Review of Lifetime Loser by James Ross

Genre: Fiction
Title: Lifetime Loser
Author: James Ross

J. W. Schroeder, known throughout his life as J Dub, is a golfer. His father taught him some of life’s lessons in tandem with how to excel at hitting a small white ball on a range and then down a fairway. However, not all of life’s lessons can be taught through anything less than direct experience, and not everyone is a gentleman when it comes to the ‘Gentleman’s Game’.

Lifetime Loser is a story about how falling one shot short on making it to the pro circuit changed J Dub’s life’s path. An opportunity to be a partner in and manage an Illinois golf course seemed almost too good to be true. After checking into the details, J Dub decides it’s legit and signs the papers – even though his wife hasn’t seen the property and she’s uncomfortable with his new partner, Lew. J Dub’s passion for golf never wanes, nor does his passion to support his family as best as he can. It’s when he discovers himself in the midst of a thick web of deceit that he pulls on the lessons he’s already learned in order to do the right thing, no matter how difficult.

The author chose to write in omniscient voice, so the reader learns a lot about almost every character who appears on the page. The reader has to play close attention to each line since the head hopping isn’t limited to one character per paragraph. The character backgrounds are entertaining and lend to giving a lot of color to the story. The point of view choice allows for a large cast of characters and a way for the reader to feel a part of the conversations in the pro shop and beyond. The short chapters allow for many scene and point of view shifts and keep the activity moving along.

James Ross graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After turning fifty, he searched for a positive outlet to battle the economic ups and downs that most people experience. He went to a keyboard and let the words flow through his fingertips. Lifetime Loser took eight months to write after four years of crafting it in his mind. James is an avid, low-handicap golfer who enjoys the sport and the lessons of the game. He believes golf may very well hold the key to a lot of life's best secrets.

Lifetime Loser can entertain a golf fan, a golf player, as well as someone who knows nothing about the sport since the sport is used as a metaphor for life. This novel is about a man having the patience and perseverance to pursue the right path, no matter how much easier life might be if he could just walk away from it all instead. It is a good read. Reviewer: Lisa Haselton, Allbooks Reviews, www.allbooksreviewint.com.

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 978-1-4257-8208-5
Pages: 328
Price: $19.99