Review by sursangeet_2000 -- McDowell by William H. Coles

[Sangeetha+Narayan]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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The book McDowell, written by William H. Coles, is a very thought provoking and a character-driven work of fiction. I started reading this book without any expectations or knowledge of the journey that I was about to take along with its main character, Hiram McDowell.

The story of McDowell is unique simply because the protagonist and antagonist are not two different people. What the readers get to view are a little good and a little bad, all rolled up in one character. It's not that Hiram McDowell was a criminal, for he did show a great deal of empathy for his children. And for that very reason, he couldn’t be called an all-out noble soul, simply because he never really cared about anybody or anything as much as his own sense of right or wrong. He believed that the entire world was out to get him and shared no responsibility for why so many people seemed to be against him. When the worst happened and he got indicted in the second degree murder of his own grandson, he declared himself innocent of all charges and escaped from jail. The story of McDowell is that of an escaped fugitive who meets a myriad of characters, as he runs from his life in prison, and how each of these characters, slowly but surely, change a callous man in to a contemplative and compassionate human being.

To say that I was impressed with this book would be a huge understatement. I absolutely enjoyed the gradual transformation of a man that I loathed in the beginning of the book. But, more than the main character, I loved all of its secondary characters, the catalysts that turned an almost soul-less guy into a person who genuinely wanted to help people. I especially loved Maud, the first human that McDowell contacted after months of living in the wilderness, all by himself. Maud was a no-nonsense woman who wouldn't accept his excuses and rants about how the entire world was wrong in putting him in a tight spot. In fact, I believe that Maud and her family were the first and most important friends that shifted his thoughts about himself in the right direction. They made him dig deeper into his soul, even if it was the most uncomfortable feeling. They were the first friends who showed him genuine kindness, forced him to take responsibility for his actions and thereby turned his world around.

I loved the fact that McDowell's children returned his love with utmost devotion and yet, he still got punished for his uncaring attitude towards the rest of the world. I enjoyed the character development of his daughter Sophie and how she managed to change the lives of other people in her life. The book reinforced my inherent belief in the fairness of life .... what goes around comes around. It was tremendously ironic that McDowell's final downfall came as he was attempting to help someone, out of the goodness of his heart.

To be honest, I couldn't find much that was wrong in this book. I believe that the book has been professionally edited. I might have come across a couple of errors with commas and other punctuation, but the story and its characters had me intrigued and I stopped noticing errors after a point. I believe that McDowell is a philosophical book that will keep its readers engaged and I would give it a 4 out of 4 star for a wonderful plot and excellent characterization. This book will be enjoyed by anybody who has wondered about the purpose of their existence or likes to think that each and every one of us is a part of our own mysterious journey.

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McDowell
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[BelleReadsNietzsche]

Alright, I'll agree with you that Maud was a good character. I didn't like this book as much as you did, but I appreciate your thoughts and insight, and I'm glad you enjoyed it even if I didn't! Thanks for your review.

[Sangeetha+Narayan]

Thank you Belle. I appreciate you reading my review. To each his own ... we all like some and don't like some. Books are like people in that way. Some are more relatable than others.

[Zimall]

I liked how author let his reader to look into every single character. The end was a bit dissatisfying though. Otherwise the novel was great.
Thanks a lot for the review Sursangeet☺

[Sangeetha+Narayan]

Thanks for the visit Zimall. I thought the end was perfect ...even though McDowell turned in to a kind of a good guy, his past still caught up with him. But we each have our own opinion. That's the fun part of it.

[BelleReadsNietzsche]

Thank you Belle. I appreciate you reading my review. To each his own ... we all like some and don't like some. Books are like people in that way. Some are more relatable than others.

Well said!

To jump on your doscussion with [Zimall], I actually liked the end. I thought it was, as you said, fitting but also tragic in its way. Even though I didn’t like the book, I didn’t “want” that to be McDowel’s fate and I appreciate the sadness of it somehow ?

[Sangeetha+Narayan]

Well said!

To jump on your doscussion with [Zimall], I actually liked the end. I thought it was, as you said, fitting but also tragic in its way. Even though I didn’t like the book, I didn’t “want” that to be McDowel’s fate and I appreciate the sadness of it somehow ?
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To be honest I didn't want his end that way too. But I think the author went beyond just writing a book. He wrote life. Books usually have happy endings. The bad guy turns good and everyone is happy and accepting. But life is different. It keeps tabs ..how much good he did vs. How much bad. A little good cannot wipe out a whole lot of bad. Just my thought.

[Nicky Rita]

The characters in "McDowell" are richly developed and multi-dimensional, making them feel like real people rather than caricatures.