ARA Review by Zahraa Kamaz of McDowell

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Zahraa Kamaz
Posts: 5
Joined: 17 Jun 2022, 08:11
Currently Reading: McDowell
Bookshelf Size: 2
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-zahraa-kamaz.html
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ARA Review by Zahraa Kamaz of McDowell

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[Following is an OnlineBookClub.org ARA Review of the book, McDowell.]
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5 out of 5 stars
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If life hits you without mercy for your past mistakes, do you challenge the new upcoming? Are you changing your perspectives? Searching for your true self with the hope of a better destiny. This novel is portrayed what’s mentioned above.

McDowell, the novel of Williams H. Coles is a two parts story. In part one, McDowell, the main protagonist is a famous surgeon and a member of the board of directors of the international college of surgeons. He had a good intention for helping to ascend the health and education system and assisting uninsured people. But his personality was usually known as arrogant, selfish, and dishonest. Therefore, he had dealt with people looking for putting him down. Because of his unintentional and intentional mistakes, he had to face his unmerciful faith. McDowell was convicted of twenty-five years in prison as an assistant suicide murderer of his grandchild. After spending a few months in the prison, he escaped starting the second part of his journey. As a reader, you will live the experience of McDowell's homelessness, running from justice, loneliness, and a fake identity. However, there were few events through which he experienced happiness and self-fulfillments. He had written his run-on life as a memoir which revealed him as a good person for people had judged him mistakenly.

I enjoyed reading this novel. Despite the Pace being slow, it’s filled with thrilling moments that make readers continue to read, specifically in part two. The author succeeds in narrating the story as a realistic one, all the characters, the places, and the language being used are accurately described the flow of the events. Many ethical and moral issues have arisen in the novel, such as Euthanasia, gun control, violent video games, and murder, all relate to family issues. Such issues are discussed with a quality devoted to the author’s unbiased opinion, instead placing the readers in a judgmental position, which I admired most. Besides many new words I’ve learned through my whole reading, I’ve also explored some cultural habits in Nepal where McDowell traveled frequently, which are interesting, such as burying the dead body rituals and “chaupadi”, the social isolation of girls in Nepal during their menstrual time. Although many quotations speak throughout the story that at some points made me repeat reading it twice to comprehend who said to whom, it doesn’t affect the whole picture the author delivered to the readers.

A few negative points I reported through my reading. An intense sexual language is scattered in pages of some chapters. Also, few grammatical errors are found. As I am a believer in God, I didn’t like the subjective of God as he or she on page 228, instead the author could use the word God without subject it. One more addition to the above is in chapter 53, the author strokes a point of racism when he described McDowell’s thoughts about the southern parts of the US as a diminished society for people coming from the northern states, which I didn’t find this part necessary but also, I am not judgmental of the writer’s real intention.

Despite the few negative things I had mentioned previously, it didn’t deduct a star from it. I think this book deserves the rating of Five out of Five stars because the contents are fluent and arise many questioning marks in our minds that answering is controversial.

I recommend this book for readers of all ages except children because of the sexual content. Any person who likes fiction, adventure, political issues, crimes, and murder will find reading this book is time worthy.

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