Reader Reviews
The post Vietnam War novel, Tarnished Valor, a year following release has just received the tenth reader review on Amazon. Each review has received a five star rating by the reviewers. As the author, I am elated by the quality of the reviews.
The reader review by L. R. Brown follows:
Valor is bravery, courage, daring, and fearlessness. Author Terry Wilson uses historical events in his intriguing novel of valor in Viet Nam and again some 22 years later at home. Two friends, Sam Davis and Paul Morse, were combat brothers under Viet Com fire when fate separated them. Davis saw Morse take machine gun fire across his body.
Years later at a Washington, DC rally, Davis, wheelchair bound since Nam, is protesting for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act when he meets Judy Thomas. Following the protest Sam and Judy visit the Viet Nam War Memorial in search of Paul Morse’s name. What happens next sets into motion a chain of events that pulls lives together in unexpected ways. Tarnish Valor deals with the difficult problems that wars create and, sadly, reveals these problems are still relevant today. This book is a discovery journey of people who had valor on the battle line, on the home front, and the courage to always do the right thing. Well done Terry Wilson.
Today my novel TARNISHED VALOR received a ninth reader review written by Ann Kinhara. This review, as the eight before it, is rated with five stars. The following is the review provided:
An amazing story from the Vietnam era
This is the first book I’ve read by Terry Wilson but it sure won’t be the last. What a beautiful story this is. It tells of the returning servicemen from Vietnam with their spirits and their bodies broken. Mr. Wilson has told this story so well I felt like I knew these men, and I was totally immersed in their stories. I couldn’t put it down until I knew what happened. I highly recommend this book to all.
Ann also comment in a Facebook group (Second War Club) as follows:
I am almost finished with Tarnished Valor and I have to say this book is magnificent. I’m having to stop once in a while to wipe my tears. They are happy tears and sad tears. This story is so well told and moving. I want to meet these people!!!
The Kindle link for TARNISHED VALOR is http://amazon.com/dp/b01dt1q6hm.
Each of my three novels ends a Kindle reduced price of 99 cents tomorrow, Tuesday, September 6 (also available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers). On the 7th the prices revert to the normal $3.99 and $4.99 (Depending on the novel). Kindle links for each of these highly reader rated novels are:
THE BLANKET HILL INSURGENCY, a novel of Baby Boomers caught in the slowly developing cultural war of the sixties fueled by the War in Vietnam resulting in the shootings at Kent State University. Kindle link of http://amazon.com/dp/b01b26ljfu
BREAKING LIBERATOR’S SHACKLES, an inspirational novel of an American Airman’s enslavement as a Japanese Prisoner of War during World War Two. Kindle link of http://amazon.com/dp/b019xyor8y
TARNISHED VALOR, a novel depicting the struggle Veterans of the Vietnam War endured when returning home bearing scars of war while facing a society that changed during their absence. Kindle link of http://amazon.com/dp/b01dt1q6hm
Should you read any or all, I encourage your placing a review on Amazon.
I am pleased to share the wonderful five star reader review of TARNISHED VALOR written by Marjorie Appleby. It is available (along with my other two novels) through September 6 on Kindle at a discounted price of 99 cents. It is also available for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. http://amazon.com/dp/B01DT1Q6HM
This author is pleased to share the following reader review for my novel, Tarnished Valor:
By Diana Wilder, an author, on May 12, 2016- 5 star review on Amazon.
Tarnished Valor– a story of persistence, justice and friendship after the Vietnam War
It is March 10, 1990, a day that is of crucial importance in the fight for fair treatment of disabled Americans. Thousands of supporters of the Americans with Disabilities Act have descended upon the Capitol to support the passage of the Act. And in a dramatic climax of the day’s events, many of them abandoned their wheelchairs and crutches and participated in the famous ‘Crawl’ up the steps of the Capitol. Sam Davis, who lost a leg in the Vietnam war during the Tet Offensive, is there to show his support and then, once the Crawl is over, to visit the Vietnam Memorial to find the name of his buddy, Paul Morse, who was killed in the same fighting that cost Sam his leg.
But Paul’s name is not there, and Sam, whose life he saved, and who watched him fall to Vietcong bullets, is determined to learn the true story.
This is the start of a tale of courage, persistence, justice and friendship. It touches upon times that many of us can recall, when the veterans of the Vietnam conflict who returned home to scorn, hatred and abuse, were finally given the recognition they deserved by a country that had turned its back on them. Reading it and remembering my feelings, as a child of a military family during that time, brought back memories. I might suggest that it be read in history classes as an illustration of its moment in time.
The author conducted a goodly amount of research for the background of TARNISHED VALOR. Any official character – congressman, senator, associate – that is named in the story actually existed, and their part in the ADA movement is well-documented. I found myself remembering the time before wheelchair ramps and curbs adjusted to accommodate the disabled. Wilson expresses the difficulties and frustrations through Sam’s eyes, and somehow sheds a feeling of hope for those of us who know that their struggle will meet with success.
I would recommend TARNISHED VALOR to anyone interested in the aftermath of the Vietnam conflict, aware of the struggle to accommodate Americans with Disabilities, and interested in a little bit of detective work by an attractive, determined hero. And if you like to have a very nice love story added to the mix, you are in for a treat.
