Pony Fleming

by Jason Downes

Just when everything seems to look up, a young man’s life makes a sharp turn as he is forced to face an unexpected yet questionable burden. Author Jason Downes pens the story of Pony Fleming, a young Irish man who becomes a victim of fate’s twists and turns. After eighteen months of being unemployed, John “Pony” Fleming is moving forward. Almost too easily, he gets a gatekeeper job at a local train station, earning more than what he expected. This stroke of luck calls for a celebration, so he decides to grab a few pints with his best pals, Gav and Alto. Life is good, family is great, and they are young and free—or so Pony thought. Just then, Olivia, his former lover, calls and tells him that she is pregnant with his child. Now caught in between a promising future and a responsibility he is not prepared to handle, Pony has a tough decision to make. His conscience would not allow him to abandon Olivia and their unborn child, but still, he is faced with a situation that would change his life forever. However, a sudden twist of events might give Pony the freedom for which he desperately longs. In his debut novel, author Jason Downes writes a story that is at times angry, at times touching but always brimming with the wit and humor that the citizens of the city in which it is set, Dublin, have become famous for the world over.

Genres: Fiction

169 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2009

Reviews

[Jessica McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is clear that Jason Downes has heaps of potential as an author, as proved by his first novel, "Pony Fleming". The titular character was easy to love, along with his raucous cohorts and family. The story is a timeless one: the struggle to find work, stability, and happiness in a world that seems to throw bricks at you at every turn, and Downes sprinkles in a wit and charm that makes this a very entertaining read.
There were parts that needed polishing, but as Downes adds more and more books to his catalog, those issues will work themselves out. I look forward to reading those forthcoming tales, as I know they will be as wonderful as "Pony Fleming".