Rating: 5 stars
Headline: A novel that bursts at the seams with bold and colourful personalities and the unexpected antics that come with it
Review:
Written by author Michael Seabaugh, Gwendolyn and Eddie starts its tale in 1957 and finishes in 2016, taking readers across seven decades of its fabulous protagonist, Gwendolyn, as she navigates through life with a capuchin monkey named Eddie. Tumbling into Gwendolyn’s life as a drunken prize won at a game of poker by her equally intoxicated husband, Eddie the monkey quickly becomes an unlikely council to Gwendolyn as she experiences personal highs and lows. All this, set against a turbulent political background of homophobia, racism, and the movement for women’s rights. As perfectly summarised by the author himself, Sabaugh writes, “the story of Gwendolyn and Eddie is ultimately about cages—the ones we are born into, those we construct for ourselves, and the ones we impose on those we love.”
Coming in at 280 pages, cover to cover, Gwendolyn and Eddie is a well constructed book, with a plot that has lends itself to its two striking leads. Gwendolyn is far from perfect, however her relationship with an unpredictable monkey is both unusual and is what will keep readers hooked until the very end. Secondary characters also add three dimensional layers to the story, and often in areas that add greater insight into the actions of Gwendolyn and Eddie within the world they live in.
The story tackles many challenging topics, and demonstrates a careful level of research into the scene setting and political turbulence of America in the latter half of the twentieth century. And while some elements of the story follow a predictable path, there still maintains many twists and turns to engage adult readers of all forms of contemporary fiction set in a bygone age.
As an author, Seabaugh’s skill with the pen radiates across every chapter, making Gwendolyn and Eddie a must read for 2025. With a beautiful cover to match, there is little to find fault with when it comes to this charming story of a woman and an excitable monkey. It is a novel packed full of bold and colourful personalities, and the unexpected antics that come with it.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Gwendolyn & Eddie” by Michael Seabaugh
Purchase Link: “Gwendolyn & Eddie” by Michael Seabaugh (Amazon)
Author Website: https://michaelseabaughbooks.com/
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