1. Amazon.co.uk
“Read this book – The Melting Pot is a gripping read that quickly draws you in. There are moments of genius in the plot, with simple ideas being used to great effect and moments of startling wit. The book involves a fascinating mix of characters – some more likable than others! The descriptions of Corderro itself are highly evocative of South America and Spain, and the historical background that Cororan created for the city is one of the highlights of the book. The ending is poignant, bold and very effective. I highly recommend this book.”
“Melting pot of styles – This book is very difficult to categorise – it cannot be pigeon-holed easily into thriller or black comedy yet contains elements of these and many other styles. This melting pot of styles is a great feature, along with interesting/varied characters; fantastic description of Corderro where the story is set; a plot that twists and turns and will have you gripped until the very end. Well recommended.”
“Top read – This book is a real page-turner – I read it in a couple of long sittings and thoroughly enjoyed it; couldn’t put it down.
Cororan has created a seething, volatile environment for his characters – the city itself is alive, and has a turbulent, violent history. The great dialogue keeps the narrative moving, sometimes funny, brutal, yet always gripping. Great, solid debut from this promising young English author.”
“Hot Pot – The first work by a talented British author. His details the rise and fall of a fictional rogue South American principality, and the events that formed her.
His world is immaculately conceived, no detail left undiscovered yet never too much. His characters from the birth of the province to its latter day demise are vivid, identifiable, believable, based in reality and truth, engaging, memorable and sympathetic.
Several story threads slowly twine themselves together à la Tarantino but this is a much more understated work than those of his. His tempo is considered and he builds into crescendo and release, much like the turbulent nature of The Melting Pot’s history.
All elements come together satisfactarily and we are left as I imagine Cororan was as the book’s completion, content but a little sad to see his world draw to a close. It doesn’t all end happily for the protaganists and not all the baddies get what they’re due – but then when do they?
Very accomplished fiction from a promising talent.”
“Great book – This was a great book! I would definitely recommend it. It’s full of convincing characters, has a lot of substance and is very well written. Once you start you can’t help but finish it. I think in future I might try giving new authors more of a chance – it’s a gamble that can obviously pay off!!”
“A good debut – This was recommended to me by a friend and I wasn’t disappointed…you can certainly judge the book by the memorable cover. The book is written in an entertaining style and in easily readable chunks. You can really imagine the characters and the book would make an excellent film. I hope he publishes again!”
“A mighty fine read – As I say … it’s a mighty fine read. Well written, thought provoking and engaging on many levels. When the only criticism of a book is that it’s too hard to put down you know you’re on to a good thing! You may not have heard of the author before, but with books like this it can only be a matter of time. I recommend you give this a go, you won’t be disappointed.”
“Work in progress – The Melting Pot has a head start on a lot of self published authors as the book is well-presented, good cover and totally readable. Many self-published works are of really poor quality and really badly proof-read if proof-read at all.
The story itself was not really my bag at all, I am not a huge thriller/political reader, or even of books set in foreign climes. But I did keep engaged in this book, which tells the story of an age-old Southern American city called Cordello, heavy with corruption, violence and greed. The novel clearly researched with a thought out long history for the fictional town which is quite well realised.
The problems I had with the book, however, are all technical issues. The writing suffers from Cororan trying too hard to write well, rather than just go along with natural ability. Far too much time is spent on creating backgrounds, and I don’t think it was until page 164 that I felt I was at last getting to the essential plot of the story. Little things like too many italics, too many unnecessary (and sometimes clumsy) translations of Spanish names/phrases, and tired cliches were really distracting and emphasised the fictionality of the book. Sometimes the narration didn’t quite know its place and flitted in and out of tenses. Occasionally, the dialogue didn’t ring quite true either – would a South American really refer to himself as “half-cut”? Or from pigeon-English to use the word “cumbersome” two lines later?
I think the novel had a good story to tell and unfortunately Cororan’s enthusiasm and passion for that story got in the way of the story-telling.”
2. Facebook
“The Melting pot is a soaring tale of greed and karma. Inviting you to immerse yourself into the city of Corderro, the tightly-woven plot develops with drive and pace, covering matters such as financial corruption and the suppresion of a people, as relevant in today’s world as it ever has been.
It is not without a dark sense of humour though, and with some amusing dialogue between the main characters, Cororan manages to communicate a better side of human nature, set against a ghastly, but thrilling backdrop. Recommended.”
Martin Cororan 