Review by Gathoni1991 -- The Spirit of Want
-
Gathoni1991
- Posts: 334
- Joined: 23 Jan 2019, 13:36
- Currently Reading: Elf Accord
- Bookshelf Size: 52
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-gathoni1991.html
- Latest Review: Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016 by William H. Coles
Review by Gathoni1991 -- The Spirit of Want
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Spirit of Want" by William H. Coles.]
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Lucy MacMiel was every woman's dream. She was smart, strikingly beautiful, from a good background and had a husband who adored her to bits. Her career in the legal profession was soaring sky high. With connections all over the legal world, she was untouchable and there was no stopping her - she could only move upwards. She meets her match in a client that had been accused of sex with an underage. The client was a celebrity preacher and healer. Her firm takes over the case, and Lucy is at the front and centre of it all. One wrong move, and all she had achieved over the years, both socially and career wise, blows up in her face. She is disbarred and leaves the United States to follow her lover in Africa, leaving her family behind. But grass is not always greener on the other side. Will she return to be with her family? Will she ever find her footing in her career ever again?
The Spirit of Want by William H. Coles is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of Lucy MacMiel. The book is full of life lessons and is totally relatable. Narrated from a third person's point of view, the story is really capturing. Although not set in recent times, everything is relatable - socially, politically and economically. One gets the feeling that the issues that affected people in the 1980s are still the same, nothing has changed.
There are numerous facets to the story, this is why I loved the book. The author did a meticulous job in weaving several themes into the masterpiece that is this book. Family was the theme that came out most strongly. In the story, we find different family setups. For instance, Lucy was an adopted child and had a sister - Elizabeth, who was the biological daughter of the MacMiel family. Also, Luke married Lucy and together had a daughter - Jennifer, and when Lucy abandoned them, Luke married her sister, Elizabeth.
This is the second book (after 'The Surgeon's Wife') am reading, written by William H. Coles. The two books have similarities in the literary purpose they are serving. In both books, the author has shed light on medical malpractice. I feel this is a good thing, as human life is invaluable and should be handled as such. The author portrays women as people who take marriage to be a means to an end. He also portrays married women as disloyal to their marriages, and ultimately their families.
The story flowed very smoothly, with the scenes changing fluidly. It was very neat of the author to name the chapters after characters that were the focus of the chapters. The language used was easy, and the story had impeccable continuity. The conversations were numerous, and were instrumental in giving the plot depth. What's more, they made the story very real and credible. Vivid descriptions of situations also served to make the story very real. They also fleshed out the characters. The book is a mesh of religion, politics, legal drama, medical malpractice, family drama - that is what made it so enjoyable to read.
There is no aspect of the book I disliked. This is why I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. There were minimal, almost insignificant number of mistakes. The book was definitely professionally edited. I recommend the book to lovers of stories revolving around religion. I also do recommend to those who love stories about medical malpractice.
******
The Spirit of Want
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
4 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Lucy MacMiel was every woman's dream. She was smart, strikingly beautiful, from a good background and had a husband who adored her to bits. Her career in the legal profession was soaring sky high. With connections all over the legal world, she was untouchable and there was no stopping her - she could only move upwards. She meets her match in a client that had been accused of sex with an underage. The client was a celebrity preacher and healer. Her firm takes over the case, and Lucy is at the front and centre of it all. One wrong move, and all she had achieved over the years, both socially and career wise, blows up in her face. She is disbarred and leaves the United States to follow her lover in Africa, leaving her family behind. But grass is not always greener on the other side. Will she return to be with her family? Will she ever find her footing in her career ever again?
The Spirit of Want by William H. Coles is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of Lucy MacMiel. The book is full of life lessons and is totally relatable. Narrated from a third person's point of view, the story is really capturing. Although not set in recent times, everything is relatable - socially, politically and economically. One gets the feeling that the issues that affected people in the 1980s are still the same, nothing has changed.
There are numerous facets to the story, this is why I loved the book. The author did a meticulous job in weaving several themes into the masterpiece that is this book. Family was the theme that came out most strongly. In the story, we find different family setups. For instance, Lucy was an adopted child and had a sister - Elizabeth, who was the biological daughter of the MacMiel family. Also, Luke married Lucy and together had a daughter - Jennifer, and when Lucy abandoned them, Luke married her sister, Elizabeth.
This is the second book (after 'The Surgeon's Wife') am reading, written by William H. Coles. The two books have similarities in the literary purpose they are serving. In both books, the author has shed light on medical malpractice. I feel this is a good thing, as human life is invaluable and should be handled as such. The author portrays women as people who take marriage to be a means to an end. He also portrays married women as disloyal to their marriages, and ultimately their families.
The story flowed very smoothly, with the scenes changing fluidly. It was very neat of the author to name the chapters after characters that were the focus of the chapters. The language used was easy, and the story had impeccable continuity. The conversations were numerous, and were instrumental in giving the plot depth. What's more, they made the story very real and credible. Vivid descriptions of situations also served to make the story very real. They also fleshed out the characters. The book is a mesh of religion, politics, legal drama, medical malpractice, family drama - that is what made it so enjoyable to read.
There is no aspect of the book I disliked. This is why I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. There were minimal, almost insignificant number of mistakes. The book was definitely professionally edited. I recommend the book to lovers of stories revolving around religion. I also do recommend to those who love stories about medical malpractice.
******
The Spirit of Want
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
