Official Review: An Iceberg's Gift by Donald F. Averill

[Nzube Chizoba Okeke]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "An Iceberg's Gift" by Donald F. Averill.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

An Iceberg's Gift by Donald F. Averill tells the story of how discovering a mystery buried in ice changes a Russian family's lives. Provideniya might be a small tourist town that doesn't seem to have much to offer, but the Ivanovs soon discover that everything they need to change their future is within their grasp. The iceberg's gift not only changes their lives but also brings them home to a family they don't know exists. Will their newfound unity survive the journeys ahead?

This is a feel-good story, where everything happens as expected for the most part. It embodies the spirit of the American dream that rewards hard work and determination. This book's editing is perfect; the very minimal errors make reading this book a pleasant experience. The plot of the story, though unbelievable sometimes, is plausible. I believe that the book's message is that where there is a will, there is a way. The story will inspire the reader to hope and believe that there is a reward for effort. Another great thing about the book is the chapters' arrangement and organization; the reader can understand the building and repairs at various points in the story with minimal effort.

I appreciated the conciseness of the chapters. The author knew what he wanted to achieve in each chapter, and he wasted no time getting into it. The chapter titles weren't too complicated, though I would have loved to see more subtle headings. Readers wouldn't need to overthink what to expect from each chapter — the titles encapsulated the expectations.

I wouldn't fail to mention that there were elements of humor spattered all over the book. It made the reading light and relaxing.

One issue I had with the book was the narrative style. For a seasoned reader, the writing style employed lacked descriptive flare; it read like a play rather than prose. Though this did not detract from the book's message, I found it a bit disturbing. I reckoned the author opted to use dialogues more. Whatever the case, lovers of prose would love to see more descriptions than dialogues.

There were also a few instances when the author's thoughts came off as contradictory. I'd quote a line from page 39: "Holding a small can of paint and a brush, she stood back to admire her work." There was no brush to paint in an earlier paragraph, so she had to use a rag. The sentence above seemed to contradict the earlier statement.

I would recommend this book to readers who love happy endings with a touch of romance and suspense. I would give it 3 out of 4 stars. In my opinion, the story wasn't as engaging as I anticipated. This was mainly due to the author's poor descriptive writing style. I could have given it 3.5, but that would be violating the guidelines.

******
An Iceberg's Gift
View: on Bookshelves

[ikechukwuamarachi+55]

Reading books that increase one's passion to succeed are my favorites, and this is one of them.

[Pluma]

This sounds like a fun read, even though it’s a little predictable. I like the sound of the humor, though the simplicity of the writing style appeals to me less. Thanks for the thorough review!

[smolbird]

I like how straightforward everything about this book seems. Thanks for the review.

[Yvonne Monique]

You made me wonder what mystery is buried in ice! Great review.

[Suzer6440 xyz]

This sounds like an interesting book. Thanks for the great review

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a nice novel, albeit not exactly full of twists. Thank you for your great review!