The Point: The Redemption of Oban Ironbout
3.5
16
5
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780985662127 |
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| Publisher: | Port Estillyen Productions |
| Publication date: | 05/15/2013 |
| Pages: | 292 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.66(d) |
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
The Point: The Redemption of Oban Ironbout
3.6 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
16 reviews.
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The Point is an unassuming yet powerful story that both instructs and captivates its audience. This story is mesmerizing in its ability to speak peace and comfort to your heart while opening your mind to the truth of the redemption of mankind. Intricately interwoven throughout is the redemption story which is presented with a freshness and vitality that will attract even the most complacent of heart.
We are introduced to a young couple named Goodwin and Hollie Macbreeze who are taking some time away from their life to find a respite and to gather some wisdom for what is ahead of them. They find themselves at the timeless and enchanting Isle of Estillyen which has more in store for them than just a time of peace and reflection. Hollie and Goodwin stumble upon a hidden treasure while searching for something else. They must decide how to react to the unexpected events that unfold before them.
Life is not always easy and fun, and it is even harder and more complex when we leave out the One who created and loves us. He knows the trouble that we have to deal with, and He quietly implores us to allow Him to come into our heart and help to make things a little easier for us. Only He can impart true peace and equip us for the path that is laid before us.
William Jefferson will delight and entertain you with his unique approach to the telling of the redemption story. His musical and whimsical words will put your head in a tizzy and flood your heart with God’s love and peace. This is one story that will speak volumes to your heart and bring a deeper understanding to God’s love and grace. Jefferson is a brilliant and talented wordsmith, and his story has deeply touched my heart. Anyone who reads this book will never be the same, think the same, or love the same again.
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"The Point - the Redemption of Oban Ironbout"
by William E Jefferson
Publisher - Port Estillyen Productions
Hollie and Goodwin Macbreeze travel to Estillyen hoping to find inspiration for their lives. Hollie has just been diagnosed with a disease that has her concerned and is needing peace with accepting what may come her way. Goodwin is carrying with him a sketch that he had done as a young child and is interested in visiting the place again.
Oban Ironbout is living on the property where the sketch was made and has a very bad attitude about life after losing his wife and sons. Walnut throwing and gun shooting has managed to keep people away, but not Goodwin and Hollie.
This is a beautiful story of love, forgiveness and acceptance.
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A New Classic?
I finished reading "The Point: The Redemption of Oban Ironbout" by William E. Jefferson two weeks after starting. Yes, it was a slow start since I had a hard time with writing style and the first few chapters. I plodded on gradually increased my reading time as I began to get into the story. The story has a pleasantly surprising twist to it. Goodwin and Hollie Macbreeze have traveled to the Isle of Estillyen for inspriation, for rest and to see a place Goodwin's grandfather spoke fondly about-The Point. Once they have settled at Estillyen, Goodwin travels to The Point and meets Oban Ironbout first hand-a man who wants nothing to do with the monks or the nuns or anyone for that matter. But Goodwin does not give up, even taking Hollie to visit and showing Ironbout a picture that he drew as a child of the house on The Point. The mystery behind Oban Ironbout begins to unravel but be ready for an unexpected twist. In between the visits to Mr. Ironbout the couple attends the readings that the monks on Estillyen are well known for. These series of readings called Redemption are from the Bible. The monks present them in a most compelling way.
This is a story one reads through to get the emotional impact, then read a second time for intellectual contact, and a third time for the spiritual impact and again and again because each time you read something you didn't notice the time before. So it's worth a try. If for nothing else then to discover the mysterious twist as Oban Ironbout is redeemed.
I received this book to review for free from Handlebar Publishing.
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The Point by William E. Jefferson
I was asked to read this book and give a review for others to know what the book was about. Here goes:
The book takes us to a mythical Isle of Estilyen where Hollie (also known as Lee) and Goodwin (aka Win) have gone to retreat from the world as they are adjusting to the news of a serious health issue for Hollie. They are newly married and haven’t really settled down anywhere yet, and thought this would be a good place to put life in perspective and adjust to the health issue.
In addition, Goodwin was seeking a house he has loved all his life – due to a picture his grandfather had of Estilyen. Goodwin made a sketch of it when he was a child and wants to see if it is really there. His grandfather passed away a few months ago and he feels this will let him see what was there for his grandfather, all those years ago.
This book, though, is not just a fictional book about two people who love one another and trying to find their way in the world. This island seems to have some mythical presence about it – you surmise that from the beginning when Goodwin and Hollie meet Mr. Kind on the dock before they board the ferry. I knew then something was up.
