– A very solid effort by William H. Coles in his novel “The Spirit of Want”. The writing is superb and kept me turning the pages on my Kindle night after night. Great lead characters that are flawed and three-dimensional. Even the side characters like Elizabeth and Fenley and AJ are richly drawn, and the others are authentic and eccentrically delightful. I do feel at times it could have used some better editing (both in construct and content) as some episodes of dialogues felt like chit-chat about mundane that didn’t forward the plot much, but then there would be segments of narration that ‘summarized’ important story events. At times I yearned for more heightened action, but when it came it was very good, and not predictable! (fortunately!) By the end I was turning the pages of my kindle as fast as I could, as I couldn’t wait to find out what becomes of everyone. Recommend for adult readers of literary fiction. (4 stars)
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– What can I say about this book? First off, I can tell you that “The Spirit of Want” is a well- crafted emotional journey and a wild ride and fans of this genre will love sinking their teeth into this one! The story flows from scene to scene effortlessly, and William H. Coles shows exceptional ability when it comes to vivid storytelling. He has the ability to make the reader feel like we are really there in Lucy’s and/or Luke’s world (depending on whose ‘chapter’ it is), and part of their life throughout the years. While mostly a character drama, this novel touches on so much more—–it has flashes of brilliance, deep insight, and is downright profound at times… all while demonstrating the need for love and balance in our life and the struggles one must go through. Couldn’t put it down and can’t wait to read more from Coles. (5 stars)
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– Lately I’ve been in a rut of quitting books and not picking them up again because I lost interest at one point and just never continued. This was definitely not the case with this book, “The Spirit of Want” by William H. Coles. From the very beginning the strong, energetic narrative pulled me in and the action flowed seamlessly from one page to the next, and was original and unpredictable enough to make me just *have* to see what would happen next. Not formulaic or cookie-cutter at all. I was impressed with Coles’ writing style and even though there are some dark moments, in a way this book is more ‘enlightening’ than anything and very introspective. Makes you think and relate to Luke and Lucy’s lives (together and separately) and their struggles. Definitely an exciting story that flows well and has some twists and turns we don’t see coming. While not a perfect book (is any, really??) In my opinion it is well worth the read and well worth 5 stars. (5 stars)
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– In “The Spirit of Want”, Author William H. Coles brilliantly delivers a literary treat that has you captivated from the first to the last page. The characters and scenes are so well depicted that I felt like I was right there in the story. Life, love, and all Relationships are complicated and it is no different for our characters of Luke and Lucy. Despite the difficult conflicts around them, they go through many emotional trials and tribulations that will keep you captivated to the final outcome. Page after page you find yourself drawn deeper and deeper into this emotionally engaging and at times quite surprising story. You will thoroughly enjoy this ride and want more! Recommend for fans of literary drama, romance and suspense. (4-5 stars)
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– This book by William H. Coles was entertaining and very fast paced (especially for a literary novel… those usually tend to draaaaag) and had good, realistic action and conversations, and the main characters (especially Luke) were believable and relatable, even though I had a hard time liking Lucy. She was just so immature and selfish. Well written and not everything tied together at the end the way we might expect (or hope). But questions do get answered and all the various complex sublots tie together neatly (impressive!). Could use a little better editing and structuring (in my opinion) – the pacing was fast, but almost erratic. However, this book will take a reader screeching through the pages because it is a very good story! Will read more from Mr. Coles’ in the future, as he seems to have a considerable backlist that will be checking out very soon. I’m glad there is much more to come. Recommend for mature readers of literary romance, relationships and drama. (4 stars)
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– “The Spirit of Want” by William Coles is definitely one of the more “different” books I’ve read in a very long time. It was such an interesting mix of almost everything, from romance to philosophy to relationships, to self- growth and discovery and achievements, to scandal and heartbreak.… it is really hard to just sum up or categorize it easily. That said, I did enjoy it very much once I was all the way done, but there were several parts where I felt the pace jumped around a bit and seemed to lose some focus. I liked the characters, and the way that Lucy and Luke’s relationship/storylines developed, and there are some good twists throughout to keep you hooked. Needs some proofreading (some punctuation issues I saw), but on the whole was an enjoyable, and very different, type of read that I’m looking forward to reading more by William Coles. (4 stars)
