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John Ironmonger

Goodreads Author

Born

in Nairobi, Kenya

Website

https://johnironmonger.com

Twitter

jwironmonger

Genre

Contemporary, Mystery, Philosophy

Influences

John Irving, Damon Runyon, Joseph Heller,Isaac Asimov,Kurt Vonnegut,Jo ...more

Member Since

September 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/jwironmonger

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I'm the author of 'Not Forgetting the Whale', (also called 'The Whale at the End of the World',) 'The many Lives of Heloise Starchild,' The Coincidence Authority,' ('Coincidence' in the USA), and 'The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder.'

I'm a Cornishman who was born in Kenya, schooled in Kent, studied in Nottingham and Liverpool, and worked in Nigeria, Slough, Manchester, Edinburgh, Warrington, Warwick and Glasgow. Now I live in Parkgate on the Wirral peninsula overlooking the RSPB marshes.

My lovely wife Sue and I are possibly the only non Indonesians ever to have seen a Javan rhino and her calf. True. You can read about it on my blog at http://notablebrain.blogspot.co.uk/20...

Apart from my family and my writing, my third passion is travel ...more

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It's so interesting to me how many of my friends on goodreads, including myself have come upon Not Forgetting the Whale during the time of the current pandemic. Of course I, like many, kept asking myself how is it that this author published a book in 2015 that was so prescient to what's happening in 2020? I guess that's my question. I have a feeling I'm not the first to ask. The book was a treasure. Thank you.

John Ironmonger Hi Sherril - I'm so pleased you enjoyed the book. It has been interesting how things have turned out – like the beached whale in Essex (did you notice…moreHi Sherril - I'm so pleased you enjoyed the book. It has been interesting how things have turned out – like the beached whale in Essex (did you notice it was a fin whale?) But someone wrote to tell me they are less sympathetic to Joe now because his raid on the wholesaler now looks like greedy hoarding – which had never occurred to me before. I'm not sure it was all that prescient. Pandemics come along quite often. I suspect it was a mixture of good research and luck (if you can call it that). Not sure why. Someone asked me recently if I thought it would ever be made into a film and I said, ‘no.’ I think the Coronavirus has probably killed off pandemic stories for a while. Everyone knows too much about pandemics now. People would be asking if there was a furlough scheme in St Piran and if Sainsbury’s were able to deliver …
I hope you get a chance to read my new novel out in August - The Many Lives of Heloise Starchild. And thanks again. :) John(less)

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How can you be a Cornishman? You don't mention Cornwall once in your bio, except to say you are a Cornishman. I lived in Cornwall for many many years, as did nearly all of my family. I love Cornwall. But I can't call myself a Cornishman because I wasn't born there. So what's the story?

John Ironmonger Ouch - maybe I'd be better off saying I don't have a county attachment - because I was born in Kenya and didn't come to live in Cornwall until I was s…moreOuch - maybe I'd be better off saying I don't have a county attachment - because I was born in Kenya and didn't come to live in Cornwall until I was seventeen. But my mother was from Cornwall - she grew up in Mevagissey - and whenever we came to the UK for holidays we'd stay with the family in Cornwall. So it felt like my home county. I even went to school for a while at the Lawn School in St Austell, and my mother kept a house in Carlyon Bay where we'd often live on visits to England. And because I came to school in England I would spend half terms and my Easter holiday with family in Cornwall. So in the absence of any other county affiliation from childhood, I have always thought of myself as Cornish. Just like you, living in Shropshire hasn't made me a Salopian. That's the story. (less)

