Review by katilakatami -- The Spirit of Want
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katilakatami
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- Latest Review: The Spirit of Want by William H. Coles
Review by katilakatami -- The Spirit of Want
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Spirit of Want" by William H. Coles.]
"Don't be so self-righteous," she said. "You're no angel."
William H. Coles book is about betrayal, amorality, deceit, greed, infidelity, weakness, abuse and choices. The Spirit of Want revolves around the lives of A.J. MacMiel's family. Abner MacMiel ran an eye institute in Atlanta and worked with his son-in-law Luke Osbourne. He was married to Agnes and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Lucy. There was strife within the family. They had complicated relationships- Lucy with all of them, Abner with Agnes and at some point Elizabeth with her father. Lucy around whom the book is centered, was a defense lawyer who always put herself first.
The story takes place over a decade and at times takes us back and forth in time. The author does not gradually build up the story and l felt as though l had skipped reading some pages. There are "gaps" in places either filled in by subtle references or left that way.
One chapter ended with Lucy being indicted and charged with manslaughter and the next began at her wedding. I did not understand how the couple got to the Justice of Peace, despite the six months lapse in the storyline. In the next part of the book, Lucy arrived in Ghana in the throes of love. There is not much within the pages to indicate that she was in a relationship with Reverend Hower Bain other than a conversation with had with the senior partner of her firm , Alan McCormick. Howard Bain was her client indicted for child rape and she resented him. However, when the Reverend arrived back in the US after his acquittal , I realized that these “gaps” were deliberate. I had not skipped any pages. The author cleverly knows how to make these “gaps” not matter. The reader does not dwell on them. I could make whatever inferences that suited me and read on.
Despite the Reverend's central role and questionable behavior, it is not a book on faith. The author through his characters manages to touch on delicate topics such as faith healing, race relations, domestic violence, abortion, recreational drugs, sexuality and remain nonjudgemental. This book would appeal to across a wide adult audience, across a range of age brackets,genders and beliefs.
What I liked most about the book was that I unable to predict what happens next. It was also well-edited. There is nothing I would single out that I disliked most about the book. I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This was the first book I read from this author and l am now keen to embark on another.
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The Spirit of Want
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
"Don't be so self-righteous," she said. "You're no angel."
William H. Coles book is about betrayal, amorality, deceit, greed, infidelity, weakness, abuse and choices. The Spirit of Want revolves around the lives of A.J. MacMiel's family. Abner MacMiel ran an eye institute in Atlanta and worked with his son-in-law Luke Osbourne. He was married to Agnes and they had two daughters, Elizabeth and Lucy. There was strife within the family. They had complicated relationships- Lucy with all of them, Abner with Agnes and at some point Elizabeth with her father. Lucy around whom the book is centered, was a defense lawyer who always put herself first.
The story takes place over a decade and at times takes us back and forth in time. The author does not gradually build up the story and l felt as though l had skipped reading some pages. There are "gaps" in places either filled in by subtle references or left that way.
One chapter ended with Lucy being indicted and charged with manslaughter and the next began at her wedding. I did not understand how the couple got to the Justice of Peace, despite the six months lapse in the storyline. In the next part of the book, Lucy arrived in Ghana in the throes of love. There is not much within the pages to indicate that she was in a relationship with Reverend Hower Bain other than a conversation with had with the senior partner of her firm , Alan McCormick. Howard Bain was her client indicted for child rape and she resented him. However, when the Reverend arrived back in the US after his acquittal , I realized that these “gaps” were deliberate. I had not skipped any pages. The author cleverly knows how to make these “gaps” not matter. The reader does not dwell on them. I could make whatever inferences that suited me and read on.
Despite the Reverend's central role and questionable behavior, it is not a book on faith. The author through his characters manages to touch on delicate topics such as faith healing, race relations, domestic violence, abortion, recreational drugs, sexuality and remain nonjudgemental. This book would appeal to across a wide adult audience, across a range of age brackets,genders and beliefs.
What I liked most about the book was that I unable to predict what happens next. It was also well-edited. There is nothing I would single out that I disliked most about the book. I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. This was the first book I read from this author and l am now keen to embark on another.
******
The Spirit of Want
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: The Spirit of Want by William H. Coles
