Dull, predictable, and written with a distinct lack of inspiration and care, Harry Maywood’s western Outlaws Outside of Town is an effort to read. The only entertainment a reader will receive will be the jolts of laughter when they recognize yet another historical inaccuracy. Although Maywood’s previous novel had some charming moments and adequate descriptive passages, this one is a must miss. A reader will need to rely on their memory of Western towns as depicted on television shows and movies to visualize the setting of this story, because Maywood provides only the most basic and perfunctory of descriptions. The reader is informed that the hay stored in a barn is “straw-colored” and that the noise of an incoming train’s signal sounds “whistle-y.” None of the characters are described in much depth, although Maywood does mention that Sheriff Wyatt “smiled a wide smile” two or three hundred times. The plot of the story, such as it is, follows the characters’ attempts to fight off Weston Wayne and his gang of criminals who live in the hills nearby and prey on the daily stagecoach. Because Sheriff Wyatt is established in the opening pages of the story as universally loved by everyone, there is no suspense involved in wondering whether the townspeople will rally behind him to face the criminals. And because Maywood describes both the outlaw Weston Wayne and Sheriff Wyatt with the words “smiled a wide smile” over and over, it is not the plot twist Maywood thinks it is twelve chapters later when he reveals that Weston Wayne and Sheriff Wyatt are twin brothers. Throughout the novel, sloppy errors pop up to pull the reader out of the fictional world Maywood is laboring to create. One character arrives by train in the neighboring town ten years before the first railroads were built in the West. Another character is described as reading Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court years before this book was published. Readers who love the genre will be disappointed with Maywood’s book. Question Use the passage to answer the question. Which statement best describes the evidence that supports the book review of Outlaws Outside of Town? (1 point) Responses The reviewer effectively shows the book’s shortcomings by including specific details and direct quotations to illustrate the errors and poor writing. The reviewer effectively shows the book’s shortcomings by including specific details and direct quotations to illustrate the errors and poor writing. The book’s factual errors, such as when trains first existed in the West, ruin the world the author is trying to create. The book’s factual errors, such as when trains first existed in the West, ruin the world the author is trying to create. The reviewer ineffectively supports their main claims about the book because there is not enough information about the book’s author to situate the reader’s perspective. The reviewer ineffectively supports their main claims about the book because there is not enough information about the book’s author to situate the reader’s perspective. The book depicts the conflict between a criminal and a sheriff, who are eventually revealed to be twin brothers. The book depicts the conflict between a criminal and a sheriff, who are eventually revealed to be twin brothers.
1 answer
The statement that best describes the evidence supporting the book review of Outlaws Outside of Town is:
"The reviewer effectively shows the book’s shortcomings by including specific details and direct quotations to illustrate the errors and poor writing."
This option captures the essence of the review, where the reviewer highlights specific examples of poor writing and factual inaccuracies that detract from the overall quality of the novel.
