Jonathan Evison is a celebrated author whose narratives delve into the complexities of human connection and the search for belonging. His writing is characterized by its emotional depth and keen observation of ordinary lives, often infused with a distinctive blend of humor and poignancy. Evison masterfully crafts stories that resonate with readers, exploring universal themes of family, identity, and the challenges of navigating life's unpredictable currents. His unique voice captures the nuances of everyday experience, making his works both relatable and profoundly moving.
A Peep at Polynesian Life During a Four Months' Residence in a Valley of the Marquesas - Definitive and Uncensored
Set in the paradise of a South Sea island, "Typee" is a combination of fact and fiction. The tale is a distortion of the life of the Typees and foreshadows the metaphysical preoccupations in Melville's later work with its depiction of the evil and mystery lurking beneath the idyllic setting.
Geno, residing in a nursing home, grapples with loneliness and a deep sense of disconnection from his nursing assistant, Angel. He claims to have lived multiple past lives, starting in Seville, Spain, where he first encountered the love of his life. As he navigates his final days, the narrative explores themes of memory, identity, and the quest for connection, leaving readers to ponder whether his experiences are genuine or merely the fabrications of a lonely mind.
Abe and Ruth's marriage, spanning seventy years, showcases the evolution of their relationship from a disastrous college blind date to a life filled with love on Bainbridge Island. As they navigate the challenges of aging, including Ruth's health crisis and the scrutiny of their children, the couple must redefine their partnership. Jonathan Evison intricately weaves together their past and present, highlighting the resilience of their bond and the beauty found in everyday moments, ultimately celebrating the enduring power of love.
Struggling with feelings of inadequacy, William Miller navigates the challenges of family dynamics after his mother's death and the complexities of his crush on his step-sister, Lulu. As Lulu leaves for college, William embarks on a journey of self-discovery, engaging with Western philosophy, the harsh realities of dating, and the value of friendship. His transformation into a late-night radio personality helps him redefine his self-image, illustrating the contrast between his past and the potential for a brighter future.
Jonathan Evison's Small World is an epic novel for now. Set against such iconic backdrops as the California gold rush, the development of the transcontinental railroad, and a speeding train of modern-day strangers forced together by fate, it is a grand entertainment that asks big questions.The characters of Small World connect in the most intriguing and meaningful ways, winning, breaking, and winning our hearts again. In exploring the passengers' lives and those of their ancestors more than a century before, Small World chronicles 170 years of American nation-building from numerous points of view across place and time. And it does it with a fullhearted, full-throttle pace that asks on the most human, intimate scale whether it is truly possible to meet, and survive, the choices posed--and forced--by the age.The result is a historical epic with a Dickensian flair, a grand entertainment that asks whether our nation has made good on its promises. It dazzles as its characters come to connect with one another through time. And it hits home as it probes at our country's injustices, big and small, straight through to its deeply satisfying final words.
'Jonathan Evison's voice is pure magic. In Lawn Boy, at once a vibrant coming- of-age novel and a sharp social commentary on class, Evison offers a painfully honest portrait of one young man's struggle to overcome the hand he's been dealt in life and reach for his dreams. It's a journey you won't want to miss, with an ending you won't forget.' - Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale
»Eine anrührende und lustige Liebesgeschichte« Brigitte Fleisch und Bodybuilding – das sind die beiden Leidenschaften, denen Big Bill und die beiden Zwillingsbrüder Doug und Ross frönen. Will, kurzsichtig und Vegetarier, hat es schwer in dieser Familie, in der zu Thanksgiving gleich mehrere Truthähne im Ofen schmoren. Als Lulu mit ihrer Mutter in die Familie zieht, fängt Will sofort Feuer: Obwohl er erst neun Jahre alt ist, weiß er, dass Lulu und er zusammengehören. Inniges Vertrauen und gemeinsame Interessen machen die beiden Heranwachsenden unzertrennlich. Doch als Lulu nach den Sommerferien in einem Cheerleading-Camp wieder nach Hause kommt, will sie nichts mehr von Will wissen. Doch der lässt nicht locker. »Als hätte sich Holden Caulfield ins Hotel New Hampshire verirrt« NDR
Weakness has always been a concern for William Miller: growing up vegetarian in a family of bodybuilders will do that to a person. But William is further weakened by the death of his mother, the arrival of a new step-mother, and his irrepressible crush on his new step-sister, Lulu. As Lulu faces down her own challenges, William watches his life shift into tumult and despair. Once Lulu departs for college, Will goes into the world to find himself — discovering Western philosophy, a cruel dating world, enduring friendship, and, ultimately, his true calling. Emboldened by his turn as a late-night radio personality, Will rescues himself from the self-image of weakness he'd long wished to escape. This debut novel explores the fundamental difference between where we come from — and the endless possibilities of where we may go.
âe~As sweet as it is inventive, profound as it is hilarious, unflinching as it is big-hearted.âe(tm) Maria Semple, author of Whereâe(tm)d You Go, Bernadette Harriet Chance has spent the last seventy-eight years following the rulesâe¦ Career girl (brief) Wife (fifty-five years) Mother of two Now widowed, Harriet discovers that her late husband had been planning an Alaskan cruise. Ignoring the advice of her children and wanting to make the most of the opportunity, she decides to set sail. There, amid the buffets and lounge singers, between the imagined appearances of Bernard and the very real arrival of her daughter, Harriet is forced to take a long look back, confronting the truth about pivotal events that changed the course of her life. What she will discover is that she has lived the best part of her life under entirely false assumptions. Confronted with the notion that her past could have been different, will she take a second chance at life?
LIFE-AFFIRMING STORY OF A DISABLED TEENAGER AND HIS CLUELESS CARER, NOW A NETFLIX DRAMA STARRING PAUL RUDD AND SELENA GOMEZ. The first rule of caring is Don't Get Emotionally Involved. So clueless carer Ben probably shouldn't have agreed to drive stroppy, wheelchair-bound teenager Trevor 400 miles across America to reunite with his deadbeat dad. Especially when Trevor's mother has absolutely forbidden it. Especially when a road trip like this could go so disastrously, gloriously wrong... Funny, life-affirming and beautifully bittersweet, this is the story of an unlikely friendship and the journey of a lifetime. 'Little Miss Sunshine meets Rain Man. Big-hearted and funny and full of hope' Boston Globe.
