The Ballad of a Small Player review

"Lord" Doyle was man who had to flee England with money he was hoping to gamble away. This novel is a story of the abusive relationship a man has with gambling and a relationship the reader will root on with a woman Lord Doyle meets through his adventure through Macau. Baccarat is the game of choice because it is fast paced and based on luck, meaning you can win or lose everything in minutes making it difficult to walk away from the table, and this is what fuels Lord Doyle's gambling addiction.

Lord Doyle is a protagonist that the reader will root on and sympathize with during his hard-falls. Learning his story and the story of his friends will make it easy to connect with him and the character development throughout the novel helps the reader to understand his thinking even when it is difficult to agree with. Finishing the novel, I wanted to know what happens next to the protagonist and how his life will work once the story is over.

Overall, the mood of the novel moves up and down and as a reader, I found it hard to put the book down during both moods. I have always had a fascination with gambling and card games, and would recommend this novel to anyone else with similar interests. It shows the depression and ecstasy that can come with a gambling addiction. There is also culture and superstitions from Macao that I learned from this novel, giving me insight into a new culture.