Beater (Modern Contemporary Fiction Po) [Perfect Paperback]

Brian W. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Modern Contemporary Fiction Po | Publication Date: February 9, 2010

A young man has to deal with emotional and physical abuse inflicted upon him by his fiance.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Hollygrove Publishing (February 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984090436
• ISBN-13: 978-0984090433
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #389,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imagery Is Everything!, March 19, 2010

By 

mookbear2001 (georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beater (Modern Contemporary Fiction Po) (Perfect Paperback)

There's nothing like an author's ability to captivate a reader by providing imagery that's tantalizing to the senses! This book has done it for me! From the powerful beginning to the phenomenal end, Brian pulls you into the 3 worlds of domestic violence (agressor, victim, and others affected) with character conversation and description that makes you live vicariously through them all! If you have not had the pleasureable experience of reading the work of Brian W. Smith, I encourage you to do so. I have read other books by this author (Mama's Lies, Daddy's Pain, Nina's Got A Secret, The Swap Game, etc.) and I have not been disappointed. You won't be either! Good job, Brian! Keep doing what you're doing to give us the other side of the story! ;)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Domestic Violence Hurts the Entire Family, December 8, 2010

By 

M. Bruner ""Deltareviewer" Real Page ... (Oklahoma!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beater (Modern Contemporary Fiction Po) (Perfect Paperback)

Todd and Kim grew up in an abusive household. The physical abuse at the hand of the Todd's father to their mother happened on a regular basis. Then one night things went wild taking the violence too far and their mother was killed. After witnessing the death of their mother, one would think they would undergo intensive counseling but one session was all they could take. Fast forward ten years, Todd and Kim have graduated from college and live in Atlanta. Their paths cross at a neighborhood restaurant and they realize they will be forever connected. Rachel, Kim's boss, quickly falls for Todd and the events that follow will keep you on your toes.

Smith continues to wow readers with explosive issues and mind-boggling storylines. I applaud the effort to get the knowledge of domestic violence and how it destroys families as I'm sure this book will foster discussion. However, the editing issues made it difficult to read without wanting to correct the grammatical problems. There was a lack of character development and the storyline started fast then lapsed but finished with an unexpected twist. I will continue to read books by Smith as each one has a new and different issue.

Note: Author sent book for review purposes to Real Page Turners.

Deltareviewer
Reviewing for Real Page Turners

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars (RAW Rating: 3.5) - The Aftermath Of A Disaster, July 7, 2010

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beater (Modern Contemporary Fiction Po) (Perfect Paperback)

As children, Todd and Kim witnessed what no child should ever see: the brutal murder of their mother. Todd made a promise to his mother on her deathbed to never hit a woman, especially after the physical abuse she suffered through the years. The pain of her death drew a wedge in the sibling's relationship and Kim moved to Atlanta to get away from Todd and their past.

Years later, Kim is working as a personal assistant to Rachel, a very beautiful, wealthy and successful woman who has it all together on the professional front, but her personal life is in shambles. Todd moves to Atlanta hoping to find Kim and repair their relationship. After being there for a while, he does run into her and they exchange numbers. Kim, still reeling from the comments he made long ago regarding their mother's death, is not embracing the reunion. When Todd sees her again, she is with Rachel. There is a growing interest between Todd and Rachel and they start dating. As the relationship progresses, Rachel's sporadic and abusive nature starts to unwind as the secrets of her past become harder to hide. Todd is finding it hard to keep his promise to his mother in light of the fact that Rachel is becoming increasingly more physically abusive.

BEATER is much more than a novel about abuse suffered at the hands of a woman. It is about broken relationships and broken people. The underlying message that Smith gave is that without wholeness in your life, it will remain chaotic. Todd and Kim need to reconcile and Rachel must come to terms with her past. I wished the story line was developed more to delve into the issues and flaws of each of the characters. I was a third of the way through the novel before the plot between Rachel and Todd was explored, and this is the basis of the title and the synopsis on the back. With that being said, the book was rushed with a totally surprising ending that came out of no where. Formatting and grammatical errors peppered throughout the novel, took away from my reading enjoyment as well.

Reviewed by Paula Henderson
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers