Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream by Caddy Rowland
Review by Ashley Rosenberg
In Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream by Caddy Rowland, we are introduced to Gastien, a young worker on his father’s farm. It is soon realized that Gastien lives a very hard life under his father’s constant abuse (both physically and emotionally) that his mother is powerless to stop. Through the terrors and beatings that Gastien endures, he finds the time to sneak in his love of drawing and painting. As Gastien comes of age, he leaves his family’s farm, ventures to Paris and follows his dream of becoming a successful artist. Once in Paris, Gastien experiences problem after problem, but he is determined to reach his goal and overcome the many obstacles that stand in his way. But at what cost? Will Gastien be able to achieve his dream or will he lose himself along the way?
Not only was this book written very well, it was written in a way that I felt transported me back in time. The amount of detail in every aspect of Gastien’s world was mesmerizing and had me turning the pages until the early hours of the morning. There were a couple editorial mistakes, but nothing major that took away from the reading experience. Overall, this book was a good read and I am looking forward to reading the second book after I finish this.
When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. The book has a lot of brash and to-the-point dialogues when it comes to sexual matters. In fact, when I was reading the book I was hoping that the focal point of the story would switch back to the art aspect of the story. Sex was the strong focal point here, and to me, these weren’t the type of sex scenes that have women swooning. Don’t get me wrong, I like the story, but these scenes had a very perverse feel to them. While I was reading the book and came upon these moments, I was actually trying to read through them as fast as I could because they made me uncomfortable. This may be the case because the story is told from Gastien’s point of view, a man just discovering the body of a female and his desires. Maybe if it were coming from the women’s points of view it may have been better to read, but this aspect of the book would be one that knocks down the rating. I felt that these scenes were incorporated just a little too much and took away from the focal point of the story; Gastien and his dream to become a successful artist in Paris. There is one scene in particular near the end (I don’t want to give anything away) that I had a difficult time reading because it felt so wrong. Which I know was the point, but a fair warning to all, this book should not be intended for anyone younger than an adult. Other than this though, the book was a joy to read. I loved “experiencing” Paris in that era, and I especially loved the scenes of Gastien working at the restaurant and being with his friends. I loved reading about Gastien’s struggles, his artwork, and the relationships he established along the way.
**Please note: This book is intended for mature audiences only. Extremely graphic**
Gastien Part 1: The Cost of the Dream by Caddy Rowland has received 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Caddy Rowland’s Blog
Meet Gastien Beauchamp (hit the like button)
Gastien Part One: The Cost of the Dream can be bought here:
Available in Paperback here
Available on Amazon.com for Kindle
Available on Barnes&Noble.com for NOOK
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