Terence M. Green Books

This is one of those rare books you're really glad you bought because it's worth reading twice. Buy this book! Definately one of the best I've read in a long time. This is what great storytelling is all about.

It's hard when a book is set in the town you grew up in to know whether you are reacting to the book on its own merits or simply because all the familiar places have a special resonance for you. But I think anyone would enjoy this terrific book, even if they've never been to Toronto. Greene's characters will keep you glued to the page.

Terrance M. Green has delivered a crisp, profound, articulate and genuine look at life's journey. Through Martin Radey we learn of youthful mistakes, missed opportunities, and painful choices that haunt unto death, but are buoyed by the promise of redemption and second chances. Upon his death, he surveys his life and the life of his family, and the look is insightful, sometimes painful, always real and recognizable. Mr. Green has a writing style that flows in it's unique cadence, drawing his reader in at first sentence. Though short in page, his book is long in quality, style and substance. It must be read morsel by morsel and not devoured, as the reader's appetite is appeased by succulent descriptions and zestful words. Dessert is the truths realized in the story. In short, " A Witness to Life" is a gourmet feast. Bon Appetite!!

Set in the South Pacific, the book introduces us to Bran Michael Dalton, an Irishman imprisoned in the notorius British penal colony of Norfolk Island in 1835, and Fletcher Christian IV, direct descendant of the "Bounty" mutineers, who is travelling back in time from 2072 to Pitcairn Island. Unforseen circumstances skew Fletcher's journey, and he and Dalton switch places - twentieth-century man is catapulted forward to 1972, where he must cope with endless bafflement such as radios, The Rolling Stones, tinned food, and condoms.
Fast-paced and humorous, Green's narative flows ingeniously from one time frame and place to the next, alive with intelligence and wit. It will leave you with a sense of wonder about the origins or man and the earth. Truly a treasure for Time Travel enthusiasts!

Leo Nolan is at first glance trying to fill a void for his dying mother. In his search for her lost brother he is transported to another time, when troubles ran deep. The characters are easy to grasp, and attention to detail is not necessary. The intermingling of the here and the "then" is inviting. I found this book to be a compelling quick read, worthy of passing onto others.

Shadow is a competently plotted and executed novel, which takes as its departure point a man's search for his long-disappeared uncle who appeared to his mother on her deathbed. Reality, vision, near-death hallucination, it's never clear what she saw, but not long after her death letters from the missing man, written fifty years before just after he abandoned Toronto and headed south to the U.S. in the depths of the Great Depression, begin to arrive. Navigating by the trail of postmarks the nephew reaches Ashland where he encounters his again young uncle one midnight outside the hospital where the uncle worked briefly. Soon he travels back to Great Depression Ashland and is deep into a farfetched miners' plot to rob a bank. There is plenty of trenchant commentary on the rich, much third person detail of depression suffering (recounting the deaths of children is a favorite theme), a love triangle, a new romance for the jaded but brittle narrator, praise for Fr. Coughlin, the Nazi-sympathizer priest who captivated radio audiences in the Thirties, and some fairly stilted dialogue meant as romantic banter. None of this engaged me much, however, and I finished the short novel with nothing more than a sense of another book read and not likely to be long-remembered.

I didn't think I'd like this book but it surprised me. The narrator is likeable and the story is easy to follow. This is not a typical romance (which is what I thought when I looked at the cover). Worth reading at least once!

In this brief and lovely book, the narrator, Leo, goes on a search for his uncle, missing for fifty years. In the process, he travels back in time to depression era Kentucky, a literary device which is beautifully done and does not seem at all out of place. The author's prose is straightforward and moving in its simplicity, and themes of hardship, loss, remembrance and recovery are woven into the story in a way that stays with you. One of the best books I've read in a long time.

I was initially thrilled to discover that Green had written a sequel to "Shadows of Ashland", a novel I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the time travel genre, ala Jack Finney. Fifteen years have passed; Leo Nolan has married Jeanne and has done an admirable job of helping to raise her son, Adam, now twenty-one. Adam wants to visit his natural father, Bobby, who deserted Jeanne before Adam was even born. The dustjacket copy details how "Leo decides that he had better visit the man first, and so he embarks on another trip into the past, from which he returns changed again." Had Bobby been forced to abandon his wife and unborn son? Had he done something so awful that only, say, a physical trip into the past by Leo might reveal and perhaps correct it? Are we in for another adventure back in time, perhaps to explore Jeanne's family? The answer is a disappointing no. In "St. Patrick's Bed", Leo never physically travels back in time, his trips to the past are all narrative reminiscences about the various members of his family, the events of his marriage and of problems the couple are encountering in having a child of their own. Leo's narrative is essentially a series of sentimental meditations on love, family and nostalgia, along with way too many (ofttimes tedious) descriptions of the motels he stays at and the food he eats during his drive. His eventual encounter with Bobby is bland. A minor sub plot involving the reappearance of Leo's father was a missed opportunity, woefully underused, with the pay off at the end of the book being too little, too late. Green's prose voice is as friendly and inviting as before, but the story is slight, offering no real conflict - a waste of his characters. Would I read this book again? Probably not.

Though only the stepfather, Leo Nolan deeply cares about his wife's son, Adam, a twenty-one years old University of Toronto English major, as if he sired the lad. Unexpectedly, Adam articulates the need to meet his biological father who abandoned his pregnant mother before the lad was born.

Not wanting Adam hurt Leo seeks out his stepson's biological father in order to make sure he is a decent person. While conducting his search, Leo thinks back on his relations with his father, his Grandfather, and his Uncle.