Monks live on the island and give ‘readings’ that contemplate life. It seems Estilyen is where many come to contemplate life and get serenity. There is an Abbey on the island as well, and this all plays into the story as to where Hollie and Goodwin stay, eat and gain guidance in their lives.
In Goodwin’s quest to find the house on ‘the point’, he comes upon Oban Ironbout, who wants to keep everyone away from this part of the island. He is know all over the island as a mad man who will hurt anyone who comes near and he has signs posted everywhere warning people to stay out. Goodwin doesn’t back off and, in the end, finds a man who needs love and understanding. Hollie is very intuitive in see what Oban is all about and there is a lot about why he is like he is. Oban changes during the book – won’t tell you how as I don’t want to give away anything, but you will like it.
As for the monks and the readings, they were very hard to keep up with in the book. You had to really read and reread what was going on to grasp the meaning – but once you did, you realized how deep and scriptural the readings were. There was much in them that I wanted to underline and tell others about and say ‘yes, that is all so true’. Some of them gave me new understanding of scripture that was being told in a storybook way.
One thing that was hard for me reading the book – the author would switch between names for Hollie and Goodwin without any explanation. This was hard for me to follow until I realized what and who was talking.
Second, it was hard to tell when one character was talking - sometimes one character talked for quite a while but nothing indicated who it was and you had to reread to try to figure out who was saying what. Punctuation helped some but many times that didn’t even show who was talking.
When I began the book, it was very hard to stay focused on anything as it seemed to me to story line went from one thing to another, without seeming to tie anything in together. It is very deep and not something you would read from cover to cover in one setting. As a matter of fact, you can’t read a lot of it a time as there is a lot to digest in just a few pages. It made me appreciate ‘words’ much more and how they weave our lives together. It is definitely worth a read for those who want to delve into Scripture - the fiction part of the book is just a means of presenting the Gospel.
I thoroughly enjoyed PILGRIMS PROGRESS and, to me, this is written a lot like it, but is harder to figure out who is who. The readings are from the Bible and brought a lot of it life for me in ways I had never thought of. The author is clearly a great Bible scholar and I am going to loan my book to my pastor and get his take from it. It will be interesting.
Thanks to Handlebar Publishing for the review copy of this book in exchange for review. Lilah Winget
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"The Point: The Redemption of Oban Ironbout" (published by Port Estillyen Productions) is one of those books where the reader wants the writer to turn the corner and deliver a brilliant book ... but the writer never turns the corner.
Instead, The Point is a book where the writer routinely tells the reader "words matter" but fails to make his words matter as much as they could.
That's because of the convoluted writing style adopted by author William Jefferson. At once, the writer attempts a simple, descriptive style, then suddenly mixes in an attempt of the poetic that makes for confusing, slow, and difficult reading, and rhymes more fitting for a Dr. Seuss book.
The subtitle, "The Redemption of Oban Ironbout," gives away the plot on the cover of the book. Yet, the Mr. Ironbout character isn't the main character of the book. The story starts with Goodwin and Hollie McBreeze heading for the isle of Estillyen for a personal retreat. Ironbout is an inhospitable recluse living on the island, and the collision of their lives is supposed to be key to this narrative.
In the meantime, multiple secondary characters jump in and out of the story, without bringing enough value to the story other than making for slow reading.
The author attempts to build tension, but it's at these peak points where the writing is the most convoluted. For example, there is a scene where the Ironbout character tells of seeing himself trapped inside a mirror, but the story makes no sense.
Apparently what is supposed to make this book "Christian" fiction is the inclusion of story-telling monks on the island. Goodwin and Hollie sit in on multiple "readings" performed by the monks, but instead of these being as profound as the writer obviously hoped, it's at these points where the author mixes in his difficult and odd rhymes. Just because some of the characters are supposed to be monks providing tidbits of commentary on scripture doesn't mean you will have a profound spiritual message ... and you don't find that in "The Point."
A weak plot, under-developed characters, and an odd and difficult writing style results in "The Point" being a book with some promise that is never fully delivered.
I received this book free from Handlebar as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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Goodwin 'Win' and Hollie Lee Macbreeze are newlywed, recent graduates on "a journey of sourcing. ... acquiring ideas, impressions ..." before they settle into marriage and careers. After several weeks of the usual tourist stops, they are on their way to a month-long retreat.
Driven by Win's fascination with a photograph that his grandfather kept of a cottage at The Point, they arrive on the Isle of Estillyen. It is home to the Old Order of Message Makers, a group of monks who offer a series of readings called Redemption and go by pseudonyms related to storytelling, reading, and writing.
