Review by Rosemary Wright -- McDowell by William H. Coles

[Ayamaowei]

I like the fact that he takes family as his primary concern! Lovely father.

[Callistus Ibenye]

Great review. I am glad you liked it. This book, written around an ambitious surgeon seems to be an interesting one. I like that the book was well written. I'll add this book to my list. Thank you for sharing.

[b2writer]

Nice review! You cover the plot points well, and seem to capture what the author was getting at when he made Hiram so "high and mighty". But I wonder how you feel about the author's treatment when he gets inside Hiram's head and lets us know how Hiram looks at women -- his wife, the waitress and the musician... I had a few moments of hesitation, wondering if I could "trust" Mr. Coles; it bordered on cliche' to me, when he describes Hiram's observations: "didn't like her nose, breasts like cantaloupes". I'd like to know your opinion on the writing, I guess. But I too, found the story itself quite compelling. Thanks for the great overview!

[OnceInTime]

Your review is quite detailed. So interesting. Just from this review one could tell a lot about this book. It is a great thing when the unexpected happened in a book. It kind of makes the story interesting.

[KRay93]

Thank you for the review. No doubt it sounds like a very interesting character-driven novel, but I'm afraid that the world of journalism and healthcare is not attractive to me, so I guess I will have to pass on this one.

[Jsovermyer]

Thank you Rosemary Wright for your insightful review of McDowell by William H. Coles. I had a hard time reading the free book chapters because the main character is so unlikeable. I think I will pass on reading the rest.

[Mary WhiteFace]

This story of the rise and fall of Hiram McDowell sounds so believable. I could almost imagine him as a real person. I find it interesting that the author included the involvement of politics in healthcare and journalism, and the corruption in some philanthropic foundations. It added to the realism. His foray into the wilderness, and his crosscountry journey, adds an unexpected twist.

I've read this book before, and you have done a great job on summarizing it. I enjoyed it too.

[Vickie Noel]

It is interesting to learn that even philanthropic organizations dabble into corrupt practices especially in regards to fundraising. I'm more interested in this book, though, because I want to observe how Hiram's high-handed perspective is reversed by a simple woman. I also want to see how the theme of parental negligence is developed with a view to learning from it. Congrats on BOTD.

[PeaceLoveNature44]

This sounds like a great book that keeps the reader engaged. I was going to review it but could not get past his attitude he had. Although, it sounds like he learns a lesson and changes. I will pick the book up again thanks to the reviews and try to read it again. I love journalism and such, so I may really enjoy this book more then I thought.

[ShailaSheshadri]

Good review! McDowell by William H. Coles sounds to be an intriguing fiction novel. The story includes a surgeon's selfishness. He marries thrice and still, could not maintain good relations with his family members. The novel portrays how his nasty behavior affected his wife and children. This book could be a good read for all lovers of fiction novels.

[goldengal1315]

Hiram in my view was the ultimate narcissist in search of money, power, prestige. But when circumstances changed and he was forced to change and find answers to the most basic questions of life, I wonder if he woke and found it was all a dream would he make an effort to really change? Or conversely would he return to some aspects of his former life?

[Tashika2k]

It wasn't my type of book- the politics, the climbing, the deceit, the power hunger, etc. I wouldn't usually read this type of book. However, I felt the pain in the characters and I actually loathed the protagonist... So well written in that regard.

[primeRex]

A narcissist ends in prison, then finds himself in a wilderness? Surely he will change a lot- it adds up! Sounds like a really great book especially for people who have at one point or the other come across narcissists and would love a "pound of flesh" for their impudence.

[tarafarah7]

Nice review! Thanks! I see that today's BOTD is also October's BOTM! I think this one will generate some interesting discussions, for sure! I better get reading - see you all on the discussion boards! Thanks, again!

[Fandomgirl2424]

The book seems interesting based off of your review. A narcissist ending up in prison and having his world crumble around him sounds intriguing. I may end up reading the book one day, myself.