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John Ironmonger’s books

Average rating: 4.0 · 15,609 ratings · 1,615 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	Der Wal und das Ende der Welt by John Ironmonger (Goodreads Author), Maria Poets (Übersetzerin), Tobias Schnettler (Übersetzer) 4.01 avg rating — 10,969 ratings — published 2015 — 49 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Coincidence by J.W. Ironmonger, John Ironmonger (Goodreads Author) 3.82 avg rating — 1,709 ratings — published 2012 — 30 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Das Jahr des Dugong 4.09 avg rating — 1,327 ratings — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Der Eisbär und die Hoffnung auf morgen 4.31 avg rating — 779 ratings — published 2023 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Many Lives of Heloise Starchild 3.85 avg rating — 801 ratings — published 2020 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wager and the Bear 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Der Eisbär und die Hoffnung auf morgen 4.25 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	L'Orso Polare e una Scommessa really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Good Zoo Guide by John Ironmonger (Goodreads Author), Les Grandy (Illustrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 1992	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Baleia no Fim do Mundo 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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John Ironmonger's Blog

My Publication Journey : (not so much a journey – more of a donkey ride). 28 May 2025

My lovely publisher Fly on the Wall Press asked me to write a short piece on 'my publication journey.' Here is the piece I sent them ...

I was fifty eightyears old when my first proper novel was published. So it must have quite ajourney then.

Well – not so much.

My problem was asupreme lack of confidence. I never believed anyone would want to read mystories. So I wrote them, a

John is Currently Reading

John Ironmonger is currently reading

Crossroads

by Jonathan Franzen

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Nov 24, 2021 11:37AM

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John Ironmonger liked Rocky's review of The Wager and the Bear: "A vital message and a very well written story. Ironmonger lays clear the danger of climate change while giving the reader hope. Fully recommended!"
Apr 21, 2025 11:12AM · see review
John Ironmonger and 1 other person liked Marleen✨'s review of Der Eisbär und die Hoffnung auf morgen: "4,5/5 Der erste Klimawandel-Roman, den ich gelesen habe. Das Buch war (mal wieder) ein blind Date und ich wusste nicht, was auf mich zukommt. Umso mehr habe ich die Charaktere in mein Herz geschlossen und schnell die Tiefgründigkeit des Buches begriff" Read more of this review »
Mar 28, 2025 11:59AM · see review
John Ironmonger made a comment on Jane Wynne’s review of The Wager and the Bear " Thanks Jane! "
Mar 05, 2025 02:53AM · see review
John Ironmonger liked Liz Stark's review of Not Forgetting the Whale: "Excellent - can't believe he wrote it before the pandemic - a great story of human goodness."
Jan 21, 2025 09:53AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Not Forgetting the Whale by John Ironmonger. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Not Forgetting the Whale by John Ironmonger <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
John Ironmonger rated a book it was amazing The Wager and the Bear by John Ironmonger (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 15, 2025 10:31AM · 2 likes · like
John Ironmonger rated a book it was amazing Jubilee by Shelley Harris	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 07, 2025 08:49AM · 1 like · like
John Ironmonger is now following Frankie Cronin and Rue Baldry
Dec 07, 2024 01:36PM
John Ironmonger made a comment on Steph’s review of The Forever War (The Forever War, #1) " I read this book maybe 50 years ago ... and it remains one of my all time favourites. Now I'm tempted to get hold of a copy and re-read it. ...more "
Jul 02, 2024 02:34AM · see review
John Ironmonger rated a book it was amazing The Forever War (The Forever War, #1) by Joe Haldeman	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 02, 2024 02:33AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Forever War by Joe Haldeman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by John Ironmonger (?)

“No one can tell you for certain if we have free will or we don't. [...] Whatever you choose to believe, you will probably want to agree with the philosopher John Locke, who argued that the whole debate is largely irrelevant. If it feels to us like free will, then let's treat it as free will and get on with our lives.”
― J.W. Ironmonger, The Coincidence Authority

tags: determinism, free-will

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“If this was death, then death was like switching off the lights in a big house; first the farthest rooms, then the dining room and the kitchen and the landing, and then the living room, and then, with the house almost in darkness, there’s time for a last look around, a farewell moment, perhaps, to see if everything is in order; and then the final switch in the hallway. Death,”
― John Ironmonger, Not Forgetting The Whale

3 likes

“Not really suicide to jump off a cliff if you’re already falling. Bit of a rubbish metaphor, but you know what I mean.”
― J.W. Ironmonger (John Ironmonger), The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder

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