Calder’s Last Gasp, by Kirk Alex peaked my interest when reading the synopsis. I wanted to read about this character who I thought would be more of a loner, maybe even with some quirks. The topic sounded fun, having many friends who have birds for pets. I was intrigued to find out how bad this bird was, what it was doing, and wondering how bad it could be to want to bring the bird back. Overall, although the storyline holds promise there were too many grammatical errors to allow me to comfortably read the story. Sentences were fragmented and tenses were off. I wish this had not been an issue because I was truly looking forward to the story. 

Calder was a forty-something man with no wife and an insignificant job position. When reading the story I did feel that the character presented more as a young man maybe in his twenties. That being said, if he was this particular age living such a monotonous life, I would have expected him to have more peculiarities or idiosyncrasies. I wish the author had developed this character more from the beginning. Unfortunately, based on the situations the main character faces the character development does not seem age appropriate to me. When Calder goes to find the bird at the new owners house it seems like he makes more of a connection with the young mother but in actuality would really be too old to form an appropriate relationship in this particular story. 

I did enjoy the different situations Calder found himself in but as each situation developed it seemed to lose its believability as it evolved. I think if Calder had been a younger man the plot would fit more closely but a man of his age seems out of his realm. Additionally, Calder is presented as an individual with limited financial stability but this is somehow portrayed differently as the story progresses even though the main character talks about losing his job. 

Overall, I feel the story has potential but with all the grammatical issues I think it sheds a negative light on the plotline. I would suggest that the author rewrite the sentences correctly or even put the story in writing using a voice recording program. I think this would show how the errors add to the difficulties in keeping the reader’s interest.