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The Evolution Of Thomas Hall (2011)

by Kieth Merrill(Favorite Author)

3.97 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

160641836X (ISBN13: 9781606418369)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Shadow Mountain

review 1: By the gentle but forceful arm-twisting of my friend Nancy B., she forced me to buy, and therefore read, “The Evolution of Thomas Hall”. She said, “I loved it, and my book club all loved it!” Then she added, “And its half price.” Ok. I bought it, even though it’s a far cry from my usual reading rut.Its author Keith Merrill’s first attempt at writing, although I was familiar with him as an Academy Award winning movie director/producer. The story was slow to gain my interest, (sometimes my brain will stray with philosophical stuff…) but I was amazed at the incredible descriptions that captured my mental vision. (It helps that the whole story takes place in the Bay Area where I grew up. So many places were instantly in my mind.) I trusted Nancy’s opinion s... moreo on I read…It truly is the evolution of young agnostic artist, Thomas Hall, who is caught in the grey area between science and heaven. He has no experience in either, other than artistic opportunities that come his way to accomplish his #1 goal: making money. Gotta pay for the Mercedes and the houseboat! It is this grey area tug-of-war that infuses itself into his life and forces him to ask, and find answers that are boldly floating around him and poking his brain. Now life isn’t so easy and routine. He is an artist who discovers that his soul inspires what his hand paints. That soul must be fueled by truth. And answers.Helping him to answer those questions are a few key people: Cass – the hospital administrator that hires him to paint a mural, based on faith, at St. Mark’s Hospital’s new children’s wing; 11 yr. old patient Christina - badly burned from a car accident that killed her mother; dictator Dr. Hawker - head of the Natural History Museum insisting that Hall’s giant mural of Cro-Magnon hunters be destroyed for his new Darwin Pavilion. Many other important personalities come into Thomas’ life that will influence every minute of his day, his art, and ultimately his heart and soul.My only comment is that there was too much of a good thing – meaning the incredible descriptive passages. Some just went overboard. But in the end, it’s a wonderful story! 4 1/2 stars from me. I will definitely keep it in my personal library, and recommend it highly to my reading buds Tamra and Jenny.PS – Chapter 82 brought tears, and I rarely get that way when reading! Awesome scene!PSS – Good call, Nancy B.!
review 2: I was torn between 4 or 5 stars on this one. I read it in-between my King Arthur series by Bernard Cornwell. It was so different yet so refreshing to read something that ended with a mighty change of heart and hope. I think this is why I gave it 5 stars. Having a son who is an artist, I could relate to the character Thomas Hall. I found myself hoping for similar experiences for my son to change from drawing the "cartoons" to something more demanding and life changing. Merrill contrasts the feelings of doing artwork that depicts God and his creations vs the Darwin theory on evolution. Although I do believe in evolution is some things, I do not believe man evolved from apes. I believe in a Supreme Creator, God the Father, who created us in His image. That is why I appreciated the way Merrill depicted how Thomas Hall received more inspiration painting "Heavenly" things and couldn't bring himself to paint Darwin's evolution theory. I loved the point where Merrill made it a point to express Darwin's feelings of no joy or happiness towards the end of his life.I could tell that Kieth Merrill was knowledgeable about San Francisco and artwork.I am impressed with Kieth Merrill's 1st book! I would recommend to all. less

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