OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Masks" by Nataly Restokian.]

What does it take to live a happy life? Most people would think that having fame, power, and money makes one happy. Nataly Restokian wrote the novel, Masks, to take the reader through the kind of lives that most television celebrities go through.

The book is a fiction novel based on real-life events. Anna, the protagonist of the story, is a famous and successful celebrity in the Arab world. The story of Anna takes the reader through the life of a woman who wants to break all the rules of the society and find her way to fame. Does fame really bring happiness to an individual?

Anna is legally Vasag’s wife. However, she has a romantic affair with a man who is old enough to be her grandfather, Abbas. Sadly, her affair with Abbas is not the only immoral relationship. She has had sexual encounters with high-ranking people in the Arab community including a member of the royal family. She has also been in same-sex relationships. According to the author, the social influence of her lovers and acquaintances fueled her television presence. She became a popular television presenter in the Arab world. At some point, her television show becomes the best in the Arab world. Her parents, Asbed and Melineh, did not like her behavior. Her mother kept warning and advising her against her ambition that made her do away with her moral judgment. However, she would hear none of it since all she wanted was money, fame, and power. When she met Joe, her life changed for the better. She believes that Joe would offer her true love and happiness. Driven by the love of Joe, she leaves everything behind including her hard-earned fame, money, and assets. She divorces her husband and marries Joe. She leaves Lebanon and accompanies Joe to his homeland-Canada.

I liked several aspects of the story. The style of writing is simple and easy to understand. The author has brilliantly developed the characters of the story. Every new character adds flesh to the story. For instance, aunt Araxi is depicted as the person who would support the protagonist’s ideas and choices regardless of the outcome. This gives a beautiful contrast to her parents' beliefs. Additionally, the author has been able to bring several historical aspects to the story to back her points. For instance, she uses the Armenian genocide to explain how her parents ended up in Lebanon. The book does not have many errors.

Unfortunately, I felt that the author did not spice up the story to give it some masterful twists and turns. In many instances, she uses the thoughts of Anna to bring out crucial information to the reader. This makes the story quite monotonous since the reader is tuned to believing that Anna will get lost in her thoughts and later snap back into action. The author should have included other avenues to substantiating Anna’s story. For this reason, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I would not give it a lower score because the story is quite captivating. It takes the reader through the struggles that women in the show industry go through. Furthermore, the few errors that I noted did not distract me from reading the story. It needs to be spiced up to be able to get a perfect score. I recommend it to everyone who is interested in learning more about the struggles of celebrities within the show industry. However, I have to warn the reader that the book contains graphic scenes.

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Masks
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The book cover is poignant, the title of the book also represents the book accurately. I love the storyline too, from what I have read from your review, it seems to bear a motivational tone, I should read this book...

Thanks for this awesome review, it's very well appreciated; I hope Anna made the right choice by choosing Joe.

This plot sounds really interesting, and I sense there is more to the story between Anna and Joe. I really enjoyed your review!

It is interesting to think about what people go through behind the camera, especially in people that the general public focus on, like celebrities. This sounds like an intriguing book, especially, since she goes against what is socially acceptable. Thank you for the review!

I love the cover of the book. Personally, I think that this book also relates to our society today and the troubles women face to rise up. I love the plot of the book. This book is definitely a good read for me. Nice review!

It is funny how authors tend to use the same names for certain types of characters. Since 50 Shades of Grey became popular, I've noticed quite a few promiscuous characters in fiction books named Anna. It seems like Anna is the go-to name for a sexy female character!

I also just finished a book where an Alice was able to see the future through visions, much like the character in Twilight. I wonder if it's all just coincidence?

Interesting plot. I think fame, power and money can bring happiness at times, it just depends on how you go about acquiring them. That being sad, I think Anna would be a very unhappy person throughout this book. Nice review.

It's interesting how people think they will find fulfilment in power, money and fame. They get there, then they realise they still have a void that needs to be filled. I am glad that Anna finally found something that held more meaning to her than the material things in life. Generally, I like the review and I am sure I would like the book too.

Of course, money and fame are not the only answers to one's happiness. I must confess that they may help, but finding one's true happiness is to find the Creator and have a meaningful relationship with him. Thank you for your amazing review.

Very interesting. The cover is great. I like the theme to the book. Thank you for the review!

What does it take to live a happy life? Most people would think that having fame, power, and money makes one happy.

I won't be able to count how many times I've encountered that question. More often than not, though, the answer isn't one of those three things you've mentioned. Thank you for your succinct and honest review.

Sounds like this book has well-developed characters: something I really like in a book. It's a pity that the plot isn't improved for the better. It sounds like it has potential. Thanks for this honest review!