If you are looking for an inspirational novel that will stay with you long after you have finished the book, I would highly recommend Theo of Golden by Allen Levi.
Summary of the Book
The book begins when Theo arrives in a Georgia town of Golden on the Oxbow River. It is a small college town and Theo, a 86 year old Portguese-born gentleman, soon settles in and get to know the towns people. He asks lots of questions, but tells very little about himself.
His walks lead him to a coffee shop called the Chalice where he has a conversation with the owner and sits to enjoy his coffee and the 92 pencil portraits that hang on the wall. Theo discovers that they are all portraits of people of Golden drawn by a local artist Asher Glissen. Althought they are for sale no one has bought any and they made Theo very curious about the people in the pictures. Each time Theo comes for his coffee he is intrigued by them.
Theo decides that he wants the people in the portraits to have their portrait so one by one he purchases the portraits and arranges to meet the people in the portraits on a bench by the fountain. There he listens to their stories and gives each one their drawing. Through these bestowels we meet the interesting people of the town. The recipients include people of all walks of life. There is a bartender, retirees, a homeless woman named Ellen, a street musian, a student cellist, a custodian, children and a single father. One by one Theo makes a difference in the lives of many people.
Underneath it all the book is about quiet generoisty and seeing and being seen.
There is much more to the book and the last third of the book has some revealing twists. I don't want to spoil the book by giving hints to those revealations. To some the book may seem to start slow but I didn't see it that way. I would encourage you to read it to the end. You will be glad you did.
Books Road to Success
This book, which is the author's first novel, was first self-published in 2023. It soon became popular through word of mouth and went viral on the internet. Then in 2025 it was republished by Atria Books and quickly became a #1New York Times best seller.
I heard about it from a friend who had read it soon after it came out.
I found it to be a delightful book that has so much in it that I will read it again and again.
The Book on Amazon
The book can be found on Amazon in hardcover, paperback Kindle, or audible versions. Here is a link Theo of Golden
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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