I wonder who actually was the master; Jamie McGregor? Who laid the foundation of Kruger-Brent Limited after an adventurous mission of accumulation of diamonds, or it was Kate Blackwell? Who turned the South African company of his father into an enormous business empire on earth, may be it was Eve Blackwell? The predator, the possible heiress of giant multi billionaire business, probably it was George Mellis a charming vampire who love to ruin women and lads. Perhaps it was the author of the thrilling, mysterious, romantic: novel himself Sidney Sheldon, the supreme master of all.
“Life is like a novel. It's filled with suspense. You have no idea what is going to happen until you turn the page.”
― Sidney Sheldon
This quotation is a perfect archetype of one of the masterpieces of Sidney Sheldon’s “Master of the Game”. The novel which was written during 1980s doesn’t look primitive at all up-till now. The lives of many characters were sewed with grim, ardor, crave, power and tragedies.
Correspondingly Jamie McGregor, a robust, enchanted character, who went to South Africa, to explore diamonds, as a prospector. He had two remarkable features in his personality, one he was an achiever and second he was vengeful. These two attributes motivates him to steal diamonds from Salomon Van der Merwe a vigorous enemy with the support of his African friend Banda.
Owing to the acrimonious characteristic, he never owned his wife poor Margaret Van der Merwe who happened to be the daughter of his adversary Salomon Van der Merwe. Despite his rigidness, she loved him desperately and wanted to win his heart and soul throughout her life. She was one of the most deprived characters in this saga of billionaire family.
This couple produced one heiress, the mighty Kate Blackwell who brought the inherited company to the sky rocking. She learn the rules of the game from David Blackwell who latter become his husband. He taught her in her early ages that:
“Business is a game, played for fantastic stakes, and you're in competition with experts. If you want to win, you have to learn to be a master of the game.”
She did, not only that but played the game with full authority and enjoyed power throughout her life with assertiveness. She was the master in dealing with cards and knew how to distribute them and how to manipulate people with cunning moves.
She once said:
“I'm a woman. I have a right to change my mind.”
She further said:
“Each manager sees his own division as the center of the world, and that’s as it should be. But someone has to have an overall view and decide what’s best for the company.”
She heavily invested on Tony Blackwell her lone son and possibly the next heir of the wealthy company, wanted to be an aspiring painter ended up his career in a great tragedy. He was immensely sensitive, talented, and hardworking and dedicated towards his ambition. He was manipulated like a pawn on the chessboard of Blackwell family by the queen none other than Kate Blackwell.
This novel is divided in five different sections and the fifth one was dedicated entirely to two identical sisters Eve and Alexandra Blackwell.
Eve Blackwell, the beautiful ugly goddess, the psychopathic liar, the predator and extremely ambitious girl. Eve was jealous of her sister, so she planned and plotted against her whenever she got chances.
Contrary to her sister, Alexandra, who happened to be a stupid, sensitive, beautiful but immensely fortunate girl, she always shown loved and trust towards her sister Eve.
Eve haired a charming Latin hunter George Mellis, another powerful character and was almost best in deceiving people. He had a record of destroying prostitutes’ girls and boys. The man who was full of negative energies, he loved to inflict pain and took pleasures in screams and outcries.
The negative side of this novel is that there are highly erotic scenes and the depiction of violence is at its best. As everything has some flaws, it has too, like for instance, the dramatic marriage of George Mellis and Alexandra Blackwell was as far as I concern, the most unnatural chunk.
It’s a must read novel because it carry great lessons in it. How human psychology works, how people manipulate, what motivates them to become greedy or avenging. How tragedies stick to lives as a stigma and hurt people in all respects. This epic saga of McGregor/Blackwell family is nurtured in blood, agony, depression, lust, and impostures by Sidney Sheldon, is without a doubt, a Master of the game of writing novels.