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karenmariehart
Posted October 21, 2012
If Hemingway rocks your boat, or Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby still haunts you, I can promise you will be poetically entertained. J. M. Tohline's mastery of the complex character shows the far reaching parameters of love in such a pure and romantic flavor that we second guess Lenore all the way through the story of her passion and deceit.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Richard met Lenore when she had been dead for 4 days. Wow, what a way to start out a book! Everything revolves around Lenore, her life, her marriage, her loves, her in laws, her husband, Her Lover.....well you get the idea. But it is Richard you will get to know the best. Richard of the sarcastic comments (only in his head), The brilliant thoughts (which he would love if they were in his head) and second novel..which may never get written. All because of Lenore. This was a book like none other I have read. The story, odd yet feels strangely familiar. I found myself drawn in and once in, stayed in. I won't reveal the end, but you will most likely get there in one sitting, because you won't want to put it down.
JM Tohline opens The Great Lenore with a dedication: ¿Dear Reader, Take this book and fly.
An auspicious opening, but one setting the bar high for the writer. So the question is, does Lenore have wings?
The characters of The Great Lenore are an ensemble thrown together largely by chance, and book surrounds the wave one young woman¿s existence casts on the seemingly calm surface of their lives. All who meet Lenore love her. All who meet Lenore are changed by her.
From the point of view of Richard, a successful writer trying to start his second novel, Tohline leads down a trail populated by withered souls, copious amounts of alcohol, and the fickle depths of money, love and pain. We are presented with the conflicting truths of life, and watch as they crash against each other, indifferent to the bruises left behind.
This book drips with twists, littering the roadway with broken hearts and misplaced dreams. It is about how much influence luck has on our lives, the strange paths we find ourselves on, even when we never intended to leave the well-traveled one. Characters make tiny mistakes, with huge consequences. It is a study in frustration tinged with irony.
Tohline nods to his forebears in his prose and his themes, but his characters are his own. He knows them, and portrays them to the reader with grace. His characters struggle through their emotions, fighting to survive them when they are too far-gone to be concerned with what is right.
What I admire most about Tohline¿s style, something I didn¿t expect, was the sense of suspension. Not only does one become lost in the plot and characters, one becomes caught in the pause. The hesitation of a breath. The ticking of a clock. You linger in the silence between words, caught and held, savoring the moment. At one point, Richard says, ¿In general, I am a connoisseur of silence: I seek it out and enjoy it, and in social settings I use it to my advantage.¿ Like his narrator, Tohline uses silence and its fellows to great effect. It is a rare trait, and one I watch for in a writer.
Lenore lingers. Days after reading it, Lenore creeps into my thoughts. A mystery surrounds her, one that is never fully resolved. Lenore, for all her remarkable qualities, remains an undefined factor in the universe, her personal truths shrouded in the aura of her presence. Despite (or because of) her obscurity, she fascinates me.
So does The Great Lenore have wings?
Yes. And she flies.
This book is a wonderful introduction to JM Tohline. I will be watching for his next work.
PaulJoseph
Posted October 29, 2011
THE GREAT LENORE is the debut novel of the young and talented J.M. Tohline. I never doubted I would like the book. In fact, I never doubted I would love the book; I had that much faith in J.M. His blog posts convey a man who has mastered his craft; he knows much about writing and publishing, and what it takes to tell an exceptional story that is marketable today. His passion and professionalism emanates from every word he types. With me, online persona counts. I'm not an expert, but I like to think I'm skilled at picking out the real deal. J.M. exceeded my expectations long before I held his book in my hands.
When Lenore Montana's death is falsely reported, the compelling young Brit has a chance to wipe the slate clean. A fresh start falls into her lap; now, she can escape her cheating husband and abandon the life she despises. She leads us all to consider the thought-provoking question: what would I do if I could completely start over?
THE GREAT LENORE is told from the perspective of Richard, an opinionated writer who finds himself visiting the heart of Nantucket high society. Through Richard, Tohline introduces a variety of characters who remind me of a group of kids playing the human knot game. Their relationships are intertwined; they tangle together through the bonding principles of passion, prestige, and deceit. As a spectator, Richard's commentary represents the voice of those living outside these elitists. The reader has opportunities to recognize what the characters cannot see themselves.
It is safe to say I expected a lot from THE GREAT LENORE. It is also safe to say it delivered everything I hoped: passion, suspense, and a burning desire to continue reading. LENORE punched me from the first sentence. It intrigued me; I immediately imagined plot lines and scenarios, anticipating the direction the story might take. It made me part of the book.
I applaud writers who bring their stories to life. I enjoy inviting myself into their world - casting myself as an innocent bystander; the 'extra' in every scene observing as the story unfolds. My favorite books suck me inside the pages - the same way Richard Tyler is sucked inside in The Pagemaster. I read for the experience. Tohline gave me the experience I craved.
THE GREAT LENORE is a book about life. It explores dreams, opportunity, and decisions. The characters make you feel; they take on a form outside the ink housing their DNA cells and become part of your daily interactions. They make you think. They make you question your own degree of happiness. LENORE extends beyond an engaging story; it's substance lays the framework for readers to reflect and learn.
Tohline's debut pairs a contemporary story with the defining elements of literature's greatest classics. The simplicity of his words roll right off the page, yet the complexity of the story will haunt you long after the final chapter. Every word in this novel counts; the author is a master at saying a great deal in what feels like very little. J.M. Tohline writes with the experience of someone who has tackled the craft far longer than he's been alive
Anonymous
Posted March 22, 2012
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Anonymous
Posted January 5, 2012
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Anonymous
Posted March 20, 2012
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Overview
Fiction. Winner of the 2012 Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) Gold Medal for Best Fiction from the U.S. Northeast Region. The tale of a ravishing young Brit whose falsely-reported death provides her with an opportunity to begin a new life. Before she can disappear for good, however, she longs to know the reaction of her two-timing husband and his aristocratic family. To find out, Lenore enlists Richard—an outsider in the money-and-booze sodden landscape of Nantucket high society—to be her eyes and ears. As...