The Vagabond King by James ConwayKINDLE EDITION 190 PAGES
AMAZON KINDLE BUY LINK
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Book Synopsis
When his mother dies and he discovers the man he believed was his father is not, sixteen year old Chris is haunted by a mysterious apparition that forces him to question his pampered existence and embark upon a quest to find himself. Hoping she will “make a man of him”, he seeks sanctuary in the home of Magda, a middle aged waitress with a penchant for sex, only to discover she lives with her father, a cigarette smoking, beer swilling immigrant.
Chris hates his shabby new surroundings at the end of the street and the shabby old man at the end of his life who spends his days listening to old blues records and making Chris fetch him fresh cans of beer. But, when the old man tells tales of Communism, torture, escape and the mysterious medallion he wears, Chris learns that, like the old man’s skipping records, history repeats itself and the roles we play have been played many times before.
My ThoughtsFirst I have to admit this is not an easy read, it is not light entertainment rather it is very deeply introspective and at times even somewhat a little too much to understand without re-reading portions of the book.
I also have to admit that I never totally warmed up to 16 year old Chris, he just lacked appeal until almost the very end of the story for me. I did however fall in love with Magda's father, his earthy character reminded me of my own father in some ways and the last scenes before he passed away were some of the hardest to read because it took me back to my own father's demise several years ago.
This is a story that takes the reader deep into the heart, minds and emotions of Chris, Magda and Mihali. It is a book that tears down the walls that we all hide behind and exposes our soft underbelly in the character of Chris. There is not just one plot but several, the story of what is going on in Chris's mind as he looks for himself everywhere but deep inside, the story of Magda the waitress who is also something of a closet philosopher, the story of Mihali Lazlo who is not just an old immigrant but in his own country a former member of the aristocracy.
You at times feel overwhelmed by the spiritual overtones, the mystical references, the sheer efforts that Chris undertakes while trying to understand his own existence and his place in the world.
If you can get past that then you will enjoy the journey that Chris embarks upon which proves that in the end everyone and everything is connected in some way, that there is no universal truth but only the chance to live life to the best of our ability with hope and determination while we have breath left to enjoy it
There is so much going on in this book it is hard to break down without retelling the entire story, suffice to say that it will make you think and sometimes that is the best reason for reading a story as so many times we pick up something that does not make us think at all but allows us just to escape. This is not that kind of read but rather a deeply thoughtful look at why it is better to live our lives than search for answers as to why certain things come to pass and our life is over with nothing to show for it!
[A kindle copy of the book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.]
Author Jim Conway graciously agreed to do an interview with me about The Vagabond King.
Please welcome the author as he answers a few questions pertaining to the book.
First I'd like to thank you for hosting me today.
Jackie
2. Do you have any certain routines you must follow as you write?
That's an interesting question. A large part of writing when you first start out is figuring out what things you are comfortable with such as pens, paper, time of day etc. I use uniball pens with a very fine point and yellow legal pads that are college ruled. I have the back of an old wooden puzzle my father brought me from Norway that I turn over to use as a lap desk when writing. I find that the night time is better for generating creative images and ideas and day time is better for editing and hammering those ideas into shape.
Jackie
3. In the beginning, what or who spoke to your first? The story or the characters?
After pondering this for a while I would have to say it was a mix of both. Stories reveal themselves to me in bits and pieces I don't see the complete story until it is almost done. I modelled Mihali Llaslo (The Old Man) after a man I know who actually survived the atrocities of Communist Hungary and I thought to myself, here is a real hero, his is an important story to tell. The questions Chris has after his mother dies were the questions I had about my own life and I wondered how I could realistically portray them. This led me to develop a teenage protagonist because teens are in a state of transition and questioning life already. Chris's mother dies and he discovers the man he was raised to believe is is father is not in order to increase the confusion in his life and justify the fact that he is asking these questions. So this led me to a story which is basically a story about a boy contemplating his navel which get's pretty boring pretty fast. The need to overcome this led me to the love interest between a young man and an older woman. Magda was originally going to be The Old Man's granddaughter but a teenage love story is pretty mundane, a love affair between a young man and an older woman is more intriguing. I created a high level of sexual tension in order to carry the story and make it more compelling to the reader. All these elements presented themselves to me gradually over time.
Jackie
4. Pitch or describe "The Vagabond King" for us in two sentences for those who have not heard of the book yet.
When his mother dies and he discovers the man he believed was his father is not, sixteen year old Chris is haunted by a mysterious apparition that forces him to question his pampered existence and embark upon a quest to find himself. The Vagabond King weaves mythology, astronomy, religion and the histories of Hungary, Africa and ancient Mesopotamia into a metaphysical mystery as Chris learns that, like the old man’s skipping blues records, the universe is full of sorrow and the roles we are playing have been played many times before.
Thank you Mr. Conway for allowing me to read the book, it was an experience that will stay with me for while as even a week later am still processing the story.
For anyone who stops by hit the buy link, the ebook is only 99 cents so get your copy today.
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