Review by Tarbena45 -- Guardian of Deceit
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Tarbena45
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Review by Tarbena45 -- Guardian of Deceit
[Following is a volunteer review of "Guardian of Deceit" by William H. Coles.]
Guardian of Deceit by William H Coles is a novel based around the character of Darwin Hastings, a 17-year-old who is sent to live with Luther, his cousin. Darwin’s parents are dead and, until recently, he has been looked after by his aunt who is described as having “an easily surfaced irritation with life.” She has to move into a nursing facility and can no longer care for him, so Luther, who happens to be a rich and famous football player, agrees to be his guardian.
Darwin arrives at his luxurious new home in New York, to be greeted by Mrs. Thomas, the housekeeper, who appears stern, and treats the new arrival with exaggerated rudeness. He meets Luther, his cousin, who is intent on making Darwin’s life particularly uncomfortable by withholding his allowance and putting him into a tiny bedroom with basic facilities. On a much lighter note, he meets, Aritha, his Granny, a marvelous character who likes playing Scrabble and being grumpy. The scene is set, and Darwin is suddenly faced with an unknown future. He has to negotiate his way, very diplomatically, through a never-ending series of other people's traumas. His ambition is to go to Medical school and become a doctor but the odds seem stacked against him.
The characters that William H Coles creates are varied and believable. I particularly like Sweeney, the pop star, who has a successful career but a sad and lonely private life. Then there is the generous and thoughtful Doctor Malverne who has two marvelously naughty daughters. Many characters pop in and out of Darwin’s life. He is sucked into all of their lives and has to react to their traumas and insecurities. He is faced with constantly looming disasters. The development of the characters and watching Darwin calmly deal with their eccentricities makes for an enjoyable and sometimes amusing read. Some of the situations are thought-provoking, like when Darwin wrestles with his decision to become a doctor. He has concerns over the drive for creating profit within the health care system in the United States, seemingly at the expense of patient welfare.
It is, however, a fairly light, uncomplicated novel. There are tense moments when violence erupts and there are some explicit sex scenes. For these reasons, this book is not suitable for young readers. It would appeal to adults who enjoy reading about the psychology of human behavior, and social interactions.
With each situation, a wrong decision could lead to Darwin’s downfall.
Does he come through it all unscathed? That is the question.
It is well-edited with just a couple of errors but they are not distracting.
On the whole, I enjoyed Guardian of Deceit and give it 3 out of 4 stars. I didn’t enjoy it enough to give it a perfect score but it is an entertaining read.
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Guardian of Deceit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Guardian of Deceit by William H Coles is a novel based around the character of Darwin Hastings, a 17-year-old who is sent to live with Luther, his cousin. Darwin’s parents are dead and, until recently, he has been looked after by his aunt who is described as having “an easily surfaced irritation with life.” She has to move into a nursing facility and can no longer care for him, so Luther, who happens to be a rich and famous football player, agrees to be his guardian.
Darwin arrives at his luxurious new home in New York, to be greeted by Mrs. Thomas, the housekeeper, who appears stern, and treats the new arrival with exaggerated rudeness. He meets Luther, his cousin, who is intent on making Darwin’s life particularly uncomfortable by withholding his allowance and putting him into a tiny bedroom with basic facilities. On a much lighter note, he meets, Aritha, his Granny, a marvelous character who likes playing Scrabble and being grumpy. The scene is set, and Darwin is suddenly faced with an unknown future. He has to negotiate his way, very diplomatically, through a never-ending series of other people's traumas. His ambition is to go to Medical school and become a doctor but the odds seem stacked against him.
The characters that William H Coles creates are varied and believable. I particularly like Sweeney, the pop star, who has a successful career but a sad and lonely private life. Then there is the generous and thoughtful Doctor Malverne who has two marvelously naughty daughters. Many characters pop in and out of Darwin’s life. He is sucked into all of their lives and has to react to their traumas and insecurities. He is faced with constantly looming disasters. The development of the characters and watching Darwin calmly deal with their eccentricities makes for an enjoyable and sometimes amusing read. Some of the situations are thought-provoking, like when Darwin wrestles with his decision to become a doctor. He has concerns over the drive for creating profit within the health care system in the United States, seemingly at the expense of patient welfare.
It is, however, a fairly light, uncomplicated novel. There are tense moments when violence erupts and there are some explicit sex scenes. For these reasons, this book is not suitable for young readers. It would appeal to adults who enjoy reading about the psychology of human behavior, and social interactions.
With each situation, a wrong decision could lead to Darwin’s downfall.
Does he come through it all unscathed? That is the question.
It is well-edited with just a couple of errors but they are not distracting.
On the whole, I enjoyed Guardian of Deceit and give it 3 out of 4 stars. I didn’t enjoy it enough to give it a perfect score but it is an entertaining read.
******
Guardian of Deceit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
