Review by Boudica411 -- The Assignment by Don Chance
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Review by Boudica411 -- The Assignment by Don Chance
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Assignment" by Don Chance.]
The Assignment by Don Chance is a story about a university administrator who makes mistakes personally and professionally, each worse than the last, leading to a hair-raising conclusion.
Dr. McCarter is a woman at the top of her career but not her private life. While she is enjoying immense professional success, it has come at the cost of her marriage. She can no longer connect with her husband on a personal level, which then leads to misunderstandings, which then leads to errors in judgment that have lasting consequences.
I finished reading this story in three days. These are three days that I don't usually have available for such intense reading as a mother and full-time office worker, but Chance writes a very compelling and complex story. It was very fast-paced and kept me hooked. I wanted to know what happens next and I found it very difficult to put this book down.
Chance is great at developing a complex plot and throwing believable twists into the story. Just as you think that Dr. McCarter has solved her problem, another problem arises, each made worse by an earlier decision. The character is fairly well developed and relatable, even if your life isn't the same as hers.
I do like Dr. McCarter, but there are character flaws that don't seem to be a problem for anyone in the story except her husband. She is short-sighted (at least personally), selfish, arrogant, and not as religious as she believes. She offers constructive criticism to a colleague, but no one offers her any criticism, instead insisting that she is a great person and that she has done nothing wrong. I like that Chance didn't write a perfect character, but the fact that almost everyone ignores her flaws is not realistic. When she offers an apology, I don't believe that it's because she means it, but because logically she knows that she should. She never really tries to reconnect with her husband, instead choosing to put more importance on her career. The same could be said of her husband, but then again, she is the one who made radical changes to the marriage.
There are also contradictions in Dr. McCarter's character. She's too much of a religious prude to talk dirty to her husband even if it could save her marriage, but she'll talk dirty to her daughter. More than once. As the mother of an adult daughter, I can't imagine having such conversations. She acted a lot more sexual with her daughter than with anyone else in the story. There wasn't a lot of evidence that Dr. McCarter has always communicated with her daughter this way, but it could be something about the character that just isn't explained. Perhaps I'm the prude.
The ultimate consequences for Dr. McCarter are a bit unbelievable. The ending seems abrupt. It's almost as if the author wanted to bring the story to a conclusion and not add any lasting emotional burdens on Dr. McCarter.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable story and one that I recommend. The editing and proofing are very well done, which makes it easier to read. I rate this story 4 out of 4 and am looking forward to more stories from this author.
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The Assignment
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Assignment by Don Chance is a story about a university administrator who makes mistakes personally and professionally, each worse than the last, leading to a hair-raising conclusion.
Dr. McCarter is a woman at the top of her career but not her private life. While she is enjoying immense professional success, it has come at the cost of her marriage. She can no longer connect with her husband on a personal level, which then leads to misunderstandings, which then leads to errors in judgment that have lasting consequences.
I finished reading this story in three days. These are three days that I don't usually have available for such intense reading as a mother and full-time office worker, but Chance writes a very compelling and complex story. It was very fast-paced and kept me hooked. I wanted to know what happens next and I found it very difficult to put this book down.
Chance is great at developing a complex plot and throwing believable twists into the story. Just as you think that Dr. McCarter has solved her problem, another problem arises, each made worse by an earlier decision. The character is fairly well developed and relatable, even if your life isn't the same as hers.
I do like Dr. McCarter, but there are character flaws that don't seem to be a problem for anyone in the story except her husband. She is short-sighted (at least personally), selfish, arrogant, and not as religious as she believes. She offers constructive criticism to a colleague, but no one offers her any criticism, instead insisting that she is a great person and that she has done nothing wrong. I like that Chance didn't write a perfect character, but the fact that almost everyone ignores her flaws is not realistic. When she offers an apology, I don't believe that it's because she means it, but because logically she knows that she should. She never really tries to reconnect with her husband, instead choosing to put more importance on her career. The same could be said of her husband, but then again, she is the one who made radical changes to the marriage.
There are also contradictions in Dr. McCarter's character. She's too much of a religious prude to talk dirty to her husband even if it could save her marriage, but she'll talk dirty to her daughter. More than once. As the mother of an adult daughter, I can't imagine having such conversations. She acted a lot more sexual with her daughter than with anyone else in the story. There wasn't a lot of evidence that Dr. McCarter has always communicated with her daughter this way, but it could be something about the character that just isn't explained. Perhaps I'm the prude.
The ultimate consequences for Dr. McCarter are a bit unbelievable. The ending seems abrupt. It's almost as if the author wanted to bring the story to a conclusion and not add any lasting emotional burdens on Dr. McCarter.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable story and one that I recommend. The editing and proofing are very well done, which makes it easier to read. I rate this story 4 out of 4 and am looking forward to more stories from this author.
******
The Assignment
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