The book intersperses the readings with the story of Win's search for the house his grandfather had remembered so fondly and which he drew when he was 10 years old. A house that is occupied by Oban Ironbout, a cantankerous old man with whom the couple becomes deeply involved.
It is a story of the power of words.
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I agreed to read and review this book, based on an excerpt that failed to reflect the heavily religious nature of the story. What seemed quaint and a little quirky in an excerpt, didn't work over the course of an entire novel.
Most of the characters felt flat and rather one-dimensional. They communicated in unbroken, page-long sections of disjointed dialogue that was frequently used in place of descriptive prose. It seemed as though they spoke at each other, rather than to each other.
Outside of the readings, which are incredibly creative and amazingly insightful, the writing was awkward. It tended toward repetitive and tedious details that really slowed everything to a crawl. I found myself digging through pages and pages of information, desperate for a point or a purpose.
Although the premise surrounding the story of Win, Lee, and Oban Ironbout is intriguing, with a lovely twist at the end, the execution fell short for me. Those interested in the readings, which are brilliantly conceived and thoughtfully executed, would be better served by buying the companion book, appropriately titled Redemption.
I am giving the book 2 stars, because it didn't work for me. But parts of the book are brilliant and the premise is promising. Other readers may enjoy it far more than I did.
~*~*~
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book through Handlebar Central. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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Reviewing THE POINT by William E. Jefferson
I was drawn to this book because it was supposed to be on the order of John Bunyan's PILGRIM'S PROGRESS which I have loved for years, and we try to read on a yearly basis... but in actuality, I had a very hard time staying "in" THE POINT ... the only similarity I found was that Mr. Jefferson named his characters after their character trait, like in Bunyan's book. But I thought the story dragged and wandered, and I had a very difficult time staying with it.
It begins by telling that it is a newly married couple and one is diagnosed with a severe kidney disease... the thought was, how would 'you' spend that remaining time together? That was an intriguing thought.
It also kept you guessing when it brought up a situation of the man crossing the right leg over the left and that was an indiscretion which he quickly corrected.
By the time it finally got into the "redemption of Oban Ironbout" it had pretty much lost my interest, and I had to force myself to finish it.
This book was provided to me free for review from Handlebar Publishing with no expectations as to what my review could or should be.
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While the writing was strong and concise, I found the story to be lacking in that element that pulls me in and makes me want to continue reading. Overall, this wasn't my type of book.
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William E. Jefferson in his new book, “The Point” The Redemption of Oban Ironbout published by Port Estillyen Productions brings us into the lives of Hollie and Goodwin Macbreeze.
From the Back Cover: SEARCHING for peace and inspiration, Hollie and Goodwin Macbreeze travel to the Isle of Estillyen—a distant harbor known for bringing ancient words of worth to the present. Their lives become unexpectedly and inseparably intertwined with the reclusive Oban Ironbout—and a mystery from the past that will transform them all. It is a tale of pain…and redemption.
First off there really is an Estillyen that you have to take a ferry to visit and there really are monks there. “The Point” is a story about pain and how, if it is not resolved, will make us reclusive and bitter and try to keep the world away. “The Point” is a story about love and how it can break down the walls that we use to protect us from that pain and can heal us. I think Mr. Jefferson has done a good job in his handling of the subject. It is an allegory and, sometimes, I have problems with allegories and I think this was one of them. Other than that the story is well done.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Handlebar. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
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This is a book written in a poetic way. It did remind me in many ways of "The Pilgrims Progress" in that it's not a quick read and there are a lot of "readings" throughout that seemed to take the flow away from the actual story.
Hollie, Goodwin and Oban are interesting characters but I can't say that I ever really connected with them. We see their struggles and their journey but I didn't necessarily feel like I was on this journey with them. When I read a book, I want to connect with the characters and care about them.
There is a lot of wonderful Biblical truth in this book that I did enjoy. There is a lot of profound information and thoughts that really touched me. The story was just too slow for me and it was a book I had to force myself to finish. If it hadn't been for the beautiful thoughts here and there, it would have been almost impossible.
I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.
*This book was provided to me for my honest review by Handlebar Central
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The Point
The Redemption of Oban Ironbout
William E. Jefferson
Port Estillyen Productions ©2013
ISBN 978-0-9856621-2-7 (ppbk)
ISBN 978-0-9856621-3-4 (e-book) 286 pp.
If I hadn’t promised to read this book, I’d have set it aside after the first few pages .I’m glad I didn’t. The concept of the monks dramatic ‘Readings’ is stupendous. I am now reading scriptures in a far more profitable and interesting way.
