Review of Under The Divi Tree

[Ekezie1998]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Under The Divi Tree" by Michael Solomon.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

Under The Divi Tree by Michael Solomon tells the story of Matthew and Carol Crane. They are the typical examples of a content couple in a perfect marriage. Matthew is a former policeman turned entrepreneur, while his wife is the Vice President of a fashion company. They have it all and are the envy of their friends and family.
 
Everything begins to fall apart when Matthew plans a surprise vacation for them to celebrate his successful retirement. On the eve of their departure, Matthew falls unconscious and becomes unresponsive, and Carol is left devastated and alone. After medical testing, he is diagnosed with a rare condition almost unheard of in the medical community, which causes victims to fall into a deep sleep for a long time without any form of response whatsoever. Obsessed with finding a cure, Carol is determined to uncover the solution, and she is desperate for answers. When she finally finds a supposed medical expert, who claims to have a solution to her problem, she immediately takes action to find out more despite warnings from friends and family. Will the mystery doctor prove to be genuine and provide her with answers? Can Matthew overcome his dreams and return to his reality and reunite with the love of his life before it is too late? Find out in this fantastic work of fiction.
 
There were a few positive aspects to this book. The accurate French translation in the book was encouraging and educative, especially in chapters one, forty-seven, and fifty-seven. Any reader could quickly learn a thing or two about the French language. The author narrates the story using simple vocabulary and a third-person point of view.
 
The book has one central theme revolving around it, which is the theme of love and commitment. It is only Carol’s devotion to Matthew that keeps her by his side throughout his illness. And the only thing that maintains Carol's sanity is the unending support and attention from her family and friends. The book highlights the importance of such core values that are consistent in life.
 
Unfortunately, there were also negative aspects to this book. I discovered a lot of errors, including some in grammar and punctuation. This significantly reduced the general appeal and quality of this book. I also noted that the majority of the book's chapters were too short and had no context. A particular scene could be stretched to multiple chapters when it could easily fit into one chapter. A good example is when Matthew was dreaming, which is contained in Chapters fifty-six till sixty-two.
 
Also, the transition from the reality of the book into Matthew’s dreams was not indicated. This could easily cause a lot of confusion for readers. For example, the time changes were indicated in chapters three and nine but not in chapter 40 and some others. As a result of these reasons, I choose to rate this book three out of four stars. I would have loved to rank it higher, but the errors are too significant to ignore. The beauty of this story is that it entails a medical mystery that would leave anyone wondering about the reality of its outcome. I recommend this book to anyone interested in fictional romance with strong medical research themes.

******
Under The Divi Tree
View: on Bookshelves

[Mmaduabuchi Eze]

I love the simple word choices made in crafting this literary piece, and the themes of love and commitment. Highly invaluable.

[Aisha Yakub]

People with medical inclinations should enjoy reading this. Great review.

[Patty Allread]

It is disappointing when a potentially good novel is lacking editing and proofreading. Good review though.

[Ceeco2002]

I feel sad about Matthew's condition. Its too bad that their perfect marriage had to be ruined by that rare illness. Thanks for a great review!