Alan Reynolds's Blog
July 18, 2016
FREE Download The Tinker
For today only my acclaimed novel The Tinker is available to download FREE on Amazon. A great holiday read https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tinker-Alan-...
December 7, 2015
The Tinker free
Hi Just to let you know that The Tinker is now free to download from Amazon for one week http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tinker-Alan-R...
March 5, 2015
Literary Magic - 5* Review for The Tinker
Literary Magic
By Deep Reader on March 4, 2015
Format: Paperback
Every once in a while literary magic happens, not often – just often enough to let you know it exists. Alan Reynolds has written several novels “Flying with Kites ~ The Sixth Pillar ~ Breaking the Bank” etc. - all well-crafted and with an easy to read voice. He is what is called in literary circles a competent author ~ he did the job to the satisfaction of his readers … with his latest novel he does more … much much … much … more.
From the moment you begin to read “The Tinker” you realize something special is taking place between you and the words written between the front and back covers. To quote page 5 - “Everyone was given a warm welcome…” The quiet village of Drayburn, nestled in the English countryside, is the perfect place to relax while on holiday or before drifting off to sleep at night with this book and a hot cup of cocoa on your bedside table. And you do relax. You do become part of the village, a friend to Michael … like all the rest.
Literary magic is not about what the author puts on the page, but what he doesn’t. It is seeing an image that was never described with or without clever adjectives but is never-the-less there radiant between the lines. There is a growing tension somehow surrounding this unusual, seasonal, handy-man (Tinker) you can feel it … you want to keep reading but you don’t … you put the book aside for only a while. You want the feelings to last … like a summer love affair that you know has to end in September.
When the violence starts, and you know it must … good literature is always about extremes … you are no longer able to put the book aside, for even a little while. Too soon it ends … and you want more … the books only flaw.
By Deep Reader on March 4, 2015
Format: Paperback
Every once in a while literary magic happens, not often – just often enough to let you know it exists. Alan Reynolds has written several novels “Flying with Kites ~ The Sixth Pillar ~ Breaking the Bank” etc. - all well-crafted and with an easy to read voice. He is what is called in literary circles a competent author ~ he did the job to the satisfaction of his readers … with his latest novel he does more … much much … much … more.
From the moment you begin to read “The Tinker” you realize something special is taking place between you and the words written between the front and back covers. To quote page 5 - “Everyone was given a warm welcome…” The quiet village of Drayburn, nestled in the English countryside, is the perfect place to relax while on holiday or before drifting off to sleep at night with this book and a hot cup of cocoa on your bedside table. And you do relax. You do become part of the village, a friend to Michael … like all the rest.
Literary magic is not about what the author puts on the page, but what he doesn’t. It is seeing an image that was never described with or without clever adjectives but is never-the-less there radiant between the lines. There is a growing tension somehow surrounding this unusual, seasonal, handy-man (Tinker) you can feel it … you want to keep reading but you don’t … you put the book aside for only a while. You want the feelings to last … like a summer love affair that you know has to end in September.
When the violence starts, and you know it must … good literature is always about extremes … you are no longer able to put the book aside, for even a little while. Too soon it ends … and you want more … the books only flaw.
January 13, 2015
Latest 5* Review for The Tinker
This is Alan’s best book to date. I’ve loved reading all his books and awaited the publishing of this one with bated breath. The wait was definitely worth it.
The characters are well portrayed as always and the storyline was tantilising in it’s mystery.
I absolutely loved it and recommend anyone to read it for a great read
The characters are well portrayed as always and the storyline was tantilising in it’s mystery.
I absolutely loved it and recommend anyone to read it for a great read
January 5, 2015
Twitter Feedback on The Tinker
#amreading 'The Tinker' by Alan Reynolds and I'm hooked. It's a must-read: charming, surprising and a captivating page-turner.
