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A man in his 80s arrives in the small town of Golden, Georgia. Theo doesn’t tell anyone much about himself or why he’s there, just that he’s content to visit for a while. When he goes to a coffee shop that many recommend, his attention is immediately drawn to the nearly 100 framed pencil-drawn portraits that hang on the walls of the shop. He studies them up close and marvels over the skill of the portraitist. And then he decides to buy them, a few at a time, and present them as gifts to the subjects, all residents. Theo isn’t sure how the recipients will react to his bestowals, but he knows he has to do it.
Thus begins the journey of Theo, a man whom locals come to love but know very little about, even his last name. For a year, he gifts these remarkable portraits and kindly asks questions of the “rightful owners.” He shows each respect and helps them see their best qualities, captured there in pencil on paper.
Friendships are made, lives changed, and Theo shares his wonder about life, about art, about the simple things in the world around us with those he encounters.
Theo of Golden has been out for a few years, but it just came across my radar. When I went to reserve it at the library, the waiting list was ridiculously long. So I decided to buy it! I rarely do that. But the 4.5-plus average star rating on Goodreads, combined with those long hold queues, made me just go for it. And I’m so glad I did. This is one I would have bought anyway.
I love heartwarming books, but I avoid books that take cheap shortcuts to make people teary-eyed, that are maudlin, overly sentimental. Gentle tugs on the heartstrings, combined with lovely character development and truly noble acts and interactions, win me over. I don’t like feeling “wrecked” after a book ends. I do love feeling uplifted. This novel did all the best things for me. Especially with all I’m feeling about the things happening in our country and the world right now, I was so happy to have Theo of Golden take me to a place where I smiled and sighed a little every time I opened its pages. I saw the best of people. I saw community, generosity, and kindness. Redemption. I so highly recommend this book. It’s just beautiful.
Rated: Mild. Profanity includes 11 instances of moderate profanity, about 40 uses of mild language, and 15 instances of the name of Deity in vain.
Click here to purchase your copy of Theo of Golden on Amazon.
A couple of quotes I especially enjoyed:
A concert was simply the final step in a long progression that included seed and forest, logger and craftsman, ink and paper, player and audience, mind and body, heart and soul, heaven and earth. Music was a microcosm. It was portraiture in sound.
“Baby, they’s justice and they’s mercy. If you not sure what to do and you gotta choose one or the other, I say always go the mercy way. If you make a mistake, make it for mercy. Bad mercy don’t hurt nearly like bad justice.”
