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The Legacy of Lorna Lovelost
Worlds can end in many ways … and begin in many more …
For Tobias and Lorna Lovelost, an unretracted retractable bollard marks a beginning—a beginning that will see them reunited with an old friend and embark on quests driven by the need to shape the worlds that will, sooner or later, be left behind.
A novel that explores themes of loss and continuance, The Legacy of Lorna Lovelost, like its characters, never loses its sense of humour. A driven, passionate blend of wit and pathos, it will entertain, move and prompt that so often neglected question …
… what will my legacy be?
For Tobias and Lorna Lovelost, an unretracted retractable bollard marks a beginning—a beginning that will see them reunited with an old friend and embark on quests driven by the need to shape the worlds that will, sooner or later, be left behind.
A novel that explores themes of loss and continuance, The Legacy of Lorna Lovelost, like its characters, never loses its sense of humour. A driven, passionate blend of wit and pathos, it will entertain, move and prompt that so often neglected question …
… what will my legacy be?
400 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Gary William Murning
6 books32 followersGary is a novelist living in the northeast of England. His work, largely literary fiction, focuses on themes that touch us all — love, death, loss and aspiration — but always with an eye to finding an unusual angle or viewpoint. Quirky and highly readable, his writing aims to entertain first and foremost. If he can also offer a previously unfamiliar perspective or insight, all the better.
His first novel, If I Never, is published by Legend Press and is now available from all good bookstores, online and High Street.
His first novel, If I Never, is published by Legend Press and is now available from all good bookstores, online and High Street.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 5, 2013
I was lucky enough to get an advance E-copy of this novel and didn't know what to expect when I began to read. But I was soon engrossed in the story, without really knowing why. The hero is a nerdy, rather inadequate male who seems to depend totally on his librarian wife Lorna. They have a very ordinary life-style. As a couple they are totally self-sufficient, living in a bubble of loving contentment.
Suddenly, Tobias has a chance encounter with someone he went to school with, who tells him that his best-friend Bob (much neglected since Tobias's marriage) is having a few problems. And in the same week, Lorna inexplicably collides with a bollard while out on their weekend run.
Bob has developed a phobia about doors which prevents him going out (or in), and seems to be connected with a strange event he witnessed as a child. Lorna is diagnosed with a terminal condition which blows her quiet world with Toby apart.
Lorna and Tobias go on a search for answers to the door problem with Bob and his girlfriend Patsy, and Lorna hatches a plan for a very special legacy for Tobias.
I found the novel funny, anarchic and moving - difficult to put down. It is also well written and very intelligent - where in fiction do you get characters arguing about the nature of reality? If you like something a bit different, this is definitely a novel to read.
Suddenly, Tobias has a chance encounter with someone he went to school with, who tells him that his best-friend Bob (much neglected since Tobias's marriage) is having a few problems. And in the same week, Lorna inexplicably collides with a bollard while out on their weekend run.
Bob has developed a phobia about doors which prevents him going out (or in), and seems to be connected with a strange event he witnessed as a child. Lorna is diagnosed with a terminal condition which blows her quiet world with Toby apart.
Lorna and Tobias go on a search for answers to the door problem with Bob and his girlfriend Patsy, and Lorna hatches a plan for a very special legacy for Tobias.
I found the novel funny, anarchic and moving - difficult to put down. It is also well written and very intelligent - where in fiction do you get characters arguing about the nature of reality? If you like something a bit different, this is definitely a novel to read.
October 5, 2013
Am not quite finished it in time for a full publication day review. For which I apologise to Gary! Shame on me!
But so far this is a beautiful, and I think fair to say, unexpectedly romantic story from Gary.
The characters are strange, eccentric, uncomfortable in the everyday "normal" world but written with such empathy. Gary clearly likes these people.
The story itself is heart warming,and heart rending, but funny and touching, and serious. It would have been a perfect summer read which is when I had planned to read it but time got away from me! However it is making an equally good autumnal one!
Like all good books it can be read on many levels - a love story, easy to read, but full of philosophical and social comment.
I am getting close to the end, and I am pretty sure it's going to be good...
