Following the advice of his English teacher, Paul Garner uses his part in a school play to embark upon a journey of discovery. By attempting to rewrite and redirect the story, he finds that his quest assumes reality. Not only do the characters escape direction by his pen but he loses distinction between himself, as author, and the character he plays. He becomes lost within the narrative, which moves in ways not of his choosing. However, the bond between him and the one he seeks is never broken. Whether from dream and memory, part of reality or the image of a goddess, she is always the inspiration for the play. Yet where did the play originate? Jonathan is an orphan; whether he be the dead foster brother of Bethany, the imaginary friend of Daniel or the fostered child of the reclusive Aunt Sheelagh, his tales transform loss into a search for love in all worlds and beyond. Tales of Jonathan is a self exploration of one person's mind, culminating in his discovery of truth in the deepest chamber. By transcending the restrictions of rationality, he finds a new reality. Dreams which have no end are no longer dreams. His previous loss and grief have become the fiction; the tales of Jonathan are now his reality. It is a story about the power of faith and love. I believe that with reflective thought, the reader will find it a challenging and rewarding book. Nicol addresses the slippery substance of reality from every angle, repeating the main story and many of its key phrases in slightly different contexts each time. While the intellectual exercise is fascinating, it is easy to lose the thread of the story in all of the rearranging, which makes for some challenging reading. -CLARION As Nicol invites readers into dreams and memories cobbled into a M�bius strip, there's little sense of what's real and what's not. The first of seven segments suggests that the novel will concern schoolboy Paul Garner and the enchanting Bethany

Review

Clarion Review

Tales of Jonathan

Keith Nicol

AuthorHouse

978-1-4259-6291-3

Katherine Paterson’s Bridge to Terabithia meets Hermann Hesse’s Steppenwolf in this

absorbing fantasy novel by debut author Keith Nicol. The multifaceted Tales of Jonathan takes

readers on an adventure that uses the magic of the fairy tale to explore sophisticated

philosophical questions about the very nature of reality.

The story opens in a classroom where Paul, a shy teenager, finds that he will be playing

opposite the enchanting Bethany in an upcoming school play. Nicol expertly captures the

everyday rhythms of the classroom, from the the students’ banter to the teacher’s efforts to get

their attention. All seems perfectly normal until Paul and Bethany start taking walks in the

woods together. There, they create a fantasy world known only to the two of them, much like

Paterson’s Jess and Leslie in the magical forests of Terabithia.

It’s not long before the boundaries between playacting and reality begin to blur for the

young couple. Revelations from Bethany suggest they are living out a story written by her foster

brother, Jonathan, before he died. Or perhaps it’s actually several stories. And did Jonathan

really die, or did he simply enter his own tale and get lost there? This is where Tales of Jonathan

enters Hesse territory; only in this case, the book-in-a-book becomes a play-within-a-play

repeated ad infinitum.

The first chapters of Tales of Jonathan are truly enchanting. Secret meadows nourish the

budding romance, offering a safe place to exchange the heartfelt vows of young love. The first

third of the novel, in fact, could easily stand alone as a coming-of-age story using fairy-tale

imagery. The imagery, however, becomes darker and much less linear as Nicol unfolds the story

from a variety of ever-changing perspectives.

“Dreams that have no end are no longer dreams,” writes Nicol, as he enters into Paul’s

kaleidoscopic dream scape, where each character’s reality echoes another’s in slightly different

form. Paul is Daniel is Jonathan, while Bethany is Megan is Tyamka.

Nicol addresses the slippery substance of reality from every angle, repeating the main

story and many of its key phrases in slightly different contexts each time. While the intellectual

exercise is fascinating, it is easy to lose the thread of the story in all of the rearranging, which

makes for some challenging reading.

Anyone interested in exploring the boundaries between fantasy and reality will enjoy

Nicol’s story, but Tales of Jonathan may find its best audience among young adult readers who

are sorting through the same questions about the limitations of real life as Paul and Bethany.

Sheila M. Trask

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

Save up to 90% on your favorite items at BargainBookStores.com! Our 20,000 square foot warehouse in Grand Rapids, Michigan is filled with hundreds of thousands of books and consumer goods, all at the lowest prices! We've been serving internet customers with great deals since 2001. All books ship from Grand Rapids, Michigan. 100% Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed We want to ensure your satisfaction. If you are dissatisfied with your purchase or shopping experience, we would like to hear from you. Please contact us by email: cs@bargainbookstores.com. Please be sure to include your contact information and order number. We do not charge a restocking fee for returns. Your Privacy BargainBookStores.com does not provide, sell or market customer information to other businesses or organizations.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

BargainBookStores
3423 Lousma Dr SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49548, U.S.A.

Sale & Shipping Terms

Terms of Sale

BargainBookStores guarantees 100% Customer Satisfaction. We ship worldwide and offer a variety of shipping methods to meet your needs. Please place your order directly via ABEBooks.com. We accept payment by MasterCard and Visa. For more information, contact us by email at cs@bargainbookstores.com. Full contact info is below:

BargainBookStores.com LLC
3423 Lousma Dr SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49548

Right of cancellation

If you are a consumer you can cancel the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE RIGHT OF CANCELLATION

Statutory Right to cancel

You have the right to cancel this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.

The cancellation period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the the last good or the last lot or piece.

To exercise the right to cancel, you must inform us, BargainBookStores, 3423 Lousma Dr SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A., 49548, +1 616-301-2349, of your decision to cancel this contract by a clear statement (e.g. a letter sent by post, fax or e-mail). You may use the attached model cancellation form, but it is not obligatory. You can also electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". If you use this option, we will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a cancellation on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.

To meet the cancellation deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired.

Effects of cancellation

If you cancel this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).

We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.

We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to cancel with contract.

We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.

We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.

You shall send back the goods or hand them over to us or BargainBookStores, 3423 Lousma Dr SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A., 49548, +1 616-301-2349, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your cancellation from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.

Exceptions to the right of cancellation

The right of cancellation does not apply to:

the delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
the supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not cancel it once delivery had started.

Model withdrawal form

(complete and return this form only if you wish to withdraw from the contract)

To: (BargainBookStores, 3423 Lousma Dr SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.A., 49548, +1 616-301-2349)

I/We (*) hereby give notice that I/We (*) withdraw from my/our (*) contract of sale of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following goods (*)/for the provision of the following service (*),

Ordered on (*)/received on (*)

Name of consumer(s)

Address of consumer(s)

Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper)

Date

* Delete as appropriate.

Shipping Terms

We will ship to all domestic and most international destinations.

Please note: Shipping times are estimated and are not guaranteed by BargainBookStores.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.

Shipping rates within U.S.A.
Order quantity	4 to 10 business days	4 to 9 business days
First item	� 0.00	� 29.45

Delivery times are set by sellers and vary by carrier and location. Orders passing through Customs may face delays and buyers are responsible for any associated duties or fees. Sellers may contact you regarding additional charges to cover any increased costs to ship your items.