Sorry all, it was a crazy busy weekend! Since I'm running behind, let's just get straight into the review!

The Cockney Canuck
by Dodger

Reviewer: Timothy M.
Status: Incomplete
Word Count: 883,024

How to review a story which was begun more than five years ago, is the third longest on GA, with 148 chapters, 222 devoted followers and, while incomplete, is still going strong? I admire Dodger immensely for persevering and holding us captive year after year, waiting to find out which new calamity will befall Robbie, the protagonist. He is the Cockney Canuck of the title, a London lad relocating to Canada, when his mother dies.

He is portrayed realistically, with all the raging hormones, moody temper and stubborn behavior to be expected from a distraught, emotional teen. But Robbie also has a strong sense of right and wrong and how to annoy the idiots and bigots he encounters. His choices are not always smart, but somehow we understand why he reacts the way he does, and I think most readers have stayed loyal supporters of Robbie. This is a credit to Dodgers’ writing skills, because there’s plenty of ranting, hair tearing, yelling, and even crying from readers riding the CC rollercoaster.

There are some dark spots (e.g. sexual abuse, violence, suicide thoughts) along the way, but mostly the distress we feel for Robbie is caused by the challenges of a gay teen trying to navigate in a small town community, where he is the new kid in school trying to make friends, as well as fit into his new family. Sometimes he is his own worst enemy, but other times we feel proud of him for his loyalty to his friends and the way he wants to comfort hurt people. Robbie needs and craves love, and mostly I think he has success in finding people capable of mutual caring.

Why not join the Cockney Canuck Club and find out for yourself how Robbie’s story ends? We don’t know yet, but I have no doubt it will be epic.

Category: Fiction  Genres: Drama, Romance  Tags: teen, bisexual, north america, coming of age, adopt, modern  Rating: Mature