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– William H Coles crafts an authentic, engrossing novel and has a talent for creating sympathetic characters we believe– and believe in. Great writing, great action, great characters, great plot…. Overall a terrific read that I feel really introduced me to a new type of book that I haven’t really read before. . I admit this isn’t really my normal genre of reading (stick to fantasy or thrillers mostly), but lately I’ve been wanting to read something different and this fit the bill perfectly. Liked how intelligent and articulate these characters were, yet we still relate to their humanity and feel what they are feeling. Some of the scenes were so shocking and it’s rare that I feel caught off guard but it happened a few times here. Great character and scene detailing, and Great chemistry and passion. Seems to cover SUCH a wide range of big ‘events’, from manslaughter to adultery to rape… almost too many things (in my opinion) almost feels like a whirlwind at times. But the whole time I didn’t want to stop reading and always wanted to see what would happen next! (4-5 stars)
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– Wow, what a ride! At first I wasn’t sure what to really make of this story, as the description seemed to cover a lot of different elements, I wasn’t exactly sure what the focus would be. But soon I found myself sinking into this unique and creative world that William Coles created and found myself transported to another time and place altogether. For me a mark of a good book is if it can 1) take me away from the ‘real world’ for a while 2) entertain me and make me think 3) Make me believe in it. And for me, “The Spirit of Want” did all this and more. The author has a great style, even though I could have done with cleaner editing. I enjoyed the dialogue, as the lightning-quick narrative felt appropriate for the tone. There is a genuine authenticity to the characters, and the story shows a lot of heart. I enjoyed it through the end (which I’m on the fence about) but I’d like to read more from this author in the future. (4 stars)
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– I read a lot of literary fiction books, so this is a genre I’m familiar with. I’d never read anything from William H. Coles before, but the premise seemed intriguing and I’m always on the lookout for fresh new talent, so I was curious to see how he would deliver in this one “The Spirit of Want”. Mr. Coles is unarguably a very creative writer, but more than that he genuinely impressed me with his thorough world-building and interesting characters and inventiveness on many levels. All too often I read works that feel clearly derivative of other books (especially in Lit Fiction), and although I appreciate literary influences (as is felt here as well), when something this original comes along it is a refreshing change of pace from the norm! Some of the writing was downright lyrical in the simple elegance of the prose, and other times I was nearly breathless from the intensity and rapid-fire events. Other times I was chuckling aloud at the witty banter, or cursing a character under my breath For such a long book I finished it in less than a week, and went through so many highs and lows, it felt like a rollercoaster. I enjoyed the ending even though it isn’t super ‘happy’ all around, it fits well and I like to see how all the characters ended up. I would recommend this book to others as it has very good writing and powerful. Memorable characters with an interesting story to tell. (5 stars)
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– I enjoyed “The Spirit of Want” by author William H. Coles, even though this isn’t usually one of my more preferred genres (don’t dislike it, just don’t generally gravitate). But I liked the sample and the style of Mr. Coles’s writing…. This felt more like a unique character drama with ‘life issues” to me than anything, so I gave it a shot. I really liked the literary world he created here and thought that he did such a wonderful job with the descriptions of the storytelling of the events and the different characters. There are several of them and the focus moves around quite a bit so it’s hard to keep track sometimes… some we don’t really know that well and we don’t get much of a sense of their identity, other than the main characters. But there was great action, and was so shocked at some things that happened. Emotionally engaging and with lots of action, some admittedly over my head- can get confusing at times with all the different perspectives. But I liked how easy it is to read and this is such an unusual book I can’t even compare it to anything else. Does need better editing, though. Feels pretty suitable for (very) mature teens on up. I had a great time reading this! (4 stars)
