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The Essence of Nathan Biddle

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Member Reviews

I had mixed feelings about this book. For me, it started off quite slow. The reader is introduced to Kit and learns very quickly that tragedy has struck several times in his young life and that he's struggling to find his place and determine who he really is. You are not given a complete story of really anything that has happened to Kit, rather just bits and glimpses. As the story progresses, each story is slowly revealed through Kit's personal thoughts, conversations with his mother and friends, and eventually discussions with a psychiatrist.

The story starts to gain some momentum as two unique (but ultimately intertwined) events occur. Both things piqued my interest but I'm not sure either was ever fully developed enough to leave a feeling of satisfaction. Part of the problem for me was that each time something important would occur, the pages would be filled with Kit's philosophical musings.

As a coming of age story, this one was fairly well done. At times, I couldn't help but wonder if the seemingly scattered way the story was told was intentional and meant to mimic Kit's view of life in general. He's a teenager and doesn't really know where life is going to take him. He is struggling with the angst of teenage love, the tragedy of losing someone close to him, and the stigma that seems to surround mental illness. That's a lot for a young man to take on and get through.

This book is filled with quite a few witticisms. The following was my favorite:

"Plants thrive after pruning. And crops grow best in manure. Don't dismiss calamity until you can look over your shoulder and see what it has produced."

Ultimately I neither loved nor disliked this book. While I did find some things about it problematic, there were several hidden gems tucked within the pages to enjoy as well.

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Children learn what they live. What if all their lives were tangled and confused? What if the adults responsible for keeping you safe became the largest threat to your life and sanity? How can Kit Biddle even be sure he's Kit, not his cousin Nathan? But Nathan died at his father's hand so who is he now?

This book is not light reading material. It delves into questions that many would not ask for fear of the answer. Told through the eyes of Kit Biddle, a high school senior who has experienced death, mental illness, identity crisis and deep grief in the last year, the story often seems confusing, but then Kit is confused for much of the book. His story will unveil the darkness at his core as he talks with a therapist. In a twisting story of inner growth, readers will come to recognize Kit's dilemna and root for his healing. Many would not finish this story as it requires you to witness Kit's fall and his struggles. But you'd find the light he discovers and feel his determination to become the person he wants to be.

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DNF @ 20%

I tried, but the language in this book just wasn't for me. It just tried too hard. I'm smart but not smart enough apparently. I just could not get through it. Sorry!

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I thought that this book was so well written! It was a bit challenging but was well worth the read! It has rich characters and is just a wonderful story line. I can’t wait to see what comes next from this author!

** Thank you to the author/publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

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Based on the description I thought this would grab my attention more, however I just couldn't get super into it. I think the author shows great potential and I look forward to more works by him, this just wasn't for me.

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I did finish "The Essence of Nathan Biddle" but it wasn't my favorite book of the year. I found the book hard to follow and hard to finish. We find that Nathan is not even the main character in the book. Read other reviews, you may find that you love the book.
Thank you to Greenleaf Book Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

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Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me at 35%.

I tried, and even started kind of getting into it. However, I just can't read a book where the language goes far over my head. I consider myself a pretty smart lady, but I didn't know what half these words meant. On top of that, I didn't enjoy the writing style. All of that put together, I am going to pass on it.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an advanced copy.

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A stunning coming of age story. Nathan has to overcome tragedy in his life in order to understand the meaning of life. Beautifully written and the story and characters will stay with me for a long time.
Many thanks to Greenleaf Book Group and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Kit Biddle is a young man who is starting to question many things about his life. He has weathered many storms in his life, not the least of which is witnessing what his uncle did to his cousin Nathan, This one unspeakable act is the catalyst that causes Kit to question so many things and start railroading his once calm and stable life.

This is a coming of age story, but I have to admit that it was a little hard to follow and there never really seemed to be a purpose to the story. This book has been compared to Cather in the Rye, but I have not read that book, so cannot comment on that.

Definitely worth a read, just don't expect a story that is neat and tidy.

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I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A teenager, who is struggling with coming of age issues. Is traumatized by a violent crime committed by a family member. His mom is emotionally absent. He beloved girlfriend isn't that into him. School is a burden. And then his eyes opened to other paths.

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“The Essence of Nathan Biddle” is an interesting coming-of-age story about Kit as he questions the meaning of life.

I had mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I understand what the author is trying to convey. While reading the story, I imagined myself in Kit’s position as he experiences strange situations and contemplates his role in life. I feel that this is something that many of us go through eventually at one point or another, and it was interesting to see how a young person like Kit meandered with his feelings.

Moreover, Kit is interesting as the lead, and I liked reading his story. The author touches on a lot of his emotions as Kit interacts with various people. From his interactions with the coach to his sessions with Dr. Gross, we see Kit mature and expand his mind. The author also makes some scenes interesting, like when Kit goes with his mother and has a colorful encounter in the asylum. It was also interesting to see how he coped with the trauma that happened in his family, like his father’s death.

However, I had trouble with how the author paced the story. At times, I felt as though there was no direction as to where the story was heading. We just read about the various situations that Kit finds himself in and how he reacts to them. For instance, I found the scenes around Zac Purcell and the funeral unnecessary, as well as the part where he is in the women’s restroom.

Overall, “The Essence of Nathan Biddle” certainly has its moments, but I felt it somehow missed its mark with its execution.

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I can see the resemblance to Catcher in the Rye with this quirky coming age novel, but it just didn’t work for me. I liked the idea of the book, but the execution just wasn’t to my taste and there was too much philosophy. That said, it was well written.

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‘The Essence of Nathan Biddle’ by J. William Lewis (Greenleaf Group Book Press, $27.95, 427 pages)

Those who have ever longed to re-experience that first, impossible reading of “The Catcher in the Rye” now have a second chance.

