Table of Content
As is real life, each character responds to their past and their circumstances in different ways, some choosing the path of righteousness, while others opt for the more seductive path of power and promised riches. And some, like one of my favorite characters, Football Coach and more (No Spoilers!) Mike Trager, take a path that is decidedly more vague. They often skirt the line, as so many of us do, between what they know is right, and what they are obligated to do by duty, loyalty, or career. These characters press on, influenced by their past and driven by their present, ever evolving as truth is slowly revealed. Arnott seamlessly weaves together his favorite themes of countercultural political idealism, homosex, and crime with the career of a Gary Glitter-like glam rock star. I had no idea that my favorite theologian, R.C.
The next book by him that I read was was a total disappointment, and this was no better - a ridiculous premise and flat, one-dimensional characters. If you read anything by Jake Arnott, make it The Long Firm. Two-and-a-half stars on the literary merits, rounded up because Sproul's life work and more than a little autobiography runs through the pages. The prose often purples, the vocabulary frequently wears a tie to Wal-Mart, the plot points are too convenient, but the heartbeat of everything is a man whose life is changed by the gospel. When a theologian writes a novel that unashamedly moralizes and preaches, the fact that it isn't bad is a triumph. No community reviews have been submitted for this work.
About Tony Breeden
He writes about recent historical eras of the 20th century. This is almost like discovering a novelisation of all of David Bowie's early 70s albums rolled into one. I found the characters believable becomingly engrossed by them and the paths they were on.
I have always been enamored with fiction from non-fiction writers. While often the end result doesn't qualify as world changing literature, it gives insight into the message in a way nonfiction cannot. A highly credentialed theologian does fiction. His effort brings his writing to a different audience. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To see what your friends thought of this book,please sign up.
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I have passed the book to a YA who's views are different than mine. Another thing I was dubious about was the Biblical references. Kellye Garrett is the acclaimed author of the new Like a Sister suspense novel, in which no one bats an eye when a disgraced reality-TV star... Jack Arnott writes historical fiction, but not of the frilly lace 18th century variety.
From prior reviews, I was expecting some graphic sex as the living beings floundered around seeking a release into purpose. Alas, where there is indeed sex throughout the novel, it is far from graphic, unless, I guess, you think gay sex is graphic by nature. Yes, it's a semi-autobiographical look back at his life turned into a allegory. It makes me cry every time I read it and the ending sermon on Isaiah 6 is powerful by itself. Breeden also does not shy away from issues of race and prejudice in his book. Again, without heavy-handedness, he explores these issues through his characters.
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Jake Arnott was born in 1961, and lives in London. He is the author of THE LONG FIRM, published by Sceptre in 1999 and subsequently made into an acclaimed BBC TV series. His second novel, HE KILLS COPPERS, was also made into a series by Channel 4. He has since published the novels TRUECRIME, JOHNNY COME HOME, THE DEVIL'S PAINTBRUSH and THE HOUSE OF RUMOUR. I found myself wondering more about what went before it and what would come after, than engaging with the plot we were presented with ... Tony Breeden is an author, speaker, and artist from West Virginia.
A fresh look at the 70s that tries to capture the ideals that stirred that period and the previous decade, starting to break with the current mentality and conventions and opening the way in good and bad to a new age. Beautiful prose whose rhythm reflects the fluid unfolding of the events and sustains the currents of thoughts and feelings of the protagonists. I’m not particularly moralistic about sex in books but the sex in this seems gratuitous and served no real purpose. I get the feeling that Arnott’s publishers noticed he decline in sales since the Long Firm and told him to ‘spice things up and bit’.
Why Johnny Can't Come Home
You jump around from character to character and really have to pay attention to avoid missing key details. As a lover of the graphic novel / comic genre too I was definitely able to appreciate what I think the author was going for but I feel that the market for this style would just be too narrow. It is not “Comic” enough for the comic readers or “book” enough for those readers leaving it kind of in no mans land. I can see what the author was going for but something just didn’t connect for me. The premise is very comic book based which is not a bad thing especially with the YA market the way it is and I have a feeling if the author could team up with a great Graphic Novelist this could become a sensation. The problem for me lies with the fact that this “feels” like a comic book / graphic novel trapped in the pages of a regular book and for me it didn’t quite make the leap to where it needed to go.
Sproul, had written anything but theology and a few children's books until I was organizing my parents bookshelves several weeks ago. I pulled this book out and at first wasn't sure how Sproul would acquit himself in the realm of fiction. Though it is quite unique in its genre, it passed my test with 5 stars. Johnny escaped the house fire that killed his family.
Not bad, and it seems unfair to hold Arnott to the insuperable standard of "The Long Firm". This is a pretty good crime story, not a great one. Try "The Long Firm" first, a novel you won't soon forget. I wish I had read this before The Long Firm, because then I wouldn't have been distracted by noticing similar shapes to the relationships and similarities in characters, but if anything I think I enjoyed this one more. As with that novel, and He Kills Coppers, the author takes a real story and turns the events into fiction. Sometimes people only have one book in them, and sadly that appears to be the case with Jake Arnott.
His mother asks the right questions here; it's just too bad she didn't get more help finding answers. Many important pieces of information available are not written by stellar writers, which sadly get dismissed. Oftentimes, the most readily available information is put out by individuals who have access and support of funds to create what appears to be a smashing read. Jake Arnott is a British novelist, author of The Long Firm and four other novels. In 2005 Arnott was ranked one of Britain's 100 most influential gay and lesbian people.
I'm putting this under both 'nonfiction' and 'occult-nonfiction' because she gets awfully conspiracy-theory heavy about... This is not why I gave it a low rating, though, I mostly gave it a low rating because the writing is absolutely terrible. And I wasn't expecting, looking at the cover, a literary masterpiece, but I was expecting a basic knowledge of English grammar. I did not get a basic knowledge of the English grammar. I lived in Urbandale, IA when Johnny Gosch went missing. The reading brought up many interesting points which to be aware.
When he was included in a list of the fifty most influential gay men in Britain in 2001, it was declared that he was widely regarded as one of Britain's most promising novelists. Good story about youth culture in the 1970s - rock & roll, protestors and squats. What it doesn't tell you is that there are some quite graphic gay sex scenes - be prepared! Jake Arnott lays on the results of his research a bit heavily, and his characters can seem a bit crudely drawn at first, but I gradually got drawn into the story right through to the thrilling climax.
He knows that Titan was behind it all and thought it best to disappear. What follows is action adventure with X-Men like characters- Super humans with abilities beyond wildest imagination fighting each other and it is just the beginning of the conspiracy. The author explores the concepts of the unmapped areas of the human brain/mind. What if we could use other areas of the 90% or so of our minds? Is survival of the fittest justifiable amongst humans? These last two questions are examined in the light of solid Biblical teachings which are an integral part of the story , giving us a quantifiable yardstick to measure them against.