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– This book was great… lots of fun to read and very creative. Describing it is a hard task! All sorts of interesting characters, and a terrific mix of scandal, betrayal, romance, intellect, high stakes drama, profound and introspective philosophical conversations… you name it. Although I did think the beginning took a while to really get going in a clear direction… we think it might be about one thing (Lucy and Luke and then the fallout from the accident) but then it seems to go off in a totally different direction. But once things got moving along I really got hooked. I liked that it was so descriptive that we can really put ourselves inside the various characters’ perspectives. Fabulous narrative prose and the dialogue and conversations with the characters were very authentic. Great chemistry and tension throughout, and while there are some upsetting/weird scenes that I didn’t expect, I liked the fact that this was really unpredictable and kept me wondering what would happen next. Occasionally it reads like a rough draft with some punctuation issues and verb tense inconsistencies. But still a good story. Recommend for fans who want a complex, yet engaging literary read. (3-4 stars)
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– “The Spirit of Want” by William H. Coles is an absolute must-read for fans of literary drama and light romance This novel holds its own with the top-notch writing and plot structure (needs editing, though), and an exciting, varied cast of ‘colorful’ characters and plenty of intrigue and thrills to go around. There were some times where I felt it could have benefited from some trimming down, there were frequent places where there was needless information, word repetition, or chit chat. However, I feel Coles did a great job of bringing in a unique voice and making the story wholly his own, and giving it a fresh feel…. In fact, I can’t think of anything I’ve read like it before. This isn’t what you would consider a “action-packed’ thrill ride, even though lots of exciting events unfold over the course of the years. It is more character-focused and the decisions, consequences and ramifications they face. Great character development, especially towards the second half of the book. Because we see the story take place through several different perspectives, we do have a certain sense of detachment, but it is certainly an engrossing story with authentic (if not always likable) and relatable characters, and a strong supporting cast to take you along for this interesting, memorable ride. Recommend for ages 18+ (4 stars)
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– I honestly had no idea what to expect when reading this as I went into it pretty blind (only knew it was literary fiction which I enjoy). I was in no way prepared for how totally addicting this novel would be, and the sheer magnitude of the world, the characters, the various interweaving multi plots, the relationships, the turmoil and heartache… I was really impressed. The way William Coles writes is captivating from the beginning and you just want to keep reading and reading and not stop. It is both descriptive and has great world building (important for a believable story) but also is so fast moving so that you aren’t bored. I was reading as fast as I could, and even though it’s a really long book, I was disappointed when it was over. I wanted more!! But the ending is amazing as is the rest of the book. Recommend for fans of literary drama. (5 stars)
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– Nicely-crafted and passionately written, “The Spirit of Want” by author is the first book I’ve read by William H. Coles but he is certainly an author I will be keeping an eye on in the future. This world he creates here is impressively conceived, and I was pleased with the level of character development throughout. The plots are complex and intelligent, yet quirky enough to keep you hooked. There are several big reveals that continue to shift the dynamic of the storyline in unexpected ways, something that even a jaded reader like myself can fully appreciate and still be shocked by. This is great because nothing I hate more than predictable clichés. I enjoyed the story, but think there could be some improvements to the pacing and the editing. But it did provide interesting entertainment value and I liked much the whole interplay and resolution of these fascinating characters (esp. Luke, Lucy, Bain) were all really good. I will be looking forward to more great stories from William Coles and will be recommending to my friends to enjoy a thought provoking literary drama. (4 stars)
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– Usually I tend to lean towards more action, suspense and adventure novels. So while literary, romance, or character-driven contemporary novels, isn’t really my thing, I decided to give “The Spirit of Want” a shot as I was in the mood for something a little different. Well, I can definitely say that a lot of people would love this book! First off the characters are awesome, and I liked the relationship with them and how they connect with each other, for better or worse. Really run the full spectrum of humanity on this one. Great conversations that felt authentic and moved the story along. There is conflict and action and even romance. Some sexy scenes, but not too graphic. There are a lot of characters, some more fleshed out than others, but all are realistic enough and don’t seem like cardboard cutouts (even though sometimes aren’t much more than just ‘names’) I especially like the intelligent… almost philosophical angle that Coles employs that gives this story an edge over others I’ve read lately. Also had an almost spiritual quality that I wasn’t expecting. I enjoyed this much more than expected and would recommend to others as well. (4 stars)
