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Walter : The Homeless Man
Sixty-seven-year-old Walter Kendal isn't your typical homeless man. He wears London Fog and is accompanied by a pet homing pigeon named Jackie. After fleeing devastating personal events, Walter is accused of a crime he did not commit. Now a fugitive on the run, Walter sleeps under the stars at night but during the day enters a young widow's home for shelter while she is at work and changes not only her life but every life he touches. Multiple characters with shattered lives come together and find hope through faith and redemption. Walter is a suspenseful, meaningful Christian novel built around a dynamic person. Walter will become more than a fictional character; he will become a dear friend.
- GenresFiction
446 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2013
37 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Tekoa Manning
27 books18 followersTekoa Manning is an award-winning author, illustrator, and the founder of Manning the Gate LLC, a small press dedicated to stories that awaken wonder, deepen faith, and celebrate the human spirit. With a voice both tender and bold, Tekoa writes across genres—from whimsical children’s tales to thought-provoking fiction and theological exegesis. Her work is shaped by personal triumph over chronic illness, a passion for storytelling, and an unshakable belief that healing begins when we learn to love ourselves. Whether she’s crafting allegories or amplifying unheard voices, Manning invites readers to see beauty in brokenness and courage in every step.
“Writing to heal the heart, awaken the spirit, and unmask the unseen.”
“Writing to heal the heart, awaken the spirit, and unmask the unseen.”
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 28, 2016
Walter is about the good hidden in all of us. Sometimes we all do things that make us look ugly on the outside when, in reality, we are having trouble within ourselves coping with life. It is a touching, heartwarming story of the struggles, hopes and reality of everyday happenings. With each turn of events, we see how our own life has a profound affect on others around us.
June 11, 2017
This writer has touched upon something that you'd understand if you worked in a prison. Those who are locked up are those who are tried, judged, sentenced, rejected, and unforgiven by society. You concentrate all those men (or women) in small locations with tiny cells, and then you hire "normal" people to work there. How can the average person not go crazy working 40+ hours per week in a concentrated population of "losers"?
You either dehumanize the inmate population completely, over-sympathize, or find a tortured balance that does not let you reject the human being standing in front of you in the moment. Many are predators. Many are prey. Many are master manipulators or serial quitters. Most have narcissistic traits (not necessarily the disorder). And then there are the "Walters." I met a few of those. They put on a brave face, but they are scared out of their wits. When you are scared out of your wits, you do stupid things because your wits are gone.
While the prison staff must deal only with the person and issue of that day, it is very difficult to disregard the inmate's past prison infractions or crimes on the street. That requires the daily torture of resolving to deal with this inmate in the moment, not in his past (or mine). One out of a thousand might be Walter. The rest might cut your throat when your back is turned.
Although it cannot lead you to bend the rules, understanding the chaotic lives in the past of the inmates can help you to understand their chaos and faulty thinking patterns. In some cases, the inmates' parents' lives shaped the inmates' own. Parents were drug dealers, prostitutes, junkies, commercial pornographers, wife-beaters, alcoholics, or thieves. It's a wonder the inmate turned out as well as he did in some cases. Or in some cases, there is a Walter. Stuff happens. We all have a mental or emotional breaking point, especially when it involves a loved one.
The prison worker who chooses the tortuous route desperately tries to remain human and humane by considering that this inmate is more than a number; he is a man. He's someone's father, brother, daddy, or husband. His family is likely suffering in his absence...or maybe his wife and children are experiencing more peace than they've ever know before...who knows? Tekoa Manning also desperately reaches out to the reader by presenting how a piece of missing information may plant roots of unforgiveness and bitterness against someone who woefully wronged us or society. If we could stand for only a moment in their shoes, sandals, boots, or on the filth-encrusted linoleum floor of earliest memory, we might be willing to soften and forgive.
Forgiveness is funny like that. The Walters provoke you to become more human and humane because they are not so different from us and those whom we know and love. Their mistakes are not so different from ours.
Can we help those who are not Walters, but genuine predators beyond human intervention? The ones who can only be helped by Divine intervention?
I don't know, but the Walters of the world make us want to try.
I recommend this book to anyone struggling with unforgiveness, bitterness, self-hate, unhappy endings, or even asking yourself, "If all is well, then why am I like this?" The author preaches in an unpreachy way, and though not gratuitous, there are passages unsuitable for teens or younger. On the other hand, sadly I've encountered teens in the law enforcement system for whom these experiences would be life as usual.
It would be easy to forego thinking about the lives of these young people as too unpleasant and too far removed from our insulated, church-going lives, but Tekoa Manning's willingness to explore the faulty thought patterns of children, teens, and adults of life trauma forces us to think about ways to extend our hands through the fences of DUIs, promiscuous behavior, and drug-numbness to encourage those in the chains of self-destructive behavior to seek the other side through Yeshua, a side many of them have never known existed.
