What do you think of Hiram McDowell?

Use this forum to discuss the October Book of the Month "McDowell" by William H. Coles.
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SpencerVo
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Re: What do you think of Hiram McDowell?

Post by SpencerVo »

At first, McDowell was a despicable character to me, and I cringed hard at his every thought. He was so toxic, pretending to be a respected public figure when in fact, his head was peppered with disrespectful monologues aiming at EVERYONE. But I gradually came to forgive him a little bit, and I wished he had been granted an actual chance to make amends for his mistakes and reconcile with his family members.
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Post by fndirangu20 »

Hiram is a self-centered man who cares for no one except his children. He may be a fictitious character, but sadly, Hiram represents many people in the real world where fame and recognition are the only things that matter to them. But, no matter how despicable he may seem to his colleagues, Hiram McDowell is not beyond change and remorse. After all, no person is inherently bad.
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Post by holsam_87 »

I really didn't like Hiram at first but by the end, I found him tolerable. He went through a lot, which changed him for the better.
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Post by bdu15062 »

At the start I really disliked Hiram. He only cared about himself and liked to play around with women and money. At the end of the book I think he redeemed himself, but I still wouldn't class him a good person as he did a lot of bad things.
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Post by TALIA ONYANGO »

I saw him as a ruthless and insensitive character. His relationships with his wife and colleagues at workplace is unbecoming.
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Post by Surabhi Rani »

Hiram McDowell's personality is realistic. It helps us maintain a down-to-earth approach towards life that is full of odds and is truly testing in all ways!
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Post by Ekta Kumari »

The author has done a very good job in portraying the main character. He is a shallow man, lack of respect for everyone not only women made him a perfect narcissist who only cared about his own well-being. He was cynical and the only role where he was somewhat good was being a father. Otherwise, his character was flawed at best.
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Post by Jillpillbooknerd »

I was not a fan of Hiram McDowell. I understand that the author was trying to write a flawed character but I have never met anyone in my life that wasn't a mobster, who was just a horrible person. It was hard for me to read at times because I disliked him so much.
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Post by Nusrat_Shabnam_ »

I haven't read the book yet but I think that I am going to hate his character. He seems really rude and selfish.
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Post by Shalu1707 »

Hiram McDowell is a complex human with a cold heart. He is selfish but come on, in today's time and world who is not? Everyone is selfish with just the difference in radius. So calling him pure evil is not correct as per me. He is cold hearted and thinks from his point of view only, which is quite twisted. But he is finally forced to discover a new point of view when he is left alone with little human contact but still he never accepts this clearly in his head.
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Post by Theresa Moffitt »

Sahani Nimandra wrote: 02 Oct 2018, 00:42 This book, McDowell, stands-out because of Hiram. His flawed, unreliable, and selfish nature adds a high voltage to this read making its reader to punch-a-pillow. I like to maintain a neutral stance with his character because his unspeakable nature is what made this book eventful.
I agree- I think the author created a very memorable character when he created Hiram. It was such an interesting read - he was definitely flawed!
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Post by Moray_001 »

When I first started reading the book, I felt Hiram was not much of a family man despite having quite a lot of family. He also seemed nonchalant about his marriage and didn’t try to impact any morals on his children. I expected more resistance to Billie’s incestous relationship with Tasha. But towards the end, he seemed to develop more empathy towards people, especially strangers.
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Post by Jessacardinal »

I am half way through this book and have yet to change my position of immediate dislike for Hiram's character. I am holding out hope for redemption in his character before the end of the novel, but I most definitely have my doubts.
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Post by timd »

McDowell is a delightfully complicated character created by the author. I think that his ruthlessness and selfish behaviour in the first half of the book stems from the fact that he is much more intelligent than the average person and thus develops a superiority complex which makes him appear uncaring and callous. His intelligence and stamina help him while he is on the run to survive but also, he sees and meets people on a completely different level of life that he is used to. These people manage to open him up and he changes remarkably for the better. I was sad at his demise but I suppose that it was actually inevitable. For me, this was a touching story.
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Post by Hiruni Bhagya 81 »

Hiruni Bhagya 81 wrote: 26 Oct 2018, 09:24 I'm still in the first half of the book, but from what I read, I think he's a despicable human being without any conscience. He's the worst of the worst. Knowing a person is going to die, he can leave him to die but not only that, he's capable of taking that person's last breathe as well. He doesn't feel guilty of committing adultery. He feels as if it's his right. Author has done a great job of creating a protagonist completely opposite to the typical protagonist.
After reading the book completely, I have to say I see the protagonist in a different light. He was the worst of worst, but after facing everything he became more humane and more likable. I think he was able to redeem some of his bad choices and deeds.
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