Review Sheryl's Last Stand by Kerrie Noor is an hilarious journey through the life of Sheryl, a woman who hasn't quite got life right yet. With the help of an ageing belly dancing teacher, her bitter mother, kindly librarian Steven, and the world of wrestling Sheryl slowly becomes herself again after life gives her more knocks than she knows how to deal with. With an easy going writing style, colloquial language, and a dark sense of humour Nefertiti's prodigy strikes a good balance between quite ridiculous and perfectly relatable. Everyone has been down and out feeling worthless, used, and hopeless. That is where Sheryl is when we meet her. A wonderfully normal character who likes a good drink, gets things wrong, and is not satisfied with how her life has turned out. The characters are rooted in reality - everyone knows a friend of relative who is akin to at least one of this misfit bunch - and even the very worst of them bring about some level of sympathy and affection. However, they do feel slightly one dimensional and farcical at times, especially American wrestler Johnston who is a little too stereotypical for my liking. Sheryl's Last Stand is a charming read full of laughs, wit, and scottish reality. An excellent first novel for what looks to be a promising writer. I will certainly be waiting for a second novel from Mcleod in the knowledge that their writing can only get even better. Christine Credits: 4**** Posted 22nd January 2015 by Christine Lawler I've read this twice and really enjoyed it both times. Kerrie has managed to make her characters well-rounded and full bodied. This was enjoyable on different levels for me. I identified with the bellydancers, recognising many traits in dancers I've come across in my life as a dance student. On a general level, the character lives might seem so bizarre, yet believable, so you're bent on reading on to see what they get up to next. I love the type of books where you have many different stories all converging together at the end in a grand finale - and along the way, the twists are startling and hilarious. I would definitely recommend this amusing and "novel" novel to dancers and non-dancers alike, well worth the reading-time. Kate Farrow For NADA (Northern Arabic Dance Association) magazine Ps I love the cover design About the Author Back in the days before TV had remote controls and Scotland was known for the Bay City Rollers Kerrie left Australia on a working holiday and fell in love with many things Scottish, along with belly dancing. After years of teaching belly dancing, Kerrie decided to write some of her experiences down in a series of stories called Belly Dancing and Beyond; novels about women who at one time or another went to Nefertiti's belly dancing class. Sheryl's Last Stand is the first in the series. Kerrie still likes to dance, often accompanied by storytelling and the odd joke and has inflicted her quirky style of humor on many- including the Edinburgh free fringe, several rest homes and pretty much anyone who sits still long enough to listen. Website: - http: //www.kerrienoor.com/
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