Official Review: The Bright One of the Skillful Hand

[Okafor Prosper]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Bright One of the Skillful Hand" by Hugh Marchand.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Bright One of the Skillful Hand by Hugh Marchand is a novel that explores the strengths and weaknesses of friendship bonds formed between characters with conflicting personalities. What happens when our main characters, Gwydion and John, are tested by a shared attraction for a beautiful woman, betrayals, and secrets?

Gwydion and John were successful business partners; Gwydion was a world-renowned poet while John was his agent. However, they worked following a unique arrangement. John had been away for months trying to procure the services of a famous critic, Eric Snaith. When he got back to Gwydion's place in the Greek islands, he met Megan, an archaeologist and Gwydion's new girlfriend. It was love at first sight for John, who was still confused about the nature of Gwydion and Megan's relationship. At that same time, their meeting with Eric went south, as Gwydion drunkenly revealed the secret of their partnership. This sets off a cascade of events that cause a strain not just on their relationship but on their business and their love interest.

This character-driven story is told from the third-person perspective, giving us access to the central characters' emotions and viewpoints, besides Gwydion's, as this was well done to introduce a major twist later on in the story. The author's brilliant execution of these three-dimensional characters was the strongest aspect of the book. From the fun-loving, caring, generous, selfish, and short-fused Gwydion and the gifted, resourceful, level-headed, jealous, and also selfish John to the adventurous, honest, and vindictive Megan, I fell in love with unpredictable characters that kept me in suspense throughout.

Hugh Marchand's accuracy in capturing the characters' emotions and the different settings, by employing a unique style of metaphor-heavy, descriptive writing, also stood out. We travel with the characters to several places, from the Greek islands and London to Germany and Canada, and the author never misses the chance to paint perfect pictures of every environment, and he lets us explore the characters' feelings and thought processes. A great example involving one of my favorite scenes that can be found on page 127 is included in the paragraph below. This style of writing is also very evident in the sex scenes included in the book, even though a lot is still left to the reader's imagination.

"A gust of wind sent the entire roof of vine leaves above them gossiping. The weathercock atop the disused chimney stack of the laundry outbuilding overcame its rusty reluctance to change and suddenly swung to the southwest with a squeal like a fingernail on a chalkboard. An unseen hand was bending the tops of the bay trees seawards, a land breeze. Growing bolder, it dislodged some weaker grapes in the canopy above, creating a brief shower of soft black hailstones that bounced joyfully around the tabletop in a mad moment of freedom before submitting to stillness."

On a negative note, I found a few errors in the book. Nevertheless, they did not affect my reading too much. So, the book is a well-edited piece. The pace of the story is a bit slow, as most of the book revolves around the dialogues between the characters, but I could understand this feature at times, as it gave me sufficient time to understand the characters.

All things considered, The Bright One of the Skillful Hand was a fantastic read for me. Therefore, I rate the book four out of four stars. The issues discussed above do not affect my rating. Mature readers who enjoy romance and historical fiction novels will enjoy The Bright One of the Skillful Hand.

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The Bright One of the Skillful Hand
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[Smmwallace]

Wow, this book sounds deliciously complex and beautifully written. Thank you for your informative and excellent review!

[Becca Olsson]

I love some well-rounded and complex characters and these sound just like it. I’d be very excited to read it, especially to find the secret to their partnership!

[laseniola]

I like reading about the emotions and character of men with power or success. I am excited to read this book.

[Kavita Shah]

It is remarkable that the author wrote in such a way which helped readers use their auditory and visual senses. Thank you for including a line from the book, it helps with what to expect from the book's narration. Great review!

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your review. Looks like the partnership between Gwydion and John is not as good as it's shown, and their complicated triangle relationships with Megan make it even worse.

[Hiruni Hansika]

I really loved the plot. I want to know what happens to Gwydion, John and Megan. Gonna read it!

[Twylla]

Thank you for the lovely and informative review. I appreciated the complexity of the characters in the book. The storyline is very compelling, the characters are interesting and the setting of the story is also beautiful. I look forward to finishing this excellent book.

[Aan Granados]

I like romance and historical fiction and this seems like the book for me. But I think this is more of drama? Ill give this a look. Thanks for your review.

[Michelle Menezes]

While this does not sound like something I'd read, I'm very curious about Gwydion and John's partnership, and the secret which leads to their meeting with Eric to fail.

[Miriam nkere]

Thanks for this eye opening review. Can't wait to find out the fate of John, Gwydion and Megan in this relationship. Would add it to my book shelve.

[Mercy119]

Two men's friendship and professional relationship are tested by a love triangle that reveals hidden secrets. The author narrates this story with a masterful play on words that will captivate any reader.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

I love the premise of this story: a friendship is stretched to its limits when business and pleasure causes friction. I love that the author utilized such creative and description language, which would allow readers to immerse themselves in the plot fully. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[DEEPA PUJARI]

This is a triangle love story where the friendship between two men is tested. Congratulations BOTD!

[Nithilah Ayyappan]

Great review! This book sounds very interesting, and I like how Gwydion’s point of view in the story is saved for later, and creates a big twist. Thanks for the review, and I will definitely check out the book!