3 out of 4 stars
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Guardian of Deceit is the fictional story of the life of Darwin Hastings, a young man who manages to keep the courage of his convictions and a clean conscience while surrounded by people and temptations that could so easily knock him off course.
While Darwin is very young, he decides that he wants to become a doctor and channels all of his mental and physical energy into that goal. After his parents' death, Darwin's cousin Luthor, a popular football player, is named as his guardian. Luthor is a self-absorbed, pampered and thoughtless individual who treats Darwin like an unwanted burden and hired help. Despite the disrespectful treatment, Darwin proves his worth to Luthor and the family and earns the high praise and regard of everyone he comes in contact with during the years he lives with his cousin.
Overcoming obstacles such as a guardian who lives in a mansion, but makes Darwin live in a utility room on the property, people who want to take advantage of him because of his connections to a famous football celebrity, a love affair gone wrong, a disastrous marriage, and a seemingly unrelated local murder, Darwin continues to pursue his goal of becoming a doctor, but becomes jaded by those in the medical profession. Will he achieve his dream? Will he find personal happiness? Will he become like the people around him—cynical and miserable?
I enjoyed Guardian of Deceit immensely. The descriptions of the private life, thoughts, and oftentimes arrogant actions of celebrities and the established wealthy, juxtaposed against an individual determined to remain true to his moral values; drew me in immediately and was difficult to put down. Although I had preconceived ideas about what direction the story might take, based solely on the title, the tale was very different than I expected; adding to my enjoyment.
This book will appeal to a wide variety of audiences: young adults especially might relate to Darwin's difficulties as he struggles to maintain control of his life while trying to understand the complicated personalities surrounding him. Although the book has a satisfying conclusion, the only thing that left me a little confused was the title as it relates to the story. It's possible that I am overlooking a hidden meaning for the choosing of the name of the novel, but the story is not in the mystery genre. There is also quite a bit of graphic language that I personally feel did not enhance the story. For these reasons I give this novel a 3 out of 4, but would nevertheless recommend it enthusiastically.
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Guardian of Deceit
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