From Janey Rosen
From Janey Rosen
December 28, 2014
Latest 5* review of The Tinker
Loved this book. Thoroughly enjoyable and kept me gripped throughout. Alan's storytelling is amazing
December 10, 2014
First review of The Tinker
This book will be another best seller for Alan I am sure. Set in the sleepy village of Drayburn in the Cotswolds the odd job man returns for his seventh visit, each summer he returns unannounced but the villagers are eager for his return. Michael is very popular with the locals for his general skills for which he takes great pride, some of the lady's are especially keen for him to return as there is a mystic about him, he is also handsome in a rugged sort of way. I do not want to say too much about the story as it will spoil the plot but if you like action and a bit of romance thrown in I'm sure you will like this book as I do. I have to say I got a bit jaded with reading for a while because some books I bought didn't hold up to their write-ups but Alan's new book has revitalised my interest in reading again, thanks Alan
December 9, 2014
The Tinker first review
'Just finished reading The Tinker by Alan Reynolds. What a brilliant read kept me transfixed to every page, for around £3.00 it's a bargain and much better than the telly' - John Knight
May 1, 2014
5* Review Amazon.com
Purchase
I have a new favourite Indie author after I just finished reading Flying With Kites by Alan Reynolds. From the very first page, I knew this book was going to be different from many of the Indie books I’ve read over the past year or two.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed reading a great many books by my Indie peers. Most of those books have had extremely good stories and characters, and I can tell that their authors have poured their hearts and souls into them. But, more often than not, Indie books look unprofessional because of an abundance of typos, along with glaring errors with grammar and punctuation. It’s what keeps very good books from becoming great books.
Not so in Flying With Kites, where the writing feels polished and professional from the first paragraph. Alan Reynolds is obviously a natural born storyteller, since Flying With Kites was written in a period of only three weeks in 2010, quickly developing a strong cult following after it’s release.
Flying With Kites is the story of Katya Gjikolli, a Kosovan refugee during the 1990’s civil war in the former Yugoslavia. The story documents her perilous journey through Serbian-held territory, being processed as a refugee, and ending up living in the squalor of a Macedonian refugee camp, before being evacuated and resettled in Newcastle, UK.
If this book was only about Katya’s journey, it would stand on it’s own merits. But the author has cleverly woven Katya’s story together with a number of gripping subplots involving the existing residents of the apartment tower where she now lives. In the process, Alan Reynolds has woven a complex social tapestry for our reading enjoyment. In addition to it’s strong plot, the book’s characters are completely believable and psychologically complex. The author does a masterful job of giving us insight, not only into the horrors of becoming a refugee, but also into Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, existing social problems in urban centres like Newcastle, and the challenges that refugees face when trying to find a new identity in their new homes.
In the end, the author brings all of his subplots together, resolving them in a way that left me feeling totally satisfied as I swiped the book’s last page on my eReader. But my short-lived feeling of satisfaction quickly evaporated with a masterful surprise ending that left me gasping for breath.
So, after reading Flying With Kites, I have bad news for all of my Indie author peers out there. The bar for getting a five star rating from this reviewer has just been raised, and Alan Reynolds’ writing is the new standard to which I will now be comparing all Indie authors, including myself. I’m feeling up to the challenge, and I hope my Indie peers are up to the challenge as well.
I have a new favourite Indie author after I just finished reading Flying With Kites by Alan Reynolds. From the very first page, I knew this book was going to be different from many of the Indie books I’ve read over the past year or two.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed reading a great many books by my Indie peers. Most of those books have had extremely good stories and characters, and I can tell that their authors have poured their hearts and souls into them. But, more often than not, Indie books look unprofessional because of an abundance of typos, along with glaring errors with grammar and punctuation. It’s what keeps very good books from becoming great books.
Not so in Flying With Kites, where the writing feels polished and professional from the first paragraph. Alan Reynolds is obviously a natural born storyteller, since Flying With Kites was written in a period of only three weeks in 2010, quickly developing a strong cult following after it’s release.
Flying With Kites is the story of Katya Gjikolli, a Kosovan refugee during the 1990’s civil war in the former Yugoslavia. The story documents her perilous journey through Serbian-held territory, being processed as a refugee, and ending up living in the squalor of a Macedonian refugee camp, before being evacuated and resettled in Newcastle, UK.
If this book was only about Katya’s journey, it would stand on it’s own merits. But the author has cleverly woven Katya’s story together with a number of gripping subplots involving the existing residents of the apartment tower where she now lives. In the process, Alan Reynolds has woven a complex social tapestry for our reading enjoyment. In addition to it’s strong plot, the book’s characters are completely believable and psychologically complex. The author does a masterful job of giving us insight, not only into the horrors of becoming a refugee, but also into Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, existing social problems in urban centres like Newcastle, and the challenges that refugees face when trying to find a new identity in their new homes.