But so far this is a beautiful, and I think fair to say, unexpectedly romantic story from Gary.
The characters are strange, eccentric, uncomfortable in the everyday "normal" world but written with such empathy. Gary clearly likes these people.
The story itself is heart warming,and heart rending, but funny and touching, and serious. It would have been a perfect summer read which is when I had planned to read it but time got away from me! However it is making an equally good autumnal one!
Like all good books it can be read on many levels - a love story, easy to read, but full of philosophical and social comment.
I am getting close to the end, and I am pretty sure it's going to be good...
May 13, 2013
It was a pleasure to read a book whose author is clearly articulate and pays very close attention to spelling, punctuation, grammar and the English language. The story was so well-written and descriptive that I felt it was non-fiction rather than fiction, that the author was actually the main character. The story completely enveloped me and I was totally engrossed, reluctant to put it down even when my eyelids were drooping! The book left me wanting more and I’d love to know what the characters did after the last page.
This is an author of the very highest calibre whose books should be appreciated by many.
This is an author of the very highest calibre whose books should be appreciated by many.
December 4, 2013
This is one BIG book, full of big ideas, emotions, philosophies, events and language. It is rich, tragic, profound and very funny. It has a thirst for language, expression, communication. Light it is not. It deals with big things, issues, emotions beautifully, painfully, powerfully. It takes no prisoners. And as a read is very rewarding. I don't think I got all there was to unpack in this read.
Toast
Toast
March 28, 2014
I’d forgotten what this book was about, as it has been a while since I received a copy of it for review (where does the time go?!). I was, however, confident that having accepted it for review, I must have been attracted by its 'blurb', and therefore embarked on the reading journey with enthusiasm and high expectations. This book was like unwrapping what you thought was a toffee and finding a soft and delicious truffle: not what you were expecting but a rather lovely surprise.
Two very ordinary people, with very ordinary lives, demand little from life. They have their own extra-ordinariness in their own bubble of a world; it’s whole, it’s complete, it’s happy and fulfilled. What could possibly shatter it? Never in their lives, did Lorna and Tobias think a bollard—which shouldn’t have been where it was when it was—would rock their perfectness, their nirvana. Although it’s said everything happens for a reason, our bliss-cocooned couple have to face a torpedo crashing through their lives. Their story is how they prepare and cope, helped by the renewed friendship with Tobias’ old school friend, Bob, and his partner, Patsy.
I really, really liked this book. It’s extremely well written, with some quite profound philosophical and ethological content (à la McKenna and Dawkins), which, I confess, lost me just a bit, but it didn’t detract from the beautiful story embracing it. The four main characters are delightful: they’re quirky, unique, funny, intelligent, eccentric and utterly likeable. It’s surprisingly uplifting. I’ll just say ‘surprisingly’, because I don’t want to give too much away by saying why. There’s a dry, wry sense of humour threaded throughout, and the dialogue is sharp and witty. A lovely book.
Two very ordinary people, with very ordinary lives, demand little from life. They have their own extra-ordinariness in their own bubble of a world; it’s whole, it’s complete, it’s happy and fulfilled. What could possibly shatter it? Never in their lives, did Lorna and Tobias think a bollard—which shouldn’t have been where it was when it was—would rock their perfectness, their nirvana. Although it’s said everything happens for a reason, our bliss-cocooned couple have to face a torpedo crashing through their lives. Their story is how they prepare and cope, helped by the renewed friendship with Tobias’ old school friend, Bob, and his partner, Patsy.
I really, really liked this book. It’s extremely well written, with some quite profound philosophical and ethological content (à la McKenna and Dawkins), which, I confess, lost me just a bit, but it didn’t detract from the beautiful story embracing it. The four main characters are delightful: they’re quirky, unique, funny, intelligent, eccentric and utterly likeable. It’s surprisingly uplifting. I’ll just say ‘surprisingly’, because I don’t want to give too much away by saying why. There’s a dry, wry sense of humour threaded throughout, and the dialogue is sharp and witty. A lovely book.
November 25, 2013
I thought I'd try another of Mr. Murning's novels; after all, I liked If I Never and The Legacy... had what sounded like a bit of a mystery to it.
