but it was so cool to see how Brian Kindall turned a girl of stone into someone you sympathized and cared for. I'm still a bit iffy on the delivery of the story - I think the author has such a fascinating idea for this story but the execution was a bit weak but that could be attributed to the fact that the story was so short. Either way, I enjoyed the story and am interested to see more of Kindall's works.
Pearl (Book) - 2/25/2018 6:52:22 PM
This was a very unique story. It focuses on Pearl, a statue who travels from the bottom of the ocean to many different places and encounters many people.
The story is a middle grade novel but I enjoyed it quite a bit. The writing style was very accessible for the middle grade reading level but didn't feel juvenile. There is a lot of depth to the story and it is quite thought provoking.
I enjoyed this story because it was unlike any book I've ever read. I also adored the innocence of Pearl and seeing the world through her eyes. There were sad moments and sweet moments and the ending was completely unexpected and delightful.
I highly recommend this story to children and adults alike!
I received a copy of this book from the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Delivering Virtue, The Epic of Didier Rain, Book 1 (Book) - 2/22/2018 6:03:14 PM
Brian Kindall is a special writer. I've rarely come across anyone who puts words together in such an artistic and imaginitive way. I found myself re-reading many different sentences, paragraphs, and sections of this book, just to enjoy them again. I also enjoyed his ability to integrate unanticipated events so smoothly. Again, I re-read, after an initial "are you sure?" ... and sure enough, he had slipped in another surprise, or smacked me with one on a few occasions. Ribald, irreverent, and charming? I'd say so!
Blue Sky (Book) - 2/10/2018 7:57:43 AM
I really enjoyed reading this story. It was heartfelt and gives many valuable lessons. I read the story with my daughter and we both really liked it. It seems every detail was perfectly thought out and the story flowed naking it easy to follow.
Pearl (Book) - 1/26/2018 8:37:42 AM
Pearl is a good middle grade book. It has a wonderful lesson for children to learn and recommend it. I give it 4 stars.
Definitely worth a read.
Blue Sky (Book) - 1/9/2018 8:06:01 AM
Blue Sky is a pretty good story. It is a little different than what I am used to but I still liked it. The little girl, Blue Sky, teaches so many lessons for all to learn:
Give everyone a chance even if you believe they do not belong. They could bring you more joy and happiness than you think.
There is always hope.
It is okay to have dreams and follow them.
I think many young readers would find Blue Sky an inspiration. It appears there will be a book that follows this one and I would like to read that one, too.
I recommend Blue Sky and give it 4 1/2 stars.
I received this book from the author. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Pearl (Book) - 12/31/2017 9:09:38 PM
I think the book is really creative and imaginative. I read the book with my son and we both really enjoyed it. It was a nice read that allowed us to know the character's and geel like we were on a journey. I would definitely recommend this book. I will be listing it on my teacher perferred reading list for my class. I dont think i will let them borrow my copy :)
Pearl (Book) - 12/16/2017 11:08:21 AM
This is a fascinating, memorable book--one that keeps you thinking about it. For our children, it is an amazing adventure. One that I think they will enjoy. But also adults? Parents? There is much to be considered in this story...
Do you encourage your children to read, to dream, to imagine? While I was reading this fantasy, I kept thinking about having the faith of a mustard seed...for surely Pearl did... Pearl is our main character, made of stone. She has lived under the sea for hundreds of year. Though made of stone, she is able to see what is around her, hear, and think... Up until our story begins, the only living creatures around her were creatures of the sea. Although she didn't know the names of what she saw, she had learned of the difference between night and day since darkness surrounded her most of the time. Only when the sun shown brightly down through the sea could she really see and appreciate the beauty in which she lived... She loved the little yellow minnows who she thought of as friends and decided they must be pieces of the sun, that beautiful light that was the same color as the little fish which came up to her, swimming around her.
She had been content for so long, but new feelings had been discovered when she saw large shadows on the surface, above her. She was afraid. But, more, she began to feel a longing... She wanted something more than she had...
And then the day came when a young boy came out of something sitting on top of the water and he began to come close...closer... But she could not move, she could not hide...
The boy introduced himself as Niko and went on further to explain that everybody called him Diving Boy. He proudly told her that he was now, after many years, the greatest diver in all of the Aegean Sea. He asked for the girl's name and then realized that she would not respond... Niko told her she was a pretty girl and then decided to call her Pearl, after his mother. Strange, fluttery feelings were developing inside of Pearl, the stone girl...
And after getting some rope from his boat, Niko pulled her up, out of the sea and to the surface, where the sun felt hot on her body...at least that's what Niko told her as he directed his skiff toward a place only he knew about, inside of a mountain and there in a grotto, Pearl and Niko spent much time as Niko visited often to talk to her...
But Diving Boy grew older, while Pearl remained a girl... He had met a young woman and planned their marriage...the only treasure he had to sell...was Pearl...
Thankfully, the man who bought her appreciated her artistic value. In fact, he had already acquired two other statues... Pearl learned that Hero was one of them, while Sage, who became her teacher and mentor, was an elder man who had learned much and was quite willing to teach Pearl when she begged him to help her...
Pearl learned fast, but long before she had learned enough, it happened...
Pearl was once again alone, but there was always somebody who saw her beauty and wanted to save it...
Readers will become enchanted with the adventure woven around a stone girl who became Pearl... But for Pearl, what was happening was that she was learning more and more, yet...yearning for even more...
Still, the climax caught me off guard, even though I was thinking of how the book might end. The pace of the book is slow, more to allow what is happening and being learned to take primary place for Pearl, then the actual adventure that seems to "happen" to her. You might say that she hadn't yet learned that sometimes asking for what you want doesn't always work out!
Dreams play an interesting part in the book and could lead to children trying to better remember their dreams and how they might be used to consider what is happening in their lives. Another possibility is that a shy child might find that being silent may be something they want to learn to get over and to begin to interact with others, even if they, too, are isolated and separated from others... In fact, all that came to mind as I read is far more than I am able to include in this review... The book is intriguing, yes, but it is also a lovely story in many ways... This would be an exceptional book to read together, even if separately, and talk to your child about what he finds of most interest... You might be surprised... Do check it out--maybe a stocking stuffer!!!
GABixlerReviews
Paperback provided by Authors Den
See my Blog, Book Readers Heaven, for Extras!
Delivering Virtue, The Epic of Didier Rain, Book 1 (Book) - 11/25/2017 10:13:50 AM
Often surreal,never boring, Brian Kindall's novel describes the journey of Didier Rain, a self-described ne'er-do-well who takes on the task of delivering an infant girl named Virtue to the Church of the Resurrected Truth at the City of Rocks, somewhere north of Salt Lake City, in 1854. On arrival he would be paid $30,000 in gold, a sum that makes the job impossible to resist, even with contractual restrictions such as no carrying of weapons and no consumption of alcohol. With two horses and a goat (the latter to supply milk for Virtue), Rain sets out from Independence, Missouri, on a trail that will take him through unexpected experiences horrific and humorous.
Kindall's tale is full of unexpected surprises for the reader. Didier Rain is no stereotypical Westerner, and he most definitely isn't a hero in the traditional Western novel's sense of the word. Neither is Virtue an ordinary infant. As the novel progresses, Rain and Virtue evolve in more ways than one. Much of the novel is written in a picaresque style, Kindall sneaking in some sly humor as he pokes fun at religious cults, and treating horses as more intelligent than the humans who ride them. But he also digs deeply into Rain's life and all its personal tragedies. After a series of adventures and misadventures, Rain and Virtue finally arrive at the City of Rocks, only to find that the expected Paradise on Earth is rather different in its reality, and that "delivering Virtue" is a term with a double meaning.
In sum, this is a Western novel quite different from traditional Westerns. Readers will find the revelations that occur in the course of the story to be surprising, and its unexpected ending a cause for reflection on how one's life can involve choices that for better or worse must be made.
