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Title: For the Birds -- Young Birds
Review: Victor Canning's "The Painted Tent" is a so-so mystery story. Not much of a plot and the characters, although likeable, are strictly cardboard (some of them seem to a have strayed out of a Charles Dickens novel).It seems as if a quarter of the book is a diversion into the lifestyle of peregrine falcons. More about falcons than I ever wanted to know. In any case if you want to read about falcons, try the short story "Hook" (can't remember the author); it's better.As I was reading, I felt a odd sense of familiarity. Finally I caught on that the "The Painted Tent" reminds me of many of the scores of "juvenile" or "young adult" books I devoured in my early teens -- teenage protagonist, plodding mediocore plot, simplified characters, educational asides (the falcons), morality lessons, etc.
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