The problems with this story? Nothing insurmountable. The main characters are finally introduced clearly on page 11, which cleared up any confusion. The monks and some other folks speak quite poetically and that’s cool, once accepted as being a bit wordy. The rhythm of these talks is fun.
The main difficulty I had: The times the author ‘told’ readers information via dialogue between characters. Such dialogues don’t come across as credible. An example: Hollie tells Goodwin she’s wearing red slacks and has brass buttons on her shirt. He can see all that, and doesn’t need to be told.
The plot, although a bit thin, is okay, too, with a cool surprise near the end and a happy time for all.
As this author gains experience I’ll look forward to future stories.
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I received a copy of THE POINT: THE REDEMPTION OF OBAN IRONBOUT by William E. Jefferson from Port Estillyen Productions via Handlebar Publishing. I love books like this that take you to a different place and touch your soul with the thoughtful words. It is also the type of book I can share later on with family and friends. I have a great network of book readers whom I give my favorites to – a friend, my mother, my uncle, my grandmother, and my cousin. We’ve become a sort of book club and THE POINT fits in well with our bookshelf.
Enter Hollie and Goodwin, newly married. They need to think about a few things, in particular Hollie’s kidney disease, so they travel to Estillyen. I’d never heard of it before, but as I continued reading, I realized it’s a real place. I may go some day. The writing brings it to life as a spiritual location of healing. I recommend this for fans of redemption novels, as well as those who love a book that can speak to the soul. I’ll definitely watch for the companion edition, REDEMPTION: TWELVE READINGS FROM THE MONKS OF ESTILLYEN. William E. Jefferson is masterful at weaving scripture with fiction.
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In his book The Point, author William Jefferson has created a place where words matter--Estillyen.
This set-apart place brings challenge, healing, and spiritual insight to main characters Holly and
Goodwin Macbreeze. It did the same for me.
The author's unconventional sentence structure made me stop and savor individual words and
sentences. As I slowed down to appreciate the words, I found that I also slowed down to think about
the ideas behind the words.
This allegorical story is one to be read in chunks and mulled over.
Like The Shack and Screwtape Letters, it made me think about God in new ways. It also made me
think about the spiritual battle that takes place for souls, much of which is fought with words
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The Point is an amazing novel with many layers of story and symbolism. Goodwin and Holly, two young hipsters are on a pilgrimage that brings them to the Island of Estillyen. Goodwin has had a lifelong wish to the visit The Point, the most beautiful place on the island, as his grandfather who recently passed away has told him many stories of his time these. When Goodwin first encounters old Oban Ironbout, he isn't swayed by his shotgun or walnut chucking, and they begin to build a relationship.
Throughout the novel, Goodwin and Holly attend dramatic Bible readers delivered by the Monks of Estillyen. These readings are beautiful by themselves, but definitely add to the themes and symbolism of the book.
This book is not a fast read, but rather for those with an interest in religion and the desire to slowly peel back each layer of this novel, enjoying every page.
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The Point is a story of transformation, set in a beautiful imagined island called Estillyen.
Estillyen is an island inhabited by an ancient order of monks, nuns, a menagerie of animals, from a one-legged duck (named One) to a parrot named Shakespeare. Its characters and landscape, combined with the author’s style of writing, reminded me of Narnia or Middle Earth.
The story opens when Hollie and Goodwin MacBreeze, a newly married couple facing a difficult diagnosis, go looking for answers about faith and life by taking a month-long retreat on Estillyen. They find much more than they expect.
The monks on Estillyen host dramatic readings, which they’ve crafted from key passages of Scripture. They present them in a form of performance art each day.
Hollie and Goodwin’s contemplations of these readings give the book a reflective feel. But their spiritual reverie contrasts with an adventure that begins when Goodwin decides to visit the home of Oban Ironbout, an angry recluse who lives on The Point, a property on the edge of the island.
The unlikely friendship that unfolds between the old man and the young couple changes all of them.
The author’s writing style is unique and poetic, the setting elaborately described. It’s a book that was fun to read, yet offered some deep spiritual insights as well.
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I received this book for free to review. This is my own opinion. I personally did not like the book. I felt it was way to wordy and it seemed to have too many ideas demanding attention. The 1st chapter and the first meeting of Oban Ironbout and Goodwin held my attention but all the stuff between lost me. Yes the readings are from the Bible which I can appreciate but I was lost in the point of the book. The shear number of words per page with small margins was overwhelming. This is a book that requires time to read, think about and process. If someone has that sort of time in this very fast paced life then go for it. I do not.
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