Review of The Spirit of Want

[tanxuann]

[i][Following is a volunteer review of "The Spirit of Want" by William H. Coles.][/i]

[rbc=4]id208329-125[/rbc][i]The Spirit of Want[/i] by William H. Coles revolves around the story of Lucy MacMiel, a defense lawyer struggling with relationships with everyone around her. She marries Luke Osbourne, a doctor working at the hospital with her father, and reluctantly gives birth to their daughter. As Lucy preoccupies herself with defending a high-profile client charged with sexual assault, she hires a nanny to take care of their daughter, Jennifer. Lucy spends more and more time on the case, travelling multiple times to the Georgia where the televangelist client lives and preaches, she neglects Luke and Jennifer and sours ties with her adoptive family. The story truly kicks-off when it is revealed that Lucy has been having an affair with the client, a Reverend Hower Bain.



The book seemed a little simple for me, in the sense that both the story and its characters seemed to display little growth. What I [b]disliked[/b] most would have to be how the reader never seemed to get real insight into what the characters thought and felt. It was frustrating that we only ever get to see exactly what the characters have decided to portray in their world, and not more. We get a sense of how the various characters might feel, and we go on to assume that what we would feel in those circumstances is exactly what the characters are feeling, but it would have been a better read if we could have seen those emotions and thoughts put into words. Although, I would rate it differently if it were the author's intent to stifle the emotional development of the plot.



I also did not like the relationship between Lucy and Rev. Bain ("Howie"), but I can acknowledge the necessity for literary works to reflect and represent how even the brightest minds can be trapped in dysfunctional and abusive relationships. In that sense, I would say that the detailed descriptions of the life Lucy and Howie shared together could have been the part i [b]liked[/b] the most.



Overall, I would rate this book a 2 out of 4. I felt a sense of loss after reading the book, for I thought it could have been so much more.

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[i]The Spirit of Want [/i]
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