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– Fantastic! Wow what a great ending! Powerful and perfectly imperfect… Actually the whole thing was pretty great, but I don’t think I put my kindle down once after the 60% mark. This is an impressive effort from author William Coles, and it is quite clear that he is an author we can expect great things from. While this book wasn’t technically perfect, as I do feel the pacing needed tightening and an editor needed to use the red-pen over many trivial details and some punctuation errors , there is the spark of something wonderfully inventive here (rare for this genre!) and the writing felt as natural as it did effortless. You can’t fake or even teach that, in my opinion. William Coles has a natural literary voice, and I could totally see this being a movie or miniseries (or it should be!) It’s quite intense, and has that big “epic” feel to it which I love, but without all the bloat that can sometimes weigh down books like this. You really get lost in this world for a long time and don’t really want to leave! Cast of characters that are intelligent and complex, real and flawed– just like this book. A great read that will appeal to fans of many genres, as it encompasses so many different aspects of literature, not just drama or romance. (4 stars)
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– “The Spirit of Want” by William Coles was an interesting mix of world-building, suspense, romance, character development, relationship drama, secrets and scandals, and dare I say, almost spiritual philosophy? I can’t quite say that I’ve ever really read anything like it before, and it took me awhile to become fully invested in the book, as the beginning seemed to take some time to really show its ‘hook’…At first I thought it would be about the accident, but then the story evolves into something else completely. So I kept reading and really appreciated the level of detailing and thought to the character development in their individual storylines, and how they were all connected to each other, even if at times I wondered where the true focus lay and it felt a little ‘jumping around’. There are many complex subplots woven throughout and while this is a pretty long book, it was enjoyable and mostly well written save some proofing issues that should be fixed. (nothing horrible, though). Can see lit fiction fans really liking it, as there is a lot of emotional engagement and riveting storylines with charismatic characters. (3-4 stars).
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– “The Spirit of Want” is an incredible book that introduces us to the creative, yet relatable and believable world of author William H. Coles and what a crazy, dramatic, interesting world it is! It is imaginative and pulls no punches in drawing from almost every available literary element available. This is a rare novel that I thought had almost everything, from romantic love scenes, to legal/medical elements, danger, intellect, family struggles… it’s hard not to find something you like. There are dark secrets revealed throughout, and nothing is predictable or what you think will happen! One thing I’ll say is that I was impressed with how well the author William Coles told this story using a variety of different techniques and perspectives – really allows us to get in the different characters’ ‘heads’ in a way and see the whole picture. Some parts we feel like a bystander (like when it is more narrative), other times like a willing participant. Execution and presentation wise it needs steadier pacing, as some parts feel a bit belabored, and others rushed over. But these are mild issues and the story is great! I liked the ending a lot and appreciated the follow up at the end. It is great to see that Coles has several other books published already – I’ll be reading them soon! (5 stars)
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– “The Spirit of Want” really struck me as unique due to the depth of the characters and the fact that even for a Literary novel the rules seemed to go out the window a few times and really threw me for a loop (no spoilers). The writing is very strong and the plot is compelling and intelligent enough to really keep our interest – which is honestly saying a lot considering I got bored reading most books these days. This one just flows so much smoother and faster and keeps picking up steam as it goes along. I think the second half had much better tension and action than the first as I did think it was pretty slow in the beginning and there was a lot of ‘telling of the plot’ that wasn’t really necessary. While I could picture some scenes clearly and what was happening, I had trouble with some others and felt a lack of grounding. The chapters vary from speaker to speaker (sometimes staying the same) and were short and fast paced which I appreciated. Like the dynamic with the characters and how it all came together in the end. Some tense moments and kept me hooked! Recommend for fans of the romantic literary genre, as well as philosophy and drama. (4 stars)
