4 out of 4 stars
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Being aware that you are an orphan who cannot afford to take care of yourself prepares your psychosomatic personality for life’s adversities. However, to be conscious of the fact that your dead parents left you a huge inheritance which is being held in trust for you by one famous footballer, who also is supposed to be your guardian, leaves you hoping to get the best of everything.
Guardian of Deceit is written by William H. Coles. The book falls within the fiction genre and has 320 standard pages. Told from the third person point of view, the author introduces us to the life and predicament of the 17-year-old orphan, Darwin Hastings, who, although has been living with his ailing aunt, leaves Pittsburgh for his cousin’s place at New York.
Luther Pinnelli is this cousin of Darwin. He is a very egoistic football star who thinks he is doing what is right for Darwin by denying him his very entitlements. Luther withholds from Darwin basic luxuries, makes him sleep in a storage room, denies him access to private school, and further prevents him from having easy access to the money his parents left behind for him. Despite these obstacles to his future success, the young diffident Darwin transforms into a very confident boy whose intelligence and empathy for others wins for him the affection of virtually every member of Luther’s household. Unlike, Darwin, Luther is a hardened womanizer and an incorrigible gambler, who lives his life very irresponsibly. His recklessness nearly crippled his career.
Darwin’s life in New York is full of adventure. Aboard the plane to New York at the very beginning of the story, Darwin meets Dr. Adrian Malverne and befriends him and his family, including his two daughters, Helen and Coral, one of whom Darwin marries. Will Darwin find fulfilment in this marriage, nevertheless? In Luther’s residence, Laszlo Forgash, the head of security, becomes a father figure, teaching Darwin how to drive and how to acquire other rudimentary life skills, while Mrs. Thomas, the house manager, and Granny, Luther’s mother, complement his efforts when Luther becomes negligent. Darwin must steer through all the problems surrounding him, get himself into medical school, and figure out how to build a very beautiful romantic life.
I see the themes of love, unmet expectations, responsible or irresponsible living, emptiness of celebrity life/delusions of celebrity life, lust, and the determination to overcome one’s challenges being explored in this book. The author does a wonderful job, giving us insight into each of these themes. I love the fact that there are various twists to the story, making it very interesting. The author felt at ease to introduce new characters into the novel whose presence contributed so much to the development of the plot. Character development was superb as the author gave adequate background information about the characters. The plot was also very fast paced, leaving you wanting to read on. I also learnt some basic investigation skills. I enjoyed the manner in which Laszlo conducted his investigation into the murder case involving Mrs. Thomas’ daughter.
I only have a few negative comments to make about the book. I realized that the author overlooked some important episodes of the story. Perhaps, this is due to the author’s intention to fast pace the plot. I never noticed the point where Darwin proposed marriage to Helen, and I was also shocked to discover that Luther already admitted having sexual relationship with Mrs. Thomas’ daughter. I think some important reactions may be lost in these episodes. I only found two errors. The first is on page 152, where in the third sentence, “Your” was spelt “You’re” in the sentence, “You’re opinion’s good enough for me.” The second is on page 176, where the indefinite article ‘a’ was omitted in the sentence, “Pearlstein thought for moment.” I suggest “Pearlstein thought for a moment.” However, these did not affect the beauty of the book. I rate it 4 out of 4 stars, and I recommend it to everyone, more especially celebrity lovers. They will learn more about the celebrity world, I believe.
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Guardian of Deceit
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