Maybe it’s that J. William Lewis’ Southern Gothic-esque novel, “The Essence of Nathan Biddle” is set on the Alabama coast of the 1950s. Maybe it’s the haunting nightmares of family tragedy that fill Kit Biddle’s psyche. Maybe it’s that Biddle is a high school senior on the cusp of adulthood, searching for ground and reality as he descends into desperation and self-destruction. Maybe it’s simply knowing that every dark tragedy, no matter how horrific, is tinged with pinpoints of light.

Maybe it all of these things, and indeed it is. Lewis casts a compelling and lingering coming-of-age story in this novel, and one that echoes of J.D. Salinger in form, substance and a cryptic Salinger quote: “People always think something’s all true.”

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While The Essence of Nathan Biddle was sometimes a bit slow moving and many of the characters were far from likeable, as I finished the book and walked away, I was glad I stuck with it. When all is said and done, this is an important book and one that could open doors of communication with students struggling with mental health issues. I felt that this book is one that could inspire discussions and conversations that students want to talk about but haven't known how to begin. Even the occasional poor behavior of the main protagonist is understandable when looked at from a wide angle perspective, and certainly worth some more discussion. I do recommend this book by J. William Lewis but think it would be most beneficial to students if the class spends time talking about it and considering why people do what they did and if it is in their best interests.

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Either I am too old for another teenage angst book or the author just never got his point across to me. Not sure which is the case, but I did not enjoy reading this book. It appeared pointless to me and did not ever hold my interest. I did stop half way through for several days before picking it up again to see if there was anything that could bring me back in. Did not happen!

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This one was just okay for me, but by the looks of other reviews on here I'm in the minority. I felt it was all a bit pretentious, making the main character, Kit Biddle, this intellectual, emo type character worked for awhile, but soon I just wanted the plot to get moving and to quit reiterating his deep, misunderstood attributes.

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This is a really complex book about friendship and family. Lewis has a unique style of writing. He begins the book with the assumption that the reader knows events that preceded what he is currently relating, so it is important to pay close attention and also be patient as the past unfurls. Fascinating.

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"The Essence of Nathan Biddle" is an interesting read in terms of style. It's a bit slow moving and not really my cup of tea;

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Favorite Quotes:

Newt is blessed with a mass of unruly blond hair, an engaging smile, and a con man’s gift of schmooze. He has found little difficulty convincing women that he is misunderstood; he has had some difficulty getting them to remain convinced for more than a year, sometimes even less than that.

The “general theory of cranial calibration,” as Lichtman and I formulated it, is that the size of a girl’s brain is inversely proportional to the size of her boobs.

“He thinks he’s a wit,” I said testily. “He’s only half right.”

An exquisite random squib had appeared in the dark of my life, and I was grateful. I can’t remember some things and I’m sure I’m going to forget some more, but I’ll bet I won’t ever forget Cassandra prancing on that log wearing her plain cotton panties and a devilish grin. Maybe the really beautiful things are like that: little glowing sparks in the mundane darkness of everyday existence.

He has become my mother’s “special friend” whose specialness I have unfortunately failed to appreciate.

He all about booze and self-pity. He caught tragedy and now he spreads it like a virus.

Newt says he and Uncle Nat fought a lot, and he stopped shaving and bathing and looked and acted like Bigfoot on a moonshine binge.

She’s pretty, but she’s not bright. Lichtman described her perfectly. He said Dayla is built like an Italian sports car but her engine sputters. If you mention something more complicated than shoe size or the weather, she’ll stare at you like you’ve said something in Swahili.


My Review:

I am conflicted about how to rate this one. I struggled with this book, and valiantly I might add. I had even considered a DNF but there were pros and cons to pushing forward and I’m honestly glad I did, but it was an arduous and challenging read. I found it cleverly amusing and wittily insightful for the most part but I also felt oddly annoyed and aggravated and it took considerable effort to push through the various characters’ cerebral postulating as well as the stratospheric level of vocabulary used. I typically read a book a day, yet this one took me three.

The main character of Kit had an odd childhood and bizarre family who obviously had a surfeit of intelligence but didn’t know what to do with it. Kit was floundering and exasperating. He was also unfocused, lazy, obsessive, uncommitted, aimless, and besotted with a girl who clearly and repeatedly told him she wasn’t interested. His teenaged angst and general malaise had me appreciating the fact I no longer have to work with adolescents. Retirement is sweeeeet!

The premise and storylines were oddly compelling while cast with a quirky collection of characters who, other than the lovely Sarah, were disturbingly repellent and truly ghastly creatures. I reveled in the humor of his descriptions and observations of others, but I was often felt bogged down in the prose. The author either has a treasure trove of unusual words circling his cranium or wrote with a thesaurus in his lap. I just know I am thankful I read on a Kindle with a built-in dictionary. I love words and while being far from mentally deficient I felt as such as I wore the battery down on my beloved device while frequently required to halt my perusal to look up the meanings of words like pluperfect, opacity, and lagniappe. Uncommon words I will most likely have to look up again if I ever run across them a second time.

But my main source of discontent was the ending, there wasn’t one. I am still stamping my little foot in pique; I need a semblance of closure and don’t have it. However, when I looked back at my highlighted and favorite passages, which were significantly pared down in this review, I was awed by the author’s craft and am determined to respect his process.

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This coming of age story examines the existential angst of Kit Biddle, a rising senior who is still trying to cope with the death of his father and the murder of his cousin. Somewhat dark but also at times humorous, the Essence of Nathan Biddle is a pretty good look at the troubled mind of a boy who has lived through multiple tragedies.

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