Friday, October 9, 2009

Thou Art the Man – M.E. Braddon

I had a department outing today at work so decided this would be the best time for our first guest blogger! Thanks to Mark Adams I give you "Mark Adams Reviews "Thou Art The Man" by M.E. Braddon" Enjoy!



By Guest Blogger Mark Adams

In the turn of the century, it was tough to be hip. Awesome things like bling, crunk cups, and “Ghost Ride the Whip” had not been created yet. Still, that does stop one struggling community from developing modern urban hip culture. This is the story of Sir Alfred Penngrove, the coolest citizen in the fictional city of Horseless Carriage, Pennsylvania.

Yes, times were tough in 1890s Horseless Carriage. The gambling houses were empty due to lack of funds. The tricks weren’t being turned. And the hooch was drying up. Oh yeah, I guess the lay folk couldn’t find jobs and such. But whatever. Armed with only his mustard colored pimp suit, a few dollars, some influential contacts, and a bottle of brandy, Alfred Penngrove sought to make something out of Horseless Carriage…and himself. But danger appears around every corner, and Penngrove will have to face serious hardships, like boring parlor conversations, mustachio gangs, and women who ride bicycles. Hopefully all in a day’s work for the coolest, most badass man of the 1890s.

With its sassy dialogue and suspenseful moments, Braddon’s Thou Art the Man almost reads like a turn of the century Shaft, perhaps with just a little less violence and a little more sex. Young adult readers may find this appealing, but all readers will fall in love with Sir Alfred as the protagonist struggling with an environment that almost completely parallels our 21st century recession era existence…and not to spoil it’s contents, but there is even a strange coincidence when Sir Alfred, as he puts it “Haphazardly goes about his horseless carriage while in motion, not unlike a phantasm”.

1 comment:

  1. Im so in love with this concept Bagel and Mark was a great fill in. Keep up the good work guys.

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