Disclosure: I assisted with proofreading this manuscript. I also gave some feedback on the book. I purchased this book because I enjoyed it and the bittersweet memories it brought along with its good, compelling story. I recommend it highly.
The first Reader Review for TARNISHED VALOR, a 5 star review, has been received for this just released novel. The complete review follows:
Tarnished Valor is the story of Sam Davis, a Vietnam vet who lost a leg during his tour and nearly died in an ambush. He owes his life to his quick-thinking friend, Paul Morse, who Sam believes sacrificed his own life to save Sam. But years later as Sam travels to D.C. to pay his respects to Paul at the Memorial Wall, he is astonished to discover Paul’s name is not listed there. Could he possibly still be alive? Thus begins Sam’s journey to find his friend. This touching story examines the scars carried home by war veterans, both physical and emotional, as well as what it truly means to be a hero in the face of great adversity. Tarnished Valor is a tale of redemption that will stick with the reader long after the last page is read.
Kindle copies at http://amazon.com/dp/B01DT1Q6HM
Regular print copies at http://amazon.com/dp/1530563216
Large print copies at http://amazon.com/dp/153056333X
Happy reading, and if you enjoy your read, please post a reader review on Amazon.
BREAKING LIBERATOR’S SHACKLES receives another 5 star reader review on Amazon. Average of reviews is at 4.9 stars. This inspirational historical novel, focused on an American Airman’s enslavement as a Japanese Prisoner of War during World War II, is available on Kindle at http://amazon.com/dp/B019XYOR8Y and paperback at http://amazon.com/dp/1500501018. A Large Print paperback version is also available at http://amazon.com/dp/1522950869. This most recent reader review is copied below:
“I loved the book and it was well written – for me it was a great read – I grew up in Chardon myself so there was a lot of familiarity in the story and lots of places I visited and knew well. The book was insightful and hopeful for the POW’s and I am glad that some of them got to return home. The book was steady and I love the characters especially the story teller. I would recommend this to anyone.”
BREAKING LIBERATOR’S SHACKLES has just received another 5 star reader review (current average of all reviews is 4.9) on Amazon. The review is from another author who is known on writer threads as Doctor Barbara. The following is a copy of this review:
Not just for WWII History Buffs
After getting into the roots of this story, it’s obvious that the author’s foreword about the missions and POW events of the fictionalized American crew of this WWII B-24 Liberator are probably spot on. The horrors of their experience are chilling.
This is a must read for war history buffs but also an important read for those who have not read any of the contemporary war novels. It’s eye-opening to know what some Americans go through when they serve their country.
The story is ‘told’ by the freed, older veteran to his son going off to serve in the Vietnam War. It serves as the catalyst method to tell the story but sometimes the son’s dialogue/questions are somewhat stilted. That being said, the book still deserves 5 stars … for anyone should be fully impacted by the sorrowful experience these men went through.
As an author I am thrilled to receive a good review from readers for my novels, but can someone deciding on a book to read trust the reviews posted at places like Amazon or Barnes and Nobel? Do four and five star ratings translate into a book one would enjoy? Or if the ratings are less than four stars, what are the chances the book is actually a good read? Could the review be written by a relative of the author?
The reason I ask these questions, after receiving nothing but five and four star ratings (mostly five) for a total of fifteen reviews rating my two novels, I received a three star rating on a review. I asked myself, “How would potential readers perceive it?” After a short period of concern, I realized my question should have been, “How can this review help me as an author?”
First let me comment on readers who post reviews. They can be classified as relatives of the author, other authors (most tend to read a great deal and are inclined to post reviews for solid works) and the general reading community. Relatives typically will write a good review and rate the book high. Other authors have a tendency to write solid reviews and provide an honest rating of what they have read. Many of these other authors are much like me… they will only review works they are comfortable with providing decent reviews for… they do not want to saddle other authors with negative reviews, so nothing is posted. The general reading community has no interest (that I am aware of) in making a book appear better or worse than their impression of the book.
What are the elements of the work that motivates how a reviewer will rate and review a book? I believe the answer to this is wide range. Some are very negative to editing mistakes. Others are less critical of editing, but want the work to flow well… is it an easy read? Items I believe every reader looks for are a good story, characters they can have empathy for, a plot without holes and the ability of the story to grab at their emotions.
It is my desire to assure potential readers of my novels that they have the best information possible prior to obtaining copies. To that end, I will continue to copy each reader review to my site, but I will also add information. If the reviewer is a relative, it will be noted. If the reviewer is another author (who I am aware of), it will also be noted. If there are any items I believe need comment, I will provide such comments.
Now concerning the three star rating I mentioned above. This review was written by another author who addressed a large number of editing problems with my novel BREAKING LIBERATOR’S SHACKLES. I will, as quickly as possible, correct editing problems with this work. As an Indie Author both the print and Kindle editions can easily and quickly be updated to assure readers are receiving the best I can provide. As an update… both the paperback and Kindle editions have been updated correcting substantial editing problems.
I appreciate this review by author, Jeff Dawson, who provided a very honest accounting of both the pros and cons of my work. In particular, I thank him for the last sentence of his review which states, “Overall, this is good read and could be a great seller and companion to “Unbroken,” by Laura Hildebrand, but for that to happen, it needs some serious work.”
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