Review of Deceitful Survival
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Steph Barron
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Review of Deceitful Survival
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceitful Survival" by LC Lee.]
What do the titles of books mean? Is there a meaning behind them? This story is unlike any other. The title gives the reader a glimpse into what it will be about or does it? Deceitful Survival by L C Lee starts out with Elisabeth (Beth) losing everything she knows about family and security of home. She had to go live with an Aunt that cared nothing about her or her future. Beth decided to take matters into her own hands after realizing there was more she could do. With the help of a good friend, she went to a monastery in France. While she was there, she trained to be a nun. She thought that was what she wanted, so the Mother from the monastery sent her to Haiti to work with Rene.
As a nun in training, now called Sister Mary Andree La Roux, she helped Father Rene with a few chores and gardening. While working with the church there, she started seeing the true suffering of others. Unfortunately, she came at a time of volatility in the country. There was not much they could do but escape with their lives. Along the way, Andree thought she had found her niche in a “family” but that was not completely true or was it?
I really enjoyed reading the story, because it pulled a reader in like an old movie from the 30’s or 40’s. I was enthralled by the ins and outs of all the characters. The story kept the reader guessing all the way until the end. For example: when they were running from the fight in Haiti the author, Mr. Lee, showed the true aspects of what happened to those helping the opposition. Even though this is a work of fiction, it showed the reality of the fighting going on before the country’s independence. Also, the reader might wonder: did Andree finally find what she was looking for or was it there the whole time?
There were parts of the story the author could have left out. For instance, there were a few “love” scenes that were not too graphic but could have been slightly mentioned instead. It was clean like old time movies but not something for everyone. There was a section of the story that seemed to be just filler because it was slightly drawn out too much. An example of that was when Andree was searching for someone. It seemed stretched out because she had seen that particular person several times already.
I would give a rating of 3 out of 4 stars due to the slightly graphic “love” scenes. It was not as graphic as modern writings, but I’m thinking of every reader. The scenes do not detract from the writing style, but it's enough to make one pause. If it had not been for that small “hic-up”, the story almost earned a perfect score. I liked the fact it had no profanity, no gratuitous violence or sex, and no grammatical mistakes. For modern writing, I'm very surprised it was so well written. It was a true pleasure to read.
I would definitely recommend this book because it is a good fit for all readers. It has no profanity so teenagers can read it. That is a good thing, because there aren't very many truly well written stories for teenages nowadays. It's also good for anyone who loves the writings from the 30’s or 40’s. It is very refreshing to see that in a modern book. So, if any reader likes to be swept up in a story, this one's for you.
******
Deceitful Survival
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
What do the titles of books mean? Is there a meaning behind them? This story is unlike any other. The title gives the reader a glimpse into what it will be about or does it? Deceitful Survival by L C Lee starts out with Elisabeth (Beth) losing everything she knows about family and security of home. She had to go live with an Aunt that cared nothing about her or her future. Beth decided to take matters into her own hands after realizing there was more she could do. With the help of a good friend, she went to a monastery in France. While she was there, she trained to be a nun. She thought that was what she wanted, so the Mother from the monastery sent her to Haiti to work with Rene.
As a nun in training, now called Sister Mary Andree La Roux, she helped Father Rene with a few chores and gardening. While working with the church there, she started seeing the true suffering of others. Unfortunately, she came at a time of volatility in the country. There was not much they could do but escape with their lives. Along the way, Andree thought she had found her niche in a “family” but that was not completely true or was it?
I really enjoyed reading the story, because it pulled a reader in like an old movie from the 30’s or 40’s. I was enthralled by the ins and outs of all the characters. The story kept the reader guessing all the way until the end. For example: when they were running from the fight in Haiti the author, Mr. Lee, showed the true aspects of what happened to those helping the opposition. Even though this is a work of fiction, it showed the reality of the fighting going on before the country’s independence. Also, the reader might wonder: did Andree finally find what she was looking for or was it there the whole time?
There were parts of the story the author could have left out. For instance, there were a few “love” scenes that were not too graphic but could have been slightly mentioned instead. It was clean like old time movies but not something for everyone. There was a section of the story that seemed to be just filler because it was slightly drawn out too much. An example of that was when Andree was searching for someone. It seemed stretched out because she had seen that particular person several times already.
I would give a rating of 3 out of 4 stars due to the slightly graphic “love” scenes. It was not as graphic as modern writings, but I’m thinking of every reader. The scenes do not detract from the writing style, but it's enough to make one pause. If it had not been for that small “hic-up”, the story almost earned a perfect score. I liked the fact it had no profanity, no gratuitous violence or sex, and no grammatical mistakes. For modern writing, I'm very surprised it was so well written. It was a true pleasure to read.
I would definitely recommend this book because it is a good fit for all readers. It has no profanity so teenagers can read it. That is a good thing, because there aren't very many truly well written stories for teenages nowadays. It's also good for anyone who loves the writings from the 30’s or 40’s. It is very refreshing to see that in a modern book. So, if any reader likes to be swept up in a story, this one's for you.
******
Deceitful Survival
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Hands Across The Sea by Brian Cook
