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

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RuthEta
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Latest Review: Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles

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

Post by RuthEta »

[Following is a volunteer review of "Guardian of Deceit" by William H. Coles.]
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2 out of 4 stars
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Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles is a story that revolves around the life of a young man named Darwin. As he grows in life, the story stirs around major and minor events that take place during his life growth as well as those of the characters in the book with whom he shares a direct or indirect form of relationship with.

The use of “reader kind of expressions” in the book is what I most like about the book. In the narrative, phrases which a reader would most likely utilise are employed. This makes it seem like the reader is also a narrator in the life of Darwin.

Also, on multiple occasions, statements of the characters of the book are used to teach morality. These statements are beautiful excerpts that I personally enjoyed and would love to share with others.

However, what I least like about Guardian of Deceit is that most of the sentence structures are too lengthy, you would have to read over continuously in order to understand the meaning of some sentences. The use of such structures makes it seem like the book tries too hard to “sell” a narrative or personality. It is for this major reason I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I did not rate the book a 1 because of its moral inclination, but I also did not rate it a 3 because the book lacks a firm plot.

Other major dislikes I have with this book are the input of scenes which have little to no significance in the overall storyline, as well as the inability of the optimised timeline to carry the reader along. As a result of which, halfway through reading the book it makes it difficult to pinpoint what the plot of the book is and the age of some of the characters.

On the personality of the characters, I also found some likes and dislikes. Firstly, the description of Pearlstein is the most realistic and makes her character come alive as though she were born out the character of a living person. However, the depth of longing for Pearlstein which Darwin describes to Helen is not captured in the same light during actual activities between Darwin and Pearlstein, as narrated.

On the same note, some of the scenes seem an impossibility because of the establishment of a character’s personality. The story paints a platonic relationship between Sweeny and Darwin, but there’s little build on that relationship, and this makes some of their conversations somewhat odd. Additionally, I find it confusing that some of the thoughts of the characters are italicised while some are not.

In the book, it seems as though halfway through the writer lost the plot and decided to throw in a murder investigation to make it more interesting.

One distasteful thing about the book was the use of racial descriptions of two characters. The book only makes use of racial description when referring to persons of African and Hispanic heritage. This description is utilised in a scene which highlights racial stereotypes and thus makes that aspect of the book irresistibly racist. The major reason why this is distasteful is that there is no utilisation of racial descriptions with other characters in the book.

I am unlikely to recommend this book to be read by someone who is an impatient reader because the above comments might put the reader off. However, a patient reader might overlook its flaws and appreciate the entire story.

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Guardian of Deceit
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tanyas33
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Post by tanyas33 »

I usually enjoy books written by William H. Coles, and I've been meaning to read this book of his as well, so it is such a shame to hear that this book missed the mark! Reading through inconsistent plot lines and lengthy sentences is always very frustrating, so I definitely understand your rating of the novel. In addition, the adherence to harmful racial stereotypes is unacceptable and I know that I would be upset by this also.
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Fu Zaila
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Post by Fu Zaila »

I'm currently reading a book by the same author, and find it pretty good so far. This book seems different. Great review though :)
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Joe Hadithi
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Post by Joe Hadithi »

I felt this review so much. I've read some of William H. Coles books and have encountered the same issues you describe in your review. He retains the ability to knock your socks off in one scene and bore you to sleep in the next. That said, I'm still looking forward to reading this one. :)
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