The sequel to SHADOW OF ASHLAND, ST. PATRICK'S BED, is a poignant look at the relationships in modern day extended families. The story line engages the reader because the characters feel so real and most people are either part of or at least know a rapport identical to that shared between Adam and Leo even though the duo do not share genes. The noble Leo who ultimately keeps the novel fresh and from turning too maudlin as his trips back down memory lane constantly shakes up the prime theme with solid subplots. Has written an exultant relationship drama that fans of contemporary tales will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner

Several years ago I read a new author, Terence Green, when his book Shadows in Ashland was published. I was intrigued by the family history presented in this book as the main character, Leo Nolan, sets out to find his uncle who left home during the Depression and was never heard from again. During his journey Leo, a resident of Canada, finds himself in Ashland where he not only finds out about his uncle's life but meets a woman Jeanne and her young son Adam who will become an integral part of his future.

The years have passed and in his newst book Green continues the story of Leo. Once again living in Canada, Leo is now married to Jeanne and the father of her son Adam. At 21, Adam is a fine young man who sudedenly exprsses an interest in meeting his biolgocial father. Leo sensing that Adam may be hurt by either finding or not finding his father, decides to try and find this man without Adam's knowledge.

While traveling first to Ohio, the last place Jeanne knew Adam's father lived, Leo has time to reflect on the male influnces in his life which include his father Tommy Nolan, grandfather Bampi and cherished uncles. He also spends time reflecting on the death of hia biological son Aidan from his previous marriage and his dreams and wishes for Adam as he is about to embark on adulthood. Finally in the most moving parts of the book, Leo comes to terms with his and Jeannes inability to have a child from their marriage. And as we read on we wonder what the outcome of this journey ultimately will be for Leo as well as Adam.

Terence Green's plot, characters and writing envelop the reader from the first page to the last one. And if readers find themselves ending the book with tears as I did, it is because the Nolans have become part of your family and you hate to leave them. I look forward to reading more books by Terence Green but now am content to read his second book Witness to Life which also discusses another aspect of this families history.

We first meet Leo Nolan in "Shadow of Ashland" seeking knowledge of his lost uncle, Jack Radey. Knowledge is found, along with a lovely woman and her young son. Leo marries Jeanne displacing she and Adam to his home in Canada, leaving behind Adam's father. Now, 15 years later, in an act of protection, Leo feels he must anonymously meet the "other" father, prior to Adam doing so. The poignant trip back to Ashland conjurs sentimental memories memorialized beautifully by the prose of Terence Green. As his passenger, the reader delves into cobwebbed rememberances of drive-ins, childhood mayhem, and life's non predictiability. You are never disappointed in Leo's sidetrips....the magical moments lie there in quivering wait.

Terence Green is one of my top ten favorite male authors. This is a vast compliment, as I am somone who has read thousands of books, multiple genres, bevy of writers. His simple, quiet, sentimental style mesmerizes my eyes and heart to each page; each circumstance; each emotion. That he grips his reader san gratuitous violence and sex, multiple plot twists, or grapic language is a tribute to his abilities. There is romance, there are debacles, there are twists of thought, and there is language, but all are subtle, precise, palatable, and genuine.

"St Patrick's Bed" is a love song to rituals past and present; to memories enjoyed or endured; to choices desired or willed. It chants of love in all it's forms, and the music sings to each reader's soul. It is a gift to you. I would advice splurging!

Well, I would not give it a 4, but hey. I am not much for sci-fi, but I am an opened minded person. The book was not that hard to belive, though I wonder if Green got money for using all those plugs for the products in the book. It was O.k. just dont expect to much from it.It will pa...ss the time

Hard-boiled crime drama in the 21st century. I was pleasantly surprised how well it drew me in, since I generally prefer far future SF. Green starts the action from the get go, and his crisp straight-forward writing made my eyes hungrily consume the pages. He also managed to give the story a strong character focus, instead of relying on non-stop action. While the SF element of the book spotlights the effects on society of the introduction of the first sort-of successful revival of the dead from cryonic suspention, the heart & soul of the drama shows the troubles in life for those that are the "thin blue line", showing that tomorrow's tomorrow may not be so different than today. Technology grows and changes, but people are people.

Very rarely do I actively dislike a book. This was one of those times when I did. Yes, it's a sci-fi detective story. That's good. Yes, the premise is interesting. That's good. But the characters were *so* one-dimensional, the plot was *so* predictable, and the concepts were *so* glossed-over, that I found myself very pleased to get through it at all. Amazon.com's recommendation center has never steered me so wrong before, but I guess there's always a first time. When I finally slogged my way through it, I donated it to a homeless shelter. And now I feel guilty about it -- homeless people don't deserve dreck like this...

for a very short book, blue limbo is packed with emotion and adventure. terence green is a writer to watch. the characters are very real, i could feel the pain in mitch helwig when he split up with his ex-wife. i would highly recommend this book to fans of science fiction and people who dont read sci-fi books. i hope the paperback edition does well for mr. green. jim sbicca

I stumbled upon Mr. Green's book Blue Limbo in the library, and once I had read several pages I knew I was reading great fiction. Oddly enough the writing reminded me of another author I love--i.e., Paco Ignacio Taibo III. Both writers manage to pack a great deal insight, humor, and immmense sadness into very small packages. Although the science fiction component of the book is small, a cop in the near future, I think it serves as a great context for a character, Mitch Helwig, who is deeply entrenched in the past and struggling to make a present for himself. The humor is dark and very funny, and the characters relationships cut straight to the heart. This is a great novel, now if I can only find Barking dogs..

This is a great collection of science fiction stories by Canadians, many of whom you will recognize as pioneers in the genre. The stories are entertaining and original, and the introduction is fun and educational.