Review by Jordana -- Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles

This forum is for volunteer reviews by members of our review team. These reviews are done voluntarily by the reviewers and are published in this forum, separate from the official professional reviews. These reviews are kept separate primarily because the same book may be reviewed by many different reviewers.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
User avatar
Jordana
Posts: 3
Joined: 21 Nov 2017, 23:26
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 3
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jordana.html
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann

Review by Jordana -- Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles

Post by Jordana »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Guardian of Deceit" by William H. Coles.]
Book Cover
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


Writing is work. Yet certain books are infused with so much of a writer’s intimate investment, they read like labors of love. The benefit of such a work is if the writer’s enthusiasm infects and engages the reader across the written word. The risk is if the topic is so near and dear to the writer’s heart that the book fails to sweep the reader into the celebration.

Guardian of Deceit, a novel by William H. Coles, seems to fall in this latter category. This is a meticulously written book, a detailed and methodical narrative that seems to know its way as its characters opine and speechify through time and circumstance. Yet despite the careful, loving presentation, I come away feeling excluded and confused, like Coles forgot to tell me what this was really about, and why I should care.

A well-off orphaned teenager goes to live with his relative, and stuff happens. This is certainly a sufficient framework if there is arc, plot, conflict, and characters to care about. (Think Anne of Green Gables!) What I found in Guardian of Deceit, however, was different. At 17, Darwin is an oddly secure, knowledgeable, and mature protagonist who is a steady and wise confidante to the adults who swirl around him. He talks and acts like an old sage and possesses none of the characteristics one might associate with a high school senior at a crossroads in his difficult life.

The characters in Darwin’s story often speak in oratory paragraphs, using big words and long, full-sentenced thoughts. Every character knows what they know, and tells it, which is informative but leaves little room for development or growth, particularly from Darwin himself. The narrative likewise stays busy telling the reader more and more information. But all that talk actually holds the reader away from the story, as if we are hearing a lecture rather than experiencing an immersive fictional world.

The women Darwin meets troubled me the most. Every accomplished female he encounters, from a celebrity musician to a private teacher to two highly intelligent daughters of a prominent local physician, dissolve into insecurity and blubbering almost the moment we meet them. One after another crumple onto this young man’s shoulder, and he is the rock while they are jelly. This view of women as so weak and, in several cases, as adulteresses, was troubling to read and threw the whole book into a questionable light for me. Just what is Coles trying to say?

I wondered often if Guardian of Deceit was autobiographical for Coles. The authoritative narrative, story details, and uneven characterization make some sense to me if Coles was conveying a story that had deep personal meaning to him. He would naturally care, and it might be hard for a writer to gage where others would not. The book certainly has the author’s loving stamp all over it. I just wish I had found a way into the embrace. I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.

******
Guardian of Deceit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords

Like Jordana's review? Post a comment saying so!
Latest Review: Yesterday by Samyann
kdstrack
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 6473
Joined: 10 May 2017, 19:49
Currently Reading: The Savior
Bookshelf Size: 530
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kdstrack.html
Latest Review: How To Be Successful by M. Curtis McCoy

Post by kdstrack »

Love your first paragraph! Makes me think you must do some writing yourself beside these reviews! You also present some insightful opinions about the women in this book. Great review. Thanks.
User avatar
[Valerie Allen]
Posts: 698
Joined: 17 Mar 2018, 23:24
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 772
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-valerie-allen.html
Latest Review: Utopia Project by Billy Dering

Post by [Valerie Allen] »

I enjoyed the details of this review and lite spoiler alerts.
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. (Revelation 20:12 (NKJV) :reading-7:
Post Reply

Return to “Volunteer Reviews”