Review by jesdav16 -- McDowell by William H. Coles
Posted: 01 Nov 2018, 08:10
[Following is a volunteer review of "McDowell" by William H. Coles.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Mcdowell is the story of Hiram Mcdowell’s journey from a successful career surgeon and university lecturer about to achieve more success as a political appointee, into being convicted for murder and then becoming a wandering fugitive. The book started from just being interesting into later becoming intriguing and then suspense started coming in during Hiram’s time as a fugitive.
The main character in Mcdowell, Hiram, is not somebody that can be considered as a good or morally upright person. In fact, his lifestyle and attitude towards other people can make him an ideal villain. Hiram’s character is an interesting one because it gives the reader the confusing task of deciding whether to support him through the book or not. While Hiram and Carole where still married, I was a little bit confused as to whether the relationship between Billie and Tasha could be considered as incest. I had to make a little research to clarify. This could be a good topic for discussion in social forums. I also commend the shock effect that Ivana’s death created. It was unexpected and for a brief moment I felt the way Sophie felt in the book.
I felt the author’s rush to skip through Hiram’s time in prison as the events were just unfolding too rapidly. Therefore, no explanation was given as to how Hiram got supplies to sustain him immediately he escaped from prison. The book centers on self-redemption and the search for truth. This can be seen from Hiram’s encounters with Maud and Hulga as well as Paige’s biography on Hiram Mcdowell. The book also reveals the role the press and media play in the formation of public opinion.
There were some touching aspects of Mcdowell, these include; Hiram’s encounter with Willie and Sophie’s past trying to affect a possible future with Charles. The book shows how a downfall can expose a person to aspects of life that they would never have known if they had never fallen. It also shows how thinking from another person’s perspective can change one’s views and convictions. This is seen in Paige’s change of attitude towards Hiram Mcdowell during the creation of the biography.
I give Mcdowell a 3 out of 4 stars rating. This is because the book touches on real life issues such as marital fidelity, euthanasia, power of the press and so on; but the storyline was too straightforward and the element of surprise was missing. I noticed three grammatical and two spelling errors in the book. The grammatical errors had to do with the usage of the single inverted comma.
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McDowell
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Mcdowell is the story of Hiram Mcdowell’s journey from a successful career surgeon and university lecturer about to achieve more success as a political appointee, into being convicted for murder and then becoming a wandering fugitive. The book started from just being interesting into later becoming intriguing and then suspense started coming in during Hiram’s time as a fugitive.
The main character in Mcdowell, Hiram, is not somebody that can be considered as a good or morally upright person. In fact, his lifestyle and attitude towards other people can make him an ideal villain. Hiram’s character is an interesting one because it gives the reader the confusing task of deciding whether to support him through the book or not. While Hiram and Carole where still married, I was a little bit confused as to whether the relationship between Billie and Tasha could be considered as incest. I had to make a little research to clarify. This could be a good topic for discussion in social forums. I also commend the shock effect that Ivana’s death created. It was unexpected and for a brief moment I felt the way Sophie felt in the book.
I felt the author’s rush to skip through Hiram’s time in prison as the events were just unfolding too rapidly. Therefore, no explanation was given as to how Hiram got supplies to sustain him immediately he escaped from prison. The book centers on self-redemption and the search for truth. This can be seen from Hiram’s encounters with Maud and Hulga as well as Paige’s biography on Hiram Mcdowell. The book also reveals the role the press and media play in the formation of public opinion.
There were some touching aspects of Mcdowell, these include; Hiram’s encounter with Willie and Sophie’s past trying to affect a possible future with Charles. The book shows how a downfall can expose a person to aspects of life that they would never have known if they had never fallen. It also shows how thinking from another person’s perspective can change one’s views and convictions. This is seen in Paige’s change of attitude towards Hiram Mcdowell during the creation of the biography.
I give Mcdowell a 3 out of 4 stars rating. This is because the book touches on real life issues such as marital fidelity, euthanasia, power of the press and so on; but the storyline was too straightforward and the element of surprise was missing. I noticed three grammatical and two spelling errors in the book. The grammatical errors had to do with the usage of the single inverted comma.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like jesdav16's review? Post a comment saying so!