CSFF Blog Tour: Day Three

Being that this is the third and final day of the blog tour for The Charlatan's Boy, by Jonathan Rogers, I'd like to finish by talking about the writing. It is not a coincidence that this novel captures the imagination from the first paragraph. Jonathan Rogers understands the principles of good writing.

Narrative voice is the bedrock on which all other elements sit. With a good narrator, you can describe the insides of a Driver Motor Vehicles building, and still keep the readers attention. A good narrator has a distinct speech pattern, and a unique perspective. In the Charlatan's Boy, the narrator is Grady. His simple southern charm and unique outlook on life, captures the reader's attention from line one. But, Jonathan Rogers doesn't stop at just having a great narrator; he makes sure to put a hook on the first page. The young orphan Grady wants to know where he came from, but the only person who can tell him is a man who makes his living lying to people. This wonderfully interesting hook is made more interesting by the introspection of the narrator, who rightly points out that no one truly knows where they were born. We have no choice but to trust someone else to tell us. And, this insight is what launches the story.

With the narrative voice and hook taken care of, Jonathan Rogers proceeds to develop the main characters. Floyd is a traveling con-man who doesn't really have any qualities of value, but seen through the eyes of the young orphan, Grady, who doesn't have any other father figure to measure Floyd against, we manage to see a glimpse of something special. There are a host of other characters, from rowdy cowboys, to assorted side show entertainers. Jonathan Rogers is a master craftsman who never loses focus of the narrative voice, as he describes one interesting character after the next-- all through the unique perspective of young Grady.

The Charlatan's Boy begins strong, and end strong, with a wonderfully entertaining, and sometimes touching string of events. I highly recommend this for all ages. If you're looking for a book to read with your family, you will love this book.