Tobias is a manager at a cardboard box factory and Lorna works in the local library; really ordinary people until fate deals them a few twists.
Tobias's best mate Bob, albeit a tad estranged, has developed a phobia concerning open doors and, as a result, has been housebound since. He's also obsessing about something he thinks he remembers seeing as a child - a woman, silently falling from a window.
Lorna on the other hand gets dealt a much darker hand, hence the legacy of the title, and we get to follow her organizing and arranging of it.
So, while Lorna and Tobias try to help Bob with his doors thing and everyone tries to help solve the mystery of the falling woman, Lorna is also planning something for Tobias.
Once I started reading it I found it a moving and immersive tale and I just had to keep going to find out what happened next in the lives of fairly ordinary couple Tobias and Lorna Lovelost. It's a well crafted tale, albeit a tad predictable in part given the title, of a love story come mystery tinged with sadness and humour and it just works.
The only downside I felt was it was a tad wordy and maybe a bit above my head at times; there were words in there I'd never heard anyone use in normal conversation. I don't really run in circles that discuss philosophy or sociology much and I found myself skipping over paragraphs that seemed just a bit too highbrow for me. That said, I enjoyed the bits I did read, which was most of it.
Tobias is a manager at a cardboard box factory and Lorna works in the local library; really ordinary people until fate deals them a few twists.
Tobias's best mate Bob, albeit a tad estranged, has developed a phobia concerning open doors and, as a result, has been housebound since. He's also obsessing about something he thinks he remembers seeing as a child - a woman, silently falling from a window.
Lorna on the other hand gets dealt a much darker hand, hence the legacy of the title, and we get to follow her organizing and arranging of it.
So, while Lorna and Tobias try to help Bob with his doors thing and everyone tries to help solve the mystery of the falling woman, Lorna is also planning something for Tobias.
Once I started reading it I found it a moving and immersive tale and I just had to keep going to find out what happened next in the lives of fairly ordinary couple Tobias and Lorna Lovelost. It's a well crafted tale, albeit a tad predictable in part given the title, of a love story come mystery tinged with sadness and humour and it just works.
The only downside I felt was it was a tad wordy and maybe a bit above my head at times; there were words in there I'd never heard anyone use in normal conversation. I don't really run in circles that discuss philosophy or sociology much and I found myself skipping over paragraphs that seemed just a bit too highbrow for me. That said, I enjoyed the bits I did read, which was most of it.
February 26, 2014
Written in a straightforward, no-nonsense way, The Legacy of Lorna Lovelost is a uniquely poignant documentary of life at its most vulnerable.
Detailing the last moments of Lorna Lovelost from just prior to her diagnosis, this novel explores different philosophical views about life, the passage of time, having faith in yourself, and most of all, about hope. Surprisingly, this book does deliver on the statement that it provides permission to hope.
Terribly insightful and causing more than a few tears, the story leaves the readers pondering on the meaning of life and its implications. Prose that mixes lesser-encountered words in unique combinations are an exercise in wordplay, yet create a rhythm that is unique and suits the reader’s need to stop and ponder on the revelations.
I received a copy of this title from Author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Flames: 3
Detailing the last moments of Lorna Lovelost from just prior to her diagnosis, this novel explores different philosophical views about life, the passage of time, having faith in yourself, and most of all, about hope. Surprisingly, this book does deliver on the statement that it provides permission to hope.
Terribly insightful and causing more than a few tears, the story leaves the readers pondering on the meaning of life and its implications. Prose that mixes lesser-encountered words in unique combinations are an exercise in wordplay, yet create a rhythm that is unique and suits the reader’s need to stop and ponder on the revelations.
I received a copy of this title from Author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Flames: 3
March 31, 2014
It's not so often you find an original idea in a book but I did with this one. I wasn't so sure quite what the legacy of Lorna Lovelost would be, but the reviews were good and I liked the way it looked. Initially I loved it, and the characters, then it lost me for a little while, but I came around again in the end. Lots of emotion and some beautiful descriptive passages. I won't give the game away. Read it and see.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews