Official Review: Charles' Story by Steven Wilkens

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 29 Dec 2017, 14:37

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Charles' Story" by Steven Wilkens.]

3 out of 4 stars

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What do a young reporter, an old man, and a 1936 Auburn 852 Boattail Speedster have in common? Steven Wilkens has woven an amazing epic saga in Charles’ Story showing just how those things come together. From the beginning to the end, I was engaged and fascinated by wonderful characters and experiences.

Karen Snow is a small-town reporter who is fascinated by the mysterious philanthropy occurring around town. She learns that Charles Henderson McCormick, a local retired businessman, is behind the gracious gifts that are helping the town businesses, churches, and more. Her journalistic curiosity makes it impossible to not seek out the story. McCormick agrees to share his story, on his own terms. The Auburn connects these two in ways that no one can see coming, taking the two of them on an incredible journey.

Charles has deep secrets that hurt people in so many ways. Karen’s desire is to learn “who” Charles is, not just in the present, but in the past. Charles is not sure he is ready to share all, as trust comes hard for him. What will happen if he does? How much should he share?

The various forms of love play a significant role in Charles’ Story. The love between friends, between family, as well as between man and woman. Charles life was rife with love lost for the wrong reasons. His hope is that Karen learns from his experiences. Love and the impact of not prioritizing the people that you love are seen throughout the story. Does life have to be full of regrets, or can it culminate in something else? Watching Karen and Charles explore the different forms of love makes the reader explore it in themselves, as you experience their emotions. I felt these emotions as I read, which made me want to know more about these people.

Some parts of the story are predictable, but there are many surprises along the way, especially as the story comes to a close. The culmination of the journey was not quite what I expected, but I was happy to see it. Answers to questions are clear, without any cliffhangers.

What I found difficult were the number of grammar errors, as well as a few spelling errors. For example, “arraignments” instead of “arrangements,” “Armarillo” for “Amarillo,” and “form” instead of “from.” Punctuation was often missing. The errors did occasionally get in the way of the flow of the story.

I rate Charles' Story 3 out of 4 stars. Watching the relationships unfold was interesting, as was the journey of life. Readers who enjoy watching people evolve as they explore their lives will enjoy this story. If it had not been for the grammar and spelling errors, this would have had a 4-star rating. Karen and Charles's journey is not just about the places they travel, but what they learn about themselves along the way.

******
Charles' Story
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Sahani Nimandra · Post by **Sahani Nimandra** » 30 Dec 2017, 03:20

I believe I too have something to learn from Charles experience. According to the review, the book seem to revolve around the topic on "trust" and whom to trust. I believe we all need this to learn accordance to the way how this world is heading. Good review and thank you for highlighting the points out.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 30 Dec 2017, 09:55

It's too bad about the grammatical errors as well as the predictability. Still, it sounds like an interesting story. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.

Marissa Michael · Post by **Marissa Michael** » 01 Jan 2018, 06:23

I like the idea of learning from someone's experience. Thank you for your review on this book.

Mtsweni Nelsy · Post by **Mtsweni Nelsy** » 01 Jan 2018, 08:38

Gramatical errors while reasig such a interesting novel can be very irritating. The book sounds amazing with a twist of love-story. Thanks for the review.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 01 Jan 2018, 10:14

kandscreeley wrote: ↑30 Dec 2017, 09:55 It's too bad about the grammatical errors as well as the predictability. Still, it sounds like an interesting story. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.

The predictability was not overwhelming and there were plenty of surprises

Post by **bookowlie** » 02 Jan 2018, 11:06

Nice, insightful review! The story and surprise twists sound interesting, but the grammatical and spelling errors would annoy me. Hopefully, the author will use a good editor the next time around.

SpiderDreamer1 · Post by **SpiderDreamer1** » 02 Jan 2018, 15:16

This sounds interesting! I'm curious though, what time period does it take place in? It sounds very 40s-50s noir/mystery.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 02 Jan 2018, 17:24

SpiderDreamer1 wrote: ↑02 Jan 2018, 15:16 This sounds interesting! I'm curious though, what time period does it take place in? It sounds very 40s-50s noir/mystery.

It's contemporary, they use smartphones. However, Charles does talk about his past and coming of age in the 40s.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 05 Jan 2018, 15:58

Mtsweni Nelsy wrote: ↑01 Jan 2018, 08:38 Gramatical errors while reasig such a interesting novel can be very irritating. The book sounds amazing with a twist of love-story. Thanks for the review.

The errors can be irritating, but overall, it was a good story.

CommMayo · Post by **CommMayo** » 05 Jan 2018, 16:55

Sounds like an interesting story. I like how you stress that it is about all the different kinds of love that a person experiences throughout their life. The grammatical errors would have totally driven me to distraction though...

Post by **Alice Heritage** » 07 Jan 2018, 11:26

This sounds like a fascinating journey showcasing the different varieties of love, and how important it is to prioritize those we love. It's a shame the editing was poor; I don't like reading things with too many errors.

ReyvrexQuestor Reyes · Post by **ReyvrexQuestor Reyes** » 08 Jan 2018, 19:01

As I gather from your review, the love between Charles and Karen could be a sort of a matured love, or a love blooming in "off-season" that was circumstantial, or a love with utilitarian purposes. Among other things, it could be construed as a ploy by Karen to win the confidence of Charles, hence, to pry much more deeply into the personality of Charles. Whichever way, this book will be an interesting read. Thanks for your splendid review.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 08 Jan 2018, 21:09

ReyvrexQuestor Reyes wrote: ↑08 Jan 2018, 19:01 As I gather from your review, the love between Charles and Karen could be a sort of a matured love, or a love blooming in "off-season" that was circumstantial, or a love with utilitarian purposes. Among other things, it could be construed as a ploy by Karen to win the confidence of Charles, hence, to pry much more deeply into the personality of Charles. Whichever way, this book will be an interesting read. Thanks for your splendid review.

Oh, no! Karen is a young woman in her mid-twenties. Charles is in his mid-nineties. They are not romantically involved in any way.

ReyvrexQuestor Reyes · Post by **ReyvrexQuestor Reyes** » 09 Jan 2018, 06:42

CatInTheHat wrote: ↑08 Jan 2018, 21:09
ReyvrexQuestor Reyes wrote: ↑08 Jan 2018, 19:01 As I gather from your review, the love between Charles and Karen could be a sort of a matured love, or a love blooming in "off-season" that was circumstantial, or a love with utilitarian purposes. Among other things, it could be construed as a ploy by Karen to win the confidence of Charles, hence, to pry much more deeply into the personality of Charles. Whichever way, this book will be an interesting read. Thanks for your splendid review.
Oh, no! Karen is a young woman in her mid-twenties. Charles is in his mid-nineties. They are not romantically involved in any way.

Watching Karen and Charles explore the different forms of love makes the reader explore it in themselves, as you experience their emotions. I felt these emotions as I read, which made me want to know more about these people.

As I have said, my impression is from what I gathered from the review. It is of urgency then that I have to go read the book entirely, once and for all. Thanks for pointing out.