Feedback for Prisoner 4374

[GUT]

Congrats, Amanda. This is quite an accomplishment. I just bought the Kindle version and I'm very excited to read it.

I agree with the other posters that the product itself is not scholarly for the reasons provided. But that is not to say that you yourself did not engage in scholarly pursuits in the course of creating it. There is an old saying that you have to read a library in order to write a book; in my opinion any good novel of historical fiction probably requires hundreds of hours of research.

Good luck and I will be sure to review it on Amazon when I have read it!

G'day Barnaby

That is a great summation of the distinction between the work of a scholar and a scholarly work.

Many novel writers [and I am not calling this book a novel] put in a great deal of research.

My dear wife has a number of works in production at the moment some are scholarly works designed for use at tertiary education level, some are novels and some fall in between. All are based n the first instance on her research for her PhD Thesis.

They all have the same scholarly research behind them some however are footnoted and referenced others aren't and some fictional license has been used.

[Amanda]

Congrats, Amanda. This is quite an accomplishment. I just bought the Kindle version and I'm very excited to read it.

I agree with the other posters that the product itself is not scholarly for the reasons provided. But that is not to say that you yourself did not engage in scholarly pursuits in the course of creating it. There is an old saying that you have to read a library in order to write a book; in my opinion any good novel of historical fiction probably requires hundreds of hours of research.

Good luck and I will be sure to review it on Amazon when I have read it!

Thank you Barnaby.

Eloquently put. I shall look forward to your review with interest.

Amanda

[Barnaby]

Hi Amanda,

I just finished it and enjoyed it. I would agree with others that this is historical fiction and not nonfiction, but that is not relevant to the fact that it was a pleasure to read.

I wonder why you felt compelled to make a connection between Cream and the Ripper ("R"). The story of Cream himself is quite interesting by itself and really doesn't require a somewhat forced connection to the Ripper crimes.

Best,

Barnaby

[Amanda]

Hi Amanda,

I just finished it and enjoyed it. I would agree with others that this is historical fiction and not nonfiction, but that is not relevant to the fact that it was a pleasure to read.

I wonder why you felt compelled to make a connection between Cream and the Ripper ("R"). The story of Cream himself is quite interesting by itself and really doesn't require a somewhat forced connection to the Ripper crimes.

Best,

Barnaby

Hi Barnaby,
Glad you enjoyed the book. However it isn't a 'forced connection' between Cream and the Ripper. 'R' is someone whom Cream met during his time at St.Thomas' Hospital. I believe that he may have a significant connection to the Ripper crimes. My second book will explain all.
Amanda

[pinkmoon]

Second book you've got me all excited now I think "R" was a lovely touch by the way it really added a lot to the book.

[Amanda]

Second book you've got me all excited now I think "R" was a lovely touch by the way it really added a lot to the book.

Thanks Pinkmoon,

Contrary to some peoples opinion, 'R' was a real person, an acquaintance of Cream. He had to be included to tell the whole story.

Yes, there will be a second book, which I am working on now. I am busy collecting all the documentary evidence that I need & sometimes these steps take longer than the actual writing.
Amanda

[pinkmoon]

Couldn't help noticing that prisoner 4374 now has 15 reviews on Amazon all off which are 5 stars.

[Barnaby]

Hi Barnaby,
Glad you enjoyed the book. However it isn't a 'forced connection' between Cream and the Ripper. 'R' is someone whom Cream met during his time at St.Thomas' Hospital. I believe that he may have a significant connection to the Ripper crimes. My second book will explain all.
Amanda

I assumed it was a lead-in to a second book, of course. To me, it just detracted the attention from Cream. But I'm not in your mind and I haven't read the second book yet. And so I reserve the right to change my mind when I read it!

I also am nit-picking. I read it without putting my Kindle down but once (babies will force you to do these things!). I was definitely entertained, and educated about Cream.

[Silverpaw]

This book was off my radar I must admit but I'm intrigued by the positive reviews and enthusiasm so will give it a look. I have a huge problem with unsubstantiated claims and leaps of faith in non-fiction however it doesn't seem as though you're guilty of that - most refreshing!