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– Although not my normal cup of tea, “The Spirit of Want” from William H. Coles delivers on the things I like in a book – great writing, vivid, atmospheric scenery that transports me to another time and place, characters I can connect to on some level, and plots that are complex enough to challenge me and make me think, but not so convoluted so that I need to be taking notes as I go along (although I do admit to losing track of some characters from time to time…some just come and go)This is a powerhouse novel, one that is driven by character and drama, not just action. Fascinating characters –even if some are hard to like at times. This book is hard to describe…. you just have to experience it for yourself. I loved the ending and was happy to see that this is a standalone novel, not part of a series which is a nice change. (so sick of cliffhanger endings!) But I would like to read more from Mr. Coles someday! (3 stars)
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– I praise “The Spirit of Want” not just for the solid writing and creative and original plot and storyline, but also for the deeply emotional and multi-layered complexity of themes and universal concepts that made it such a rich and rewarding reading experience. Rarely do I get so sucked into books like this where it feels like every page is something that affects me on some level, whether just enjoying the lovely prose, or being mad at characters, or worrying about them, or laughing at something they said… . It was such a brutal, almost heart-wrenching experience from the beginning all the way through to the end. Feels like so much more than just a standard literary novel, but an insightful examination of the human condition, good bad and ugly. Love can make us do strange things and people who make poor choices are always so fascinating to watch. And I like that it is never ‘easy’ or ‘predictable’. Just when it looks like things might be all fine, the author has more twists in store for us. Ugh. But so, so good. Ready for more from William Coles and can’t recommend highly enough to fans of the genre who are looking for something that is different and thinks outside the box. (5 stars)
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– I just finished “The Spirit of Want” by William H. Coles. Great book. I was impressed not only with the author’s narrative skills, but combined with a vivid imagination, a profound wisdom of good, evil, and human nature, emotion and intellect… and you have a truly unforgettable book that surpassed even my loftiest expectations. While I found it at times to be uneven in terms of pacing and overall tightness of prose, I never felt myself wandering away from the story, but was invested all the way through, which is pretty amazing considering the length. The plot development was fantastic and detailed, and I appreciate the well-roundedness of the players – no one felt flatly “good” or “bad” (even when they are supposed to be), and we see their strengths and weaknesses and even their motivations throughout. I think this book should probably be geared for mature readers only. A compelling read, one I wholeheartedly recommend for fans of literary fiction that is unlike anything you’ve ever read before. (4 stars)
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– There were so many things I liked about this book, I hardly know where to begin. First, I liked the fast pace of the action because I cannot stand lit fiction that moves slow! Second, I really like the way William Coles writes his characters, and especially dialogue and action scenes. I really feel like I am inside the story, as a part of it, instead of being on the outside looking in and having a story “told” to me, even though the plot at times is basically narrated to us, including some more important parts that I thought could have had more ‘fleshing out’. But Mr. Coles’s vivid descriptions and lyrical prose creates a beautiful portrait of a creative, and at times dark and dysfunctional world that one can get lost in for hours and hours. This book seriously has everything good—action, drama, romance, right and wrong, intelligent plots, profound and thought-provoking characters, … I thought the whole story was pretty creative, and wasn’t just a re-telling of the same overused plot devices we always see. Although I had to a few times, I truly didn’t want to stop reading until I’d finished. And I was disappointed when it was all over! Ready for the next ones by William Coles. (4 stars)
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– “The Spirit of Want” by William H. Coles was an enchanting and powerful read that is at times depressing and bleak–even heartbreaking– but strangely uplifting and inspiring other times. It will appeal to lovers of literary drama and romance fiction alike. It is highly inventive and imaginative, with clear, crisp writing and an engaging tone. All the characters stand out in their own ways—some are fully-realized, while some are simply stock characters. While there are some issues in terms of execution—many instances of slow “telling” of minutiae that did nothing to progress the storyline and dragged the pacing to a near halt and hurt the tension— Coles tells his own story in a fresh way that makes the whole journey unpredictable and interesting… and downright shocking at times. Warning, it is not a quick or easy read by any means, and there is a lot of substance and philosophical mechanism at play here. So be prepared to spend some time and plan to open your mind, nor is it for the prudish, easily offended or younger readers. But in my mind it was highly worth it and I almost wished it were longer! (4 stars)