"Revelled" is a rather slow burn of a read. It also had some editing issues that stuck out to me but I found the overall story to be interesting enough to keep my attention. I usually don't read books like this but it think it was worth reading.

DNF. Story did not grab or hold my attention early enough to continue reading. As storyline developed found I was not connecting to characters.

I read the ARC of Ravelled, the poignant debut novel by Seph Gannon, courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I especially appreciate the author’s decision to include, at the beginning, a guide to the correct pronunciation of names that are foreign to most English-speaking people. It is a wonderful story, with characters who step right off the page and into your heart. It kept me enthralled to the end, though it took quite a while to get there. The writing, however, needs a lot of work, and could be tightened up a bit.

This is the saga of the Beckenbauer family, who experienced numerous tragedies and hardships during, and after World War II, yet remained generous and loving to all people. The story opens with Hagen Beckenbauer boarding a train to travel from New Mexico to New Jersey to bury the body of his adopted brother and soulmate.

During the long trip, Hagen shares the story of his family with Emily, a railroad employee whom he hand-picked to hear his story, then help him write his memoir. Very gradually, his reasons for choosing Emily become evident. Some of the more pertinent information is doled out in tiny increments, but a savvy reader will figure it out before the author reveals it.

If you enjoy historical fiction, or multi-generational sagas, you will love Ravelled. Knowing I read an uncorrected proof copy, I am mentioning only some of the mistakes I found in this book. A good proofreader/editor should have found all of them. I would like to give it 5 stars, but because of the multiple errors (described below), I have assigned the book 4 stars.

What Made The Grumpy Book Reviewer grumpy?

• The Latin phrase, “et al” is used incorrectly;
• The trade name “Jeep” is not capitalized;
• There were many words that should have been hyphenated;
• “God” is spelled correctly in some places, but in some dialogue, it is spelled as “G-d” – and there is no explanation for this;
• There were 42 instances of unnecessary uses of the word “that”;
• The word “further” was used in place of “farther” – in American English, they are not interchangeable;
• Several instances of missing punctuation;
• Multiple instances of incorrect verb tense: bring vs. take, brought vs. took, will vs. would, come vs. go, and was vs. were.

This is a wonderful book ! It grabs you from the first paragraph and doesn’t let go. It is an emotional journey played out on a train. The story of Hagen and Sal will make you laugh and cry ! I recommend this book to everyone! Can’t wait for his next novel !

Multi-generational family sagas are my thing, but I almost gave up on this one. I kept expecting the story to get interesting, for there to be a twist or an a-ha moment, but every move was predictable and oh, so drawn out. This book was way longer than it needed to be, and dragged in many parts. This family member was "just like" that one, over and over. Many instances of premonitions that turned out to be true. Lots of religion and faith so if that's your thing, this might ring true for you.

That said, the premise and message of the book is lovely. Family, love, perseverance, and hope are what we need right now.

I received this eGalley from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a really great read. The writer wrote a story that was interesting and moved
at a good pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to learn to care about.
Don't miss out on this one!

Thank you to the writer, the publisher, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and
review this great book!

This was a great historical fiction read that spanned important events. More than just events, but personal reactions. Recommending for purchase.

The train car as a home was the first clue that this story was different. Its a tale of generosity, kindness and love inspite of personal tragedy and hardship.
When human beings are put through so much pain, they react in many different ways. It was a little difficult to believe the level of goodness here but still Hagen and his family won my heart and tears.
Lots of food is mentioned throughout and I found that to be quite telling of our lives. So much revolves around food and our kitchens.
It was an enjoyable read for me which I got as an ARC from Netgalley.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The story begins with a scene on a railway station in New Mexico, with a flag-draped casket waiting to be taken into the hold of a private car.  74-year old Hagen Beckenbauer is taking home someone to be buried on the family's farm in New Jersey. Hagen has hired young Emily to be his assistant for the journey.  Along the way, Hagen’s story unfolds, beginning with his grandparents’ roots in Germany, his parents’ story in a new country, and his own.

The story was good, kind of.  There was nothing surprising, it was all a wholesomely good tale of a good family that endures loss and hardship.  As for the ending, I had a feeling I knew what was going to happen, just not quite how. So, why did this book bore me so?  The writing was awful. The dialogue was so trite and cloyingly sweet, I started to just skim through the book.  I read a few other reviews that said it was uplifting, and it might be if you can get past the cutesy-ish dialog, but I really don’t think it was worth the time.

