No Exit Press
MEET DAISY. A PICTURE OF GRACE AND DIGNITY. MEET HEROD. A… DISAPPOINTMENT
Written in his own words, and guided by a man who collects glasses in a local pub, this is the story of Herod ‘Rod’ Pinkney’s search for Daisy Lamprich, a young woman he first sees on a decade-old episode of the Judge Judy Show, and who he now intends to marry.
When Daisy is located in the coastal city of Huntington Beach, California, he travels there with his good friend and next-door neighbour, Donald, a man who once fought in the tunnels of Cu Chi during the Vietnam War and who now spends most of his time in Herod’s basement.
Herod is confident that the outcome will be favourable, but there’s a problem… Will the course of true love ever run smoothly for this unlikely hero?
My Review
I couldn’t decide if Herod was naive or eccentric but quickly came to the conclusion he was a mixture of both!
Herod was one of those people where you couldn’t quite guess his age, something we weren’t privy to until the end of the novel.
His driving around in a mobility scooter was not necessarily due to disability but just a quicker and cheaper way to get around. Indeed his whole attitude toward preparing for older age was at times quite funny, particularly when the impetus to do so arose from the adverts he watched on day time television!
Henderson gave us his somewhat loveless upbringing, the second child born to parents who mourned the death of their first son and forever saw Herod as the ultimate disappointment. He didn’t allow Herod to wallow in self pity but gave him a determination and steely personality with an all encompassing feeling of positivity and optimism. It gave the novel that feeling of lightness, with huge amounts of humour that at times had me laughing out loud.
It wasn’t just Herod’s actions that had me smiling but the characters he met, none more so that his next door neighbour Donald, a man banned from eating grapefruits and a fascination with the Vietnam War and tunnels.
Herod’s other friends were an eclectic mix of oddballs, misfits in society, something that banded them together, in friendship.
Their joint gatherings were filled with a wonderful warmth, something that pervaded throughout the story. Nobody told him he was nuts for wanting to track down the woman of his dreams, seen in an episode of Judge Judy, but facilitated and supported his endeavours. You wanted to tell him he was foolish but somehow it was touching, his intentions honourable, his quest to right the wrongs of her injustice a worthwhile endeavour.
It took him on a wonderful journey, that highlighted the good of human nature, that restored your faith that there was still good in this world.
You very much wanted him to succeed but somehow knew they would be bumps along the way, the outcome not necessarily what you expected. The latter parts were certainly surprising but heartwarming, full of respect and love.
What I loved above all else about Daisy, was its optimism, the authors ability to find the best in human nature, the bad pushed to one side. It was full of joy and laughter, a breath of fresh air that made a hugely pleasant change from the doom, gloom and seriousness in the majority of the novels we see today.
I would like to thank No Exit Press for a copy of Daisy to read and review and to Anne Carter for inviting My Bookish Blogspot to participate in the blogtour.
About the author
J Paul Henderson was born and grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire, gained a Master’s degree in American Studies and travelled to Afghanistan. He worked in a foundry, as a bus conductor, trained as an accountant and then, when the opportunity to return to academia arose, left for Mississippi, returning four years later with a doctorate in 20thC US History and more knowledge of Darlington Hoopes than was arguably necessary. (Hoopes was a Pennsylvanian socialist and the last presidential candidate of the American Socialist Party). American History departments were either closing or contracting, so he opted for a career in publishing, most of which was spent selling textbooks, in one position or other, for John Wiley & Sons. He lives in a house in England, drives a car and owns a television set. And that’s about it.
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