Review by Bluebird03 -- McDowell by William H. Coles

[Bluebird03]

[Following is a volunteer review of "McDowell" by William H. Coles.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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This novel begins with Hiriam McDowell climbing the Himalayas in Nepal. Another man climbing with him is gravely ill and unable to go any further. They are too high up the mountain for helicopter access; and, rescue from the base camp is rendered impossible with the increased wind gusts, decreased visibility and negative forty-degree temperatures. McDowell leaves his companion on the mountain to die.

Once he is back home, McDowell, a surgeon, is desperately seeking nomination for Secretary for Health and Human Services (an appointment that will be made by the President). The first of the book relays the lengths that he will go to in order to become the nominee, as well as attempts by others to derail his goal.

Interestingly, McDowell manages to juggle his career, a hospital that he founded in Nepal, the varied dramas of his children and grandchildren, and his love of climbing summits. His life is further complicated by being summoned by the ethics committee of the International College of Surgeons. It is what happens to him next that further captivates the reader. To avoid spoiling the plot, I will stop here.

I loved the complexity of McDowell's character. Initially, he definitely comes across as cold, callous, calculating and arrogant. This is demonstrated repeatedly in his interactions with associates and his wife (his third wife, to be exact). However, I did find him to be more human and caring as I read of the times he intervened in the lives of his children. It did seem that when they needed him most, he showed up and, like a skilled surgeon, assessed their situations quickly and then did what needed to be done.

Additionally, the author did an excellent job of developing the secondary characters and bringing each of their distinct personalities to life. Of all the characters, Sophie (his daughter) and Paige (a news anchor) were my favorites. I admired their strength in times of adversity (and there was plenty of that!) and their vulnerability as well.

I also liked that there were numerous engaging subplots occurring simultaneously within this novel. That definitely made for a fast-paced read. And I was pleased that all of these plots were neatly resolved in the end.

I did dislike McDowell's arrogance toward women; however, I believe that the author presented him with strong negative traits to further add to the complexity of his character. Also, there was some occasional strong language; but, it was not a consistent occurrence and certainly did not interfere with my enjoyment of this novel.

This fascinating read should appeal to anyone interested in complex characters, compromising situations, difficult choices, romance and friendships. Conversely, someone not interested in reading about a seemingly narcissistic primary character, or someone terribly offended by occasional strong language, may wish to avoid this book.

I am awarding McDowell by William H. Coles 4 out of 4 stars. It appeared to have been well edited, as I only found a couple of very minor errors. This story is one of my favorites as far as plot development, the complexity of characters and its unexpected twists.

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McDowell
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Like Bluebird03's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Hayley2-0]

When I read the first paragraph where you've written about Mc Dowell leaving his partner on the mountain to die I was like "WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?" I don't he's a good guy.

[Bluebird03]

When I read the first paragraph where you've written about Mc Dowell leaving his partner on the mountain to die I was like "WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?" I don't he's a good guy.

I know, not a great first impression!! When you read the book, you see that he really didn't have a lot of options. His character certainly has its flaws (often, more than you can count!!), but he had his redeeming qualities as well. Thank you so much for stopping by and for commenting!

[HanElizabeth397]

This is one of the most positive recounts about McDowells character that I've seen! I really enjoyed the book but I found Mcdowell to be very dislikable and I don't really feel that he completely redeemed himself even at the end of the book