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Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

I received a free electronic copy of this excellent historical novel on November 6, 2019, from Netgalley, Seph Gannon, and BLE Publishing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. This is a novel I am pleased to recommend to friends and family. It is a book I will keep, and read again.

What an uplifting tale! But first, I must thank Seph Gannon for the pronunciation guide for the unusually named characters in this story in the forward to this novel. Once you have said a name, even just to yourself, incorrectly through a 500 plus-page novel you will never get them right. Hagen Daz. Who knew?

The characters in this story are people you will adore. We do a little back and forth - back into Europe following the first world war, families left with nothing immigrated to the US and made a place for themselves and their progeny. We will be with them through November 1, 1945, and the end of the second world war. We even check in with our character's lives in the years after WWII and the individual stories will all come together on February 16, 1998, on a cross-country train trip.

There are those who tout "no such thing as coincidence" who will be proven wrong in this tale that crisscrosses the states several times, with intersections among these American families that underline the fact that no matter how big our nation gets, we are still just a village at heart.

I really wanted to love this book but maybe I’ve outgrown the multi- generational family books that I adored in my thirties. This book felt too contrived to me and I couldn’t even finish. After the third chapter, I just didn’t care. My hanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my review. Sorry I couldn’t write a better review!

Thank you to NetGalley and BLE Publishing Group for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I was not able to get into this book, though I did plug through to the end. I like the premise of the book but felt it didn't deliver in a way that was enjoyable for me. It felt rushed- would he really share all that personal information to someone he just met? And I just couldn't get into Emily's character with the "okie dokie" and other child like language.

Full disclosure, I lost interest and stopped reading about a fifth in. I have not read generational sagas for a long time and have little interest. I found the dialog writing stilted but character development good Just not for me.

Ravelled is an intriguing book that will keep you reading until the end. This story of family love and hardships will pull at your heart strings. The characters will come alive in your heart and in your mind. Love is a strong draw that makes you keep on the foreward path in life.

I really wanted to love this book. The first chapter was beautifully written. But then the writing suddenly changed. The remainder of the book was almost like reading a children’s story. I quote “The boys sat there all snugglybugglywuggly.” I was left to wonder what the heck had just happened. There were multiple incidences similar to this. In the book Georg has built a table. The author feels the need to tell us (again I quote) “Before we go any further the use of the word table needs a little clarification.” Really?? Readers aren’t familiar with this word?? But then the author says “The Inuit have fifty different words for snow....”. What the heck does this have to do with clarification of the word table? The premise of the story was fantastic. Bits and pieces of the book were really good. I just had a difficult time taking any of it seriously due to the child-like writing.

3 stars

The Beckenbauer family is just too good to be believed. While I found the story interesting enough to finish it, I kept thinking, “A family this universally good? Mmmm, not too sure about that.”

Emily astounded me with how easy she fell into a relationship with Hagen. I know how one feels when they meet someone who feels like an old friend immediately, but it seemed too surprising and too soon for Hagen to be telling his life story to Emily after knowing one another for less than twenty-four hours.

It wasn't a bad book. I just couldn't suspend my belief long enough to buy this story...and far too many amazing coincidences.

I want to thank NetGalley and BLE Publishing Group for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read and review.

I wanted to love this book but i couldn't connect to the plot and it fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

There is a book similar to this one, The Dining Car, which tells a marginally similar tale than Ravelled, the similarities being a man with a personal rail car.

Sadly, there is no comparison to the Dining Car in this long, rambling tale of generations of disparate yet related families over decades. While there is tragedy and joy in this book, the characters are, by and large, perfect. The story of Hagen’s magical life is told to the unwitting and hapless Emily, who serves as his personal assistant on a journey to Hagen’s childhood home. The writing is flat and without emotion. This story is told, not shown. I read the entire opus hoping to find some redeeming features but I was sorely disappointed. No one person could experience the number of remarkable coincidences as Hagen Brackenburger, and the surprise ending is both ludicrous and unnecessary.

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley.

Powerful! This beautiful and amazing family saga from 1914 to the present captures your heart. Each character had something to add; and you loved them all. The sharing and generosity of so many people during the depression was so heartwarming. It was a PERFECTLY put together novel, although some of the coincidences were a little far fetched. I couldn’t put down this page turner; the ending came out of nowhere and will absolutely astound you. Recommend it highly....5 stars for Seph Gannon!