Review by Lee-Ann20 -- McDowell by William H. Coles
Posted: 08 Mar 2019, 15:26
[Following is a volunteer review of "McDowell" by William H. Coles.]
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
McDowell by William H. Coles is the story of a brilliant surgeon with the arrogance to match. When the story opens the reader is with McDowell on a climb, battling the elements and leaves his partner to die, taking the life saving equipment with him, figuring that his partner will no longer need it. McDowell sees himself as a being on the same level as God, so he will always be protected, God will never let him down. Other people are always to blame for the things that go wrong in McDowell’s life. When a familial tragedy threatens this worldview, McDowell has to come to terms with himself and his actions.
This book should have been a redemption tale, but it seemed to fall just short of the mark. When the reader first meets McDowell he has everything, world-renowned surgeon, philanthropist, and mountain climber. Where he is lacking is in personal relationships. He does not have a healthy relationship with his children and step children, nor does he have a loving relationship with his wife. His relationships with work colleagues are strained because he sees these people as a means to his ultimate end. When the pivotal moment arrives in the book and McDowell is forced to leave all of this behind, the reader is primed for a real soul-searching moment and some self-reflection. This is not what truly happens. The essential McDowell does not change. He is still an egotistical megalomaniac who believes the world owes him an apology. While I did enjoy reading this book, even with despicable, unlikable characters such as McDowell himself and some other minor characters like one of his daughter’s husbands and the head of the news network, I kept waiting for the major change that never came. Other readers may feel the same.
Readers expecting a full on action adventure book will be disappointed in this book. While there are elements of extreme adventure due to the mountain climbing passages, this book is not all about that. This is really more of a book detailing McDowell’s life and how he uses the people in his life to get ahead.
This book was very well edited. I did not find any grammar or spelling mistakes and everything seemed to flow correctly. The story was compelling and with right amount of tension and relaxation in plot. The characters were unlikable, but very readable.
I would give McDowell by William H. Coles 4 out of 4 stars. The book was engaging, the plot was very fast paced and I found myself thinking about characters when I was not reading. The one thing I did not like was that McDowell was not fully self-actualized by the end of the book.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like Lee-Ann20's review? Post a comment saying so!
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
McDowell by William H. Coles is the story of a brilliant surgeon with the arrogance to match. When the story opens the reader is with McDowell on a climb, battling the elements and leaves his partner to die, taking the life saving equipment with him, figuring that his partner will no longer need it. McDowell sees himself as a being on the same level as God, so he will always be protected, God will never let him down. Other people are always to blame for the things that go wrong in McDowell’s life. When a familial tragedy threatens this worldview, McDowell has to come to terms with himself and his actions.
This book should have been a redemption tale, but it seemed to fall just short of the mark. When the reader first meets McDowell he has everything, world-renowned surgeon, philanthropist, and mountain climber. Where he is lacking is in personal relationships. He does not have a healthy relationship with his children and step children, nor does he have a loving relationship with his wife. His relationships with work colleagues are strained because he sees these people as a means to his ultimate end. When the pivotal moment arrives in the book and McDowell is forced to leave all of this behind, the reader is primed for a real soul-searching moment and some self-reflection. This is not what truly happens. The essential McDowell does not change. He is still an egotistical megalomaniac who believes the world owes him an apology. While I did enjoy reading this book, even with despicable, unlikable characters such as McDowell himself and some other minor characters like one of his daughter’s husbands and the head of the news network, I kept waiting for the major change that never came. Other readers may feel the same.
Readers expecting a full on action adventure book will be disappointed in this book. While there are elements of extreme adventure due to the mountain climbing passages, this book is not all about that. This is really more of a book detailing McDowell’s life and how he uses the people in his life to get ahead.
This book was very well edited. I did not find any grammar or spelling mistakes and everything seemed to flow correctly. The story was compelling and with right amount of tension and relaxation in plot. The characters were unlikable, but very readable.
I would give McDowell by William H. Coles 4 out of 4 stars. The book was engaging, the plot was very fast paced and I found myself thinking about characters when I was not reading. The one thing I did not like was that McDowell was not fully self-actualized by the end of the book.
******
McDowell
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Like Lee-Ann20's review? Post a comment saying so!