Review of Relieved
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Daniel Patrick
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- Latest Review: Relieved by Cheryl Richardson
Review of Relieved
[Following is a volunteer review of "Relieved" by Cheryl Richardson.]
Book Title: Relieved by Cheryl Richardson
The novel is a story of resilience, loyalty, dedication, obedience, hard work, patience,trust and sacrifice by the author to Debora, a trust fund baby and an oil heiress.
The story begins with how the duo met through Amora, a colleague of the author working in a Salon spa who had gone to render a massage service to Debora where she tabled the request for someone that would help her organize and unpack her boxes from New York. Amora therefore recommended the author as a good fit for the type of person Debora wanted.
In accepting the work, the author saw it as an opportunity to earn some extra money outside of her salon work. However, the extra care and meticulous way she handled the assignment earned her praises from both Debora and her mother and the author thus was made a Personal Assistant making her work around four to five days in a week.
She would go on to render other basic services, to wit run errands, do domestic chores, most times working past her official work day schedules and at odd times, in the middle of storms, in the cold, at night hitting the road, etc so as to complete one task or the other. Neither did she have any privacy as her phone could ring in the wee hours of the night while asleep. Times without number recounts the author, Debora would summon her either to relieve her staff (house keepers, bodyguards, etc.) or to carry out an assignment which she dutifully obeyed. In her words, "being obedient and wanting her life to go on well, decided to put my life on hold to help Debora", but most often would hardly be appreciated, and at other times could earn her a backlash.
In my opinion, as the story unfolds the organizing and unpacking services the author was hired for was a metaphor of the personality traits of Debora (which was characterized with confusion, off- charted, split second decisions; for instance Debora's constant movement from one place to the other, or from one accommodation to the other, etc) which she therefore sacrificed her time, energy and resources to help her out. And besides, she was in addition tasked with taking care of Debora's pets(cats) and at a time became even a mortician of one of the cats! We see therefore that the central theme that runs through the novel is one of sacrifice if altruism by the author on the one hand as she immersed herself to work carrying out all manner of assignments and at the expense of her freedom and ingratitude, meanness and even abuse on the part of Debora through out the years of their relationship which spanned about forty years.
Besides, we see in Debora's persona a paradox of some sort; here was an oil heiress and a government baby with access to abundant disposable income and wealth which she spent or (threw away) yet so mean as to some times failing to pay the author for the work she rendered running into months, even years and even less so not sympathetic at all.
However, even though these years of services by the author to Debora were punctuated by her quitting the job( four times or as she calls them, attempts) they weren't complete breaks as they always got reconnected and got back together, in part due to the author's faithfulness in getting in touch via email messages especially on Debora's birthdays and also due to the reapproachment style of Debora which always evoke a sympathetic disposition of the author to help her out.
Then the author described her final break with Debora when she invited her for breakfast at the Naugahyde Motel and she(Debora) asked her to take four weeks break from her salon work and go for therapy. Almost like from the blues the author found herself boldly retorting "I can't...I need to work", and from thence found her composure, wrestled herself from Debora and began to asserts her freedom and independence.
Finally, I find the novel fascinating because of the way the author has masterfully crafted it in microscopic details that made the reader to have a mental picture of the various episodes, scenes, incidences, places, locations and drama that runs through the story. Moreover, the novel is written in simple style and grammar that the reader does not belabor much to understand or follow the flow of the story. In addition, it's division into sub - themes/ titles and short chapters(in all 63) makes it easy reading as it does not bore the reader.
Accordingly, even though there are few grammatical and typographical errors they are not much to subtract from the free flow of the story and editorial work to make Relieved a good memoir and an interesting must read. I therefore rate it 3 out 4.
******
Relieved
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Book Title: Relieved by Cheryl Richardson
The novel is a story of resilience, loyalty, dedication, obedience, hard work, patience,trust and sacrifice by the author to Debora, a trust fund baby and an oil heiress.
The story begins with how the duo met through Amora, a colleague of the author working in a Salon spa who had gone to render a massage service to Debora where she tabled the request for someone that would help her organize and unpack her boxes from New York. Amora therefore recommended the author as a good fit for the type of person Debora wanted.
In accepting the work, the author saw it as an opportunity to earn some extra money outside of her salon work. However, the extra care and meticulous way she handled the assignment earned her praises from both Debora and her mother and the author thus was made a Personal Assistant making her work around four to five days in a week.
She would go on to render other basic services, to wit run errands, do domestic chores, most times working past her official work day schedules and at odd times, in the middle of storms, in the cold, at night hitting the road, etc so as to complete one task or the other. Neither did she have any privacy as her phone could ring in the wee hours of the night while asleep. Times without number recounts the author, Debora would summon her either to relieve her staff (house keepers, bodyguards, etc.) or to carry out an assignment which she dutifully obeyed. In her words, "being obedient and wanting her life to go on well, decided to put my life on hold to help Debora", but most often would hardly be appreciated, and at other times could earn her a backlash.
In my opinion, as the story unfolds the organizing and unpacking services the author was hired for was a metaphor of the personality traits of Debora (which was characterized with confusion, off- charted, split second decisions; for instance Debora's constant movement from one place to the other, or from one accommodation to the other, etc) which she therefore sacrificed her time, energy and resources to help her out. And besides, she was in addition tasked with taking care of Debora's pets(cats) and at a time became even a mortician of one of the cats! We see therefore that the central theme that runs through the novel is one of sacrifice if altruism by the author on the one hand as she immersed herself to work carrying out all manner of assignments and at the expense of her freedom and ingratitude, meanness and even abuse on the part of Debora through out the years of their relationship which spanned about forty years.
Besides, we see in Debora's persona a paradox of some sort; here was an oil heiress and a government baby with access to abundant disposable income and wealth which she spent or (threw away) yet so mean as to some times failing to pay the author for the work she rendered running into months, even years and even less so not sympathetic at all.
However, even though these years of services by the author to Debora were punctuated by her quitting the job( four times or as she calls them, attempts) they weren't complete breaks as they always got reconnected and got back together, in part due to the author's faithfulness in getting in touch via email messages especially on Debora's birthdays and also due to the reapproachment style of Debora which always evoke a sympathetic disposition of the author to help her out.
Then the author described her final break with Debora when she invited her for breakfast at the Naugahyde Motel and she(Debora) asked her to take four weeks break from her salon work and go for therapy. Almost like from the blues the author found herself boldly retorting "I can't...I need to work", and from thence found her composure, wrestled herself from Debora and began to asserts her freedom and independence.
Finally, I find the novel fascinating because of the way the author has masterfully crafted it in microscopic details that made the reader to have a mental picture of the various episodes, scenes, incidences, places, locations and drama that runs through the story. Moreover, the novel is written in simple style and grammar that the reader does not belabor much to understand or follow the flow of the story. In addition, it's division into sub - themes/ titles and short chapters(in all 63) makes it easy reading as it does not bore the reader.
Accordingly, even though there are few grammatical and typographical errors they are not much to subtract from the free flow of the story and editorial work to make Relieved a good memoir and an interesting must read. I therefore rate it 3 out 4.
******
Relieved
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Relieved by Cheryl Richardson