In the end, the author brings all of his subplots together, resolving them in a way that left me feeling totally satisfied as I swiped the book’s last page on my eReader. But my short-lived feeling of satisfaction quickly evaporated with a masterful surprise ending that left me gasping for breath.
So, after reading Flying With Kites, I have bad news for all of my Indie author peers out there. The bar for getting a five star rating from this reviewer has just been raised, and Alan Reynolds’ writing is the new standard to which I will now be comparing all Indie authors, including myself. I’m feeling up to the challenge, and I hope my Indie peers are up to the challenge as well.
Review for Flying with Kites from Molly Ovenden
Reaching the end of an emotional read, I closed this book with goosebumps creeping on my arms.
On multiple occasions while reading the novel, I was on the verge of tears, if not already wiping them away. I grew very fond of the characters and became emotionally entwined with them in their struggles to survive. Survival is a common theme in Flying with Kites with each character coping as he or she knows how to best. The main character, Katya Gjikolli, a Kosovan English teacher displays admirable amounts of strength, perseverance and confidence to survive, not only during her escape to freedom from the brutality in the 1990s’ war in Kosovo, but also in starting fresh as an asylum seeker in her English life which she found in a Newcastle council tower block. Although I was quite young during this war, I recall that it dominated the news. This story of Katya and who she encounters brings a fresh, personal perspective to a harsh war that I doubt is a distant memory for those affected.
While there are accounts of violence, sex and drug use I felt that none are overly explicit and are often implied with just enough detail for the reader to fill in the blanks. With much insight into the personalities for each of the characters, there is a depth which allows the reader to believe they might be able to anticipate the character’s next move. Reynolds uses foreshadowing to a degree that left me turning the pages as quickly as I could read in order to discover the purpose of the hint–I did not feel that any of it is given away too soon. The use of dialects, food, clothing and setting descriptions as well as the use of all five senses created well-rounded and believable characters with a strong sense of place. The title imagery features as a backdrop alongside the storyline as a peaceful consistency and I believe that my high school creative writing teacher would be proud of the title: it certainly means more at the end than it does in the beginning.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting the author Alan Reynolds and learning some of the context to this, his first, novel’s creation. If I had not met him, I probably would not have picked up this book. I generally lean toward light-hearted non-thrillers, but I am so glad to have read Flying with Kites. I recommend this novel to anyone who likes to get their pulse up whilst reading, but also to any writers who want a solid character study.
On multiple occasions while reading the novel, I was on the verge of tears, if not already wiping them away. I grew very fond of the characters and became emotionally entwined with them in their struggles to survive. Survival is a common theme in Flying with Kites with each character coping as he or she knows how to best. The main character, Katya Gjikolli, a Kosovan English teacher displays admirable amounts of strength, perseverance and confidence to survive, not only during her escape to freedom from the brutality in the 1990s’ war in Kosovo, but also in starting fresh as an asylum seeker in her English life which she found in a Newcastle council tower block. Although I was quite young during this war, I recall that it dominated the news. This story of Katya and who she encounters brings a fresh, personal perspective to a harsh war that I doubt is a distant memory for those affected.
While there are accounts of violence, sex and drug use I felt that none are overly explicit and are often implied with just enough detail for the reader to fill in the blanks. With much insight into the personalities for each of the characters, there is a depth which allows the reader to believe they might be able to anticipate the character’s next move. Reynolds uses foreshadowing to a degree that left me turning the pages as quickly as I could read in order to discover the purpose of the hint–I did not feel that any of it is given away too soon. The use of dialects, food, clothing and setting descriptions as well as the use of all five senses created well-rounded and believable characters with a strong sense of place. The title imagery features as a backdrop alongside the storyline as a peaceful consistency and I believe that my high school creative writing teacher would be proud of the title: it certainly means more at the end than it does in the beginning.
I recently had the pleasure of meeting the author Alan Reynolds and learning some of the context to this, his first, novel’s creation. If I had not met him, I probably would not have picked up this book. I generally lean toward light-hearted non-thrillers, but I am so glad to have read Flying with Kites. I recommend this novel to anyone who likes to get their pulse up whilst reading, but also to any writers who want a solid character study.
