"I only know one man who might be able to tell me where I come from, and that man is a liar and a fraud."
As far back as he can remember, the orphan Grady has tramped from village to village in the company of a huckster named Floyd. With his adolescent accomplice, Floyd perpetrates a variety of hoaxes and flimflams on the good citizens of the Corenwald frontier, such as the Ugliest Boy in the World act.
It’s a hard way to make a living, made harder by the memory of fatter times when audiences thronged to see young Grady perform as "The Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp." But what can they do? Nobody believes in feechies anymore.
When Floyd stages an elaborate plot to revive Corenwalders’ belief in the mythical swamp-dwellers known as the feechiefolk, he overshoots the mark. Floyd’s Great Feechie Scare becomes widespread panic. Eager audiences become angry mobs, and in the ensuing chaos, the Charlatan’s Boy discovers the truth that has evaded him all his life—and will change his path forever.
What I thought...ok Cons first...
I was really excited about getting this book. I read so many wonderful reviews that talked about how fun and engaging it was. However, I found The Charlatan's Boy was not for me. It took more than a week to get through the first 17 pages, and more than two weeks to complete after that...this is VERY odd for me, I usally can read a book of this size in a day or two. I personally didn't find it was as engaging as many people seemed to say. I do agree with many of the reviews that it is funny and kind of off the wall odd. I'm not sure why I didn't connect with it as much as I had hoped. The fact that the book is about a boy who everyone said was so ugly and didn't have a Mama was just not something that struck my fancy. With all this being said, I know a number of people that I will pass the book on to, including my husband, who I truly believe will enjoy it greatly.
my Pros...
The book is written with a kind of Southern Country twang, which I really enjoyed...it reminded me of my late Grandfather.
The ending of the book is very sweet and made me cry. It was a great ending to the book...even though I was not in love with it, I will still suggest it to those who I think would truly enjoy it
Please note that I got this book for free from the publisher WaterBrook Multnomah Books in exchange for a honest review.
Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: WaterBrook Press (October 5, 2010) Language: English ISBN-10: 0307458229 ISBN-13: 978-0307458223
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