I came in possession of Theo of Golden under circuitous circumstances. My good friends Jayne and John bestowed upon me the hardcopy book for my birthday last month. It was in a hotel lobby. My wife surprised me with their presence for my birthday dinner out. When I got home, I put the book onto my reading stack in the living room, committing to pick it up when I finished what I was currently reading. Then I went on a trip and during the trip I finished the audio book I was then listening to, and while on the road, I randomly picked up the next recommendation in my queue in Audible: Theo of Golden.  I started listening while driving. I didn’t make the connection that the hardcopy book from Jayne and John, sitting on my reading stack at home, was the same book, until I get back days later.

As a result, Theo of Golden came to me in two different channels fortuitously at the same time. It was definitely meant for me.

When you read my ratings key for books with 4 stars, you find:

Must read. Inspiring. Classic. Want to read again. I learned profound lessons. Just beautiful. I cried.

Normally I start my book reviews with an excerpt of the book, before I give my opinions. Here I just have to start the other way around.

I cried – Bill, a friend of ours, as we discussed getting older, said that all he had to do is watch a movie with a dog dying and he teared up. As I get older, I find myself much more emotional, too. Is it just age or am I really getting softer? Be that as it may, I don’t remember ever having that many tears when reading a book as I just did reading (and listening to) Theo of Golden. The last time might have been in the fall of 1992 reading The Bridges of Madison County.

Just beautiful – Theo lives in an idyllic world of music, art, nature, books, friendships and love. While there is adversity in his life, like in all of ours, there is mostly beauty, and I picked up some of that beauty in the book.

I learned profound lessons – Theo of Golden made me think about my life, and the stage my life is in. What could I change today to make my world better for me, and  more importantly, for the people in my life, and for those people, I have not met yet but I am due to get to know next. One night after listening to the book during a long walk, I came back into the house, sweaty and hot, eyes still teary. My wife was sitting on the couch immersed in something on her phone. I walked over, kissed her, and said I loved her. Later that night, she asked if all was ok, because the way I had gone about telling her I loved her had made her suspicious that something was wrong. The only thing that was “wrong” was that I had learned some profound lessons during the walk from Theo of Golden.

I want to read again – This is one of the most beautiful books I had read in a long time. I’ll wait a few years, and I’ll read it again.

Classic – The author, Allen Levi, in the epilogue, tells the story of how Theo of Golden came about. He says if any book ever got written “accidentally” it’s this one. It’s his debut book, and as such it’s a masterpiece. I predict will be a classic in due time.

Inspiring – If this book is one thing, it is inspiring, to live a fulfilling life, to help other people, to listen more and talk less, to lead by example, to do the right thing even when nobody is watching, to see beyond the outer shell and find the person inside, to love.

Must read – well, here is a book review about a book you must read, and I am telling you very little about it.

An old man arrives in the Southern city of Golden in Georgia. During his first stroll through downtown he stops at the local coffee shop. While he waits for his coffee, he notices hand-drawn, framed portraits of people from town all over the walls. They are for sale. He decides to purchase them one at a time and give them to the person depicted. Hence the word “bestow” that I have used several times in this review. The only thing he asks in exchange is to have a conversation where he can hopefully hear their stories. Theo of Golden is a powerful story about the importance of personal connection, depth of relationships, generosity, friendship and love.

I won’t tell you anything else about the book, other than I have learned to call my bicycle my “noble invention” and I will go to Bevmo soon and buy a good bottle of port wine. I long for the taste.