Review of Tour of Duty
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Ronja Moericke
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Review of Tour of Duty
[Following is a volunteer review of "Tour of Duty" by William H. Coles.]
Tour of duty takes place in France and begins in the year 1960. It is a historical fiction that follows a physician called Miles Ballard. Miles is stationed at the US air base Châteauroux where he works in the hospital. In the hospital, Miles is forced to decide between adhering to the strict rank system in the military or following his own morals which would bring him into great trouble. But the hospital is not the only focus in his life, he also meets many interesting people that encourage him to take part in the lively culture in France. His closest friends are Doctor Oliver Stern, who he works with, and his wife Ingrid Stern.
What intrigued me to read this book was the fact that it is a historical fiction and the overall themes which are very interesting. When I then started reading, I really enjoyed the characters and the way they interacted. I was disappointed when I realised that the structure of the book did not meet the standards that were expected. The chapters are connected poorly and do not flow together which makes the story feel incomplete. Additionally, the dialogue becomes too descriptive from time to time and it feels more like narration than a conversation.
Despite all the criticism, I enjoyed reading this book and I finished it with excitement. This shows that the book has that “something” that it needs, it just has to be perfected. Much like a rough diamond. The problem of cut off scenarios could be solved by writing a slightly longer book where the events flow together more. The book becoming longer would not be something negative because the book is easy to read and understand and the increased quality would encourage the reader even more than before.
I must comment on the storyline of the book, since it is that which kept me reading until the end. Specifically the romantic aspect of the story. Without revealing too much, I have to say that the romantic part of the book was nicely executed throughout a majority of the story. The author managed to build the right amount of tension and hinted towards how it would end while still making me question if it would really end like I wanted it to. It was only towards the very end that I was disappointed. I feel like it went too fast and that the intimacy went from 0 to 100 in an instant. This makes the ending feel very abrupt.
I was impressed by the editing of the book since I only found two errors. Overall, I believe that this book has immense potential and I give it a 4/5
******
Tour of Duty
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Tour of duty takes place in France and begins in the year 1960. It is a historical fiction that follows a physician called Miles Ballard. Miles is stationed at the US air base Châteauroux where he works in the hospital. In the hospital, Miles is forced to decide between adhering to the strict rank system in the military or following his own morals which would bring him into great trouble. But the hospital is not the only focus in his life, he also meets many interesting people that encourage him to take part in the lively culture in France. His closest friends are Doctor Oliver Stern, who he works with, and his wife Ingrid Stern.
What intrigued me to read this book was the fact that it is a historical fiction and the overall themes which are very interesting. When I then started reading, I really enjoyed the characters and the way they interacted. I was disappointed when I realised that the structure of the book did not meet the standards that were expected. The chapters are connected poorly and do not flow together which makes the story feel incomplete. Additionally, the dialogue becomes too descriptive from time to time and it feels more like narration than a conversation.
Despite all the criticism, I enjoyed reading this book and I finished it with excitement. This shows that the book has that “something” that it needs, it just has to be perfected. Much like a rough diamond. The problem of cut off scenarios could be solved by writing a slightly longer book where the events flow together more. The book becoming longer would not be something negative because the book is easy to read and understand and the increased quality would encourage the reader even more than before.
I must comment on the storyline of the book, since it is that which kept me reading until the end. Specifically the romantic aspect of the story. Without revealing too much, I have to say that the romantic part of the book was nicely executed throughout a majority of the story. The author managed to build the right amount of tension and hinted towards how it would end while still making me question if it would really end like I wanted it to. It was only towards the very end that I was disappointed. I feel like it went too fast and that the intimacy went from 0 to 100 in an instant. This makes the ending feel very abrupt.
I was impressed by the editing of the book since I only found two errors. Overall, I believe that this book has immense potential and I give it a 4/5
******
Tour of Duty
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Snatched Up to Heaven! by Jemima Paul and Arvind Paul
