Gentle Spirits

by Thomas Ford Conlan

In the aftermath of a hurricane, Angelique, who lost her father to the sea and was carried to safety by her native Carib mother among the wild ponies of Cumberland Island in post-WWII Georgia, finds Samuel, who lost his mother in childbirth, barely alive on a Cumberland Island beach. The unlikely couple grows together through adolescence on the Barrier Islands off the Georgia coast. Societal pressures of the late 1960s and the turmoil of the Vietnam War force a separation, though a seed has been cast.

A story of generations, Gentle Spirits follows Samuel and Angelique through the splendor of nature as they experience the grace of dolphins and ponies on Cumberland Island; birds, dogs, butterflies, brook trout, and grapevines in Northern Michigan; trout-fishing in Spearfish Canyon; dogs and sheep on a Montana ranch; breathtaking duck migrations in the Canadian Provinces; and hawks and a mountain bluebird on Bear Butte while they navigate the challenges of a young adult world in search of meaning, in life and in death.

“Thomas Conlan’s Gentle Spirits pulls the reader into the story from the first page. The characters and settings come alive with description and pacing that’s just right as the story banks and turns. “Just one more chapter” quickly turns into a binge-read. Conlan’s deft storytelling touch is hard to resist as we follow Samuel and Angelique and the rest of the cast and pull hard for them all to find their way.”
—Michael K. Brantley, author of Galvanized and Memory Cards

251 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Marina DelVecchio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Conlon’s Gentle Spirits is the love story between two generations of gentle people: Marie and Firestone, and their respective children, Angelique and Samuel. All four are inherently good people who find strife in society -- sexism, violence, greed, poverty -- but gravitate to nature, where their gentility and kindnesses are reciprocated. As gentle as the characters are, Conlon’s writing is equally soft and kind and almost lyrical. It is the kind of writing that belongs to a man who knows nature, who is at one with its wonders, and who knows how one lives peacefully with it and within it, honoring its benefits and challenges. The novel spans generations of lovers who find each other in various parts of the country, are misled by misunderstandings, war, loss, and misadventures but return again to the hearth of family, where safety and love welcome them with open arms. With forgiveness. With understanding. This is a beautiful story about two people who love each other and find their way back to each other, but it is also a writer’s love story with nature and all its grand beauty, and reading Conlon’s descriptive writing was a very soothing, meditative experience. Highly recommend this novel and writer!

[Richard Sterry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom has woven an easy reading tale of unconditional love and loss. His descriptions of the places across America paint a great canvas for the reader to experience the story. Definitely hard to put down.

[Thomas Ford Conlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I suppose it is OK to rate my own book?? Anyway - give Gentle Spirits a chance to envelope you!

[TK Thoits · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gentle Spirits is a wonderful tale of family, growth, and relationships.

[Michael Brantley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book that grabs the reader early on and never lets go. Conlan gives the reader only what he or she needs at the right time to enjoy the story. If you aren't careful, it will turn into a binge read as you pull for the characters and enjoy the scenery.