4 out of 4 stars
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The Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles is a non-fiction story of a society riddled with deceit, cruelty and low moral values. Though the story shows the glimpses of humanity in some characters yet it mainly focuses on debauchery, untrustworthy friendship and crookedness of the upper class in society. The author expertly explains all characters with pros and cons.
The story mainly revolves around a protagonist character Darwin, a 17 years old orphan boy. After the death of his parents, he starts living with his aunt. But due to her disability she sends Darwin from Pittsburg to New York to his new guardian Luther. Luther-a famous footballer- is Darwin’s cousin. He is a cruel man who treats him (Darwin) badly and denies access to his inheritance. But there are some characters which have soft corner for Darwin like Granny -an old woman- living in Luther’s mansion, a house manager Mrs. Bonita Thomas, Luther’ security guard Laszlo Forgash and pop singer Sweeney Pale. In the neighborhood Darwin meets a surgeon Dr. Adrian Malvern and his two daughters Helen and Coral. Later Dr. Malverne becomes his mentor. Darwin is committed to achieve his goal to become a doctor and to serve people. He shows interest in Helen and marries her, but her disloyalty creates a sense of hatred in him. In the end he meets Dominique. In her he feels true love.
The author openly portrays the positive and negative traits prevailing in society. The selfishness of society is evident in the story. Each character is in struggle to achieve his or her goal by hook or by crook. When we see the positive side of the story, the case of dismissal of Betsy (daughter of Bonita Thomas) shows a sign of cooperativeness as they (characters) consider themselves a “family.” The author beautifully moves the story forward relating all events in a sequence. His omniscient view of each character kept me on my toe until I finished the story.
The author aptly describes the cultural values of upper class in American society. The poor condition of women in which she is mostly considered a sex symbol is ironical. Unending lust for wealth, debauchery and callousness of attitudes goes throughout the story, which may sadden the reader. But of course he (author) has rightly depicted a reality. The book is free from typos, so I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I hope readers would like it much.
The story contains many bold scenes, which may distract young readers. So I would suggest this book for adult readers who like the intriguing love story and the struggle of a boy to achieve the esteemed position in society.
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Guardian of Deceit
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