[Amanda]

I assumed it was a lead-in to a second book, of course. To me, it just detracted the attention from Cream. But I'm not in your mind and I haven't read the second book yet. And so I reserve the right to change my mind when I read it!

I also am nit-picking. I read it without putting my Kindle down but once (babies will force you to do these things!). I was definitely entertained, and educated about Cream.

Thanks Barnaby. Actually I only decided to write a second book after I'd found a few connections to Cream & people in London. It's still a work in progress as I'm a stickler for checking facts before I begin the writing process.

Would you mind putting a review on Amazon please? Every little helps
Much appreciated,
Amanda

[Amanda]

This book was off my radar I must admit but I'm intrigued by the positive reviews and enthusiasm so will give it a look. I have a huge problem with unsubstantiated claims and leaps of faith in non-fiction however it doesn't seem as though you're guilty of that - most refreshing!

Thank you Silverpaw,

Prisoner 4374 was the result of many years of research, I hope you'll give it a chance. Despite the unusual choice of writing it in an autobiographical style, the rest is fact. Even some of the words I used were taken from Cream's prison file. I look forward to your feedback.
Amanda

[Phil Carter]

A review

Prisoner 4374 - A.J. Griffiths-Jones. A review.


Having read many a "Ripper related book" that has been published over the years, it takes an awful lot for this writer to be able to say that a book is unique. This offering, the author's first literary offering by the way, is indeed unique. Let that be said right from the outset.

Firstly, this isn't a book about "Jack the Ripper". It has Ripper connections, through suspect history, and so-called suspectologists in the genre have generally been quite adamant for a while that Dr. Cream could not have been "Jack the Ripper". That, however, is not what this book is about.

Primarily a book about Dr. Cream himself, using unseen documentation from his prison records, the author decided to create a new slant in writing this book, by writing in an "autobiographical" style.. as if we are reading Cream's words himself as he writes. It took me a little while to get used to this idea; I admit. However, upon completion, and again upon re-reading the entire book, I found the style quite pleasantly different. The only problem I had,, and it is perhaps a case of personal taste, is that there are only a limited amount of ways "Cream" can address the reader.. and "Dear friend, Dear reader.." etc became a little repetitive to these eyes. However, this is a minor point.

The content of the book is cleverly thought out. It is clear that the papers from the prison that the author obtained, have been the basis of the "conversational thoughts" of "Cream", the "writer" throughout. Interpretation of these real documents must have been difficult, for there are numerous obstacles that stand in the way of the author attempting to "put themselves in Cream's place". Emphasis of sentence, spoken style v written style, language, spoken or written.
The author has managed to achieve an even gait throughout the book and the style has not wavered, which one feared may happen as one went along. A 2nd re-read confirmed to me that indeed, the level of interpretation stayed constant throughout,

The author is to be congratulated on this work. It is not easy to write a good book. And to write a convincing tale in the manner used is indeed an achievement.

My only query lies in the lack of footnotes, citations, or even some form of a bibliography. The book lacks this, and when one talks of writing of an historical happening, or happenings, references must be made, enabling the reader to retrace steps whilst reading and browsing for making notes.

Again, A J Griffiths-Jones is to be thoroughly congratulated on her first attempt at book writing. She can very proudly call herself an "author" now. And quite rightly so too.I look forward to an eventual follow-up (in the same genre) to this offering sometime in the future, I am sure that any eventual tweaks and lessons learnt along the way will be rectified in the future. However, that said, this is a very fine piece of work. Highly recommended.


Phil

[Amanda]

Thank you for your review Phil.
You make some very valid points & I'll take those on board when attempting my next book. So glad you enjoyed 'Prisoner 4374'.
Amanda

[Barnaby]

Would you mind putting a review on Amazon please? Every little helps
Much appreciated,
Amanda

Done. Although I am drunk now and when I wrote it, and it doesn't approach the quality of Phil's. But nevertheless it is very positive!

[Amanda]

Done. Although I am drunk now and when I wrote it, and it doesn't approach the quality of Phil's. But nevertheless it is very positive!

Thanks Barnaby,

Excellent review, glad you enjoyed the book.
Amanda