You either dehumanize the inmate population completely, over-sympathize, or find a tortured balance that does not let you reject the human being standing in front of you in the moment. Many are predators. Many are prey. Many are master manipulators or serial quitters. Most have narcissistic traits (not necessarily the disorder). And then there are the "Walters." I met a few of those. They put on a brave face, but they are scared out of their wits. When you are scared out of your wits, you do stupid things because your wits are gone.
While the prison staff must deal only with the person and issue of that day, it is very difficult to disregard the inmate's past prison infractions or crimes on the street. That requires the daily torture of resolving to deal with this inmate in the moment, not in his past (or mine). One out of a thousand might be Walter. The rest might cut your throat when your back is turned.
Although it cannot lead you to bend the rules, understanding the chaotic lives in the past of the inmates can help you to understand their chaos and faulty thinking patterns. In some cases, the inmates' parents' lives shaped the inmates' own. Parents were drug dealers, prostitutes, junkies, commercial pornographers, wife-beaters, alcoholics, or thieves. It's a wonder the inmate turned out as well as he did in some cases. Or in some cases, there is a Walter. Stuff happens. We all have a mental or emotional breaking point, especially when it involves a loved one.
The prison worker who chooses the tortuous route desperately tries to remain human and humane by considering that this inmate is more than a number; he is a man. He's someone's father, brother, daddy, or husband. His family is likely suffering in his absence...or maybe his wife and children are experiencing more peace than they've ever know before...who knows? Tekoa Manning also desperately reaches out to the reader by presenting how a piece of missing information may plant roots of unforgiveness and bitterness against someone who woefully wronged us or society. If we could stand for only a moment in their shoes, sandals, boots, or on the filth-encrusted linoleum floor of earliest memory, we might be willing to soften and forgive.
Forgiveness is funny like that. The Walters provoke you to become more human and humane because they are not so different from us and those whom we know and love. Their mistakes are not so different from ours.
Can we help those who are not Walters, but genuine predators beyond human intervention? The ones who can only be helped by Divine intervention?
I don't know, but the Walters of the world make us want to try.
I recommend this book to anyone struggling with unforgiveness, bitterness, self-hate, unhappy endings, or even asking yourself, "If all is well, then why am I like this?" The author preaches in an unpreachy way, and though not gratuitous, there are passages unsuitable for teens or younger. On the other hand, sadly I've encountered teens in the law enforcement system for whom these experiences would be life as usual.
It would be easy to forego thinking about the lives of these young people as too unpleasant and too far removed from our insulated, church-going lives, but Tekoa Manning's willingness to explore the faulty thought patterns of children, teens, and adults of life trauma forces us to think about ways to extend our hands through the fences of DUIs, promiscuous behavior, and drug-numbness to encourage those in the chains of self-destructive behavior to seek the other side through Yeshua, a side many of them have never known existed.
April 17, 2014
Walter is a story of forgiveness and sometimes the hardest person to forgive is yourself. This is a story about a homeless man and a young widow whose lives collide and leave them and everyone around them forever changed. People are not always what they seem and this book illustrates that fact beautifully.
October 18, 2017
I am glad I got the chance to read this exceptional work. It is a wonderful feeling for a reader to read a book that has a strong on going plot with mature and very well build characters. This quality to be expressed in the form of a writing is rare and Manning has displayed this through her novel.
Walter: The Homeless Man is a story about a man in sixties who has suffered a loss and is trying to avoid the pain that came afterwards. He is on a run in a different town where he sleeps under the stars and in day, breaks into a young widow's home for shelter. Unknown to him, his routine touches every life in that home changes the course of their lives. A misunderstanding that is displayed in fruitful manner starts another journey for Walter, that changes him for the good.
The plot of this book is smooth that possess a series of events happening one after the other in a manner of completing the puzzle. The theme it touches include integrity of man, forgiveness and redemption. The plot revolves around our protagonist, Walter but the two subplots that meet at a point do take a massive space inside the book. I like the way the author has entwined characters with plots and forming a perfect ending to the book. The plot has steady pace that grows further and a reader would be able to finish this book in to time. I was hooked by the plot, the characters and the writing style, and regardless of its length I did manage to finish it in two sittings.
The characters will take to a journey and will make you feel and realise the themes I mentioned earlier this book covers. They are so realistic and developed without any complexity. Every character has something to show a reader how humane they are. This simple manner of developing strong characters did astonish me. Even more, often times a reader will find that these characters drive the plot forward. The narrative voice is good and the dialogue formation is flawless.
The writing style smooth and simple and understandable. Author does try to let loose her characters at some point of time in the book and it seems these characters have their own destiny and are controlled by it. I like the way she writes in a flow that seems satisfying for a reader like me to enjoy. I recommend this book to any reader who wants to enjoy a well-written book.
4 out of 5!
Walter: The Homeless Man is a story about a man in sixties who has suffered a loss and is trying to avoid the pain that came afterwards. He is on a run in a different town where he sleeps under the stars and in day, breaks into a young widow's home for shelter. Unknown to him, his routine touches every life in that home changes the course of their lives. A misunderstanding that is displayed in fruitful manner starts another journey for Walter, that changes him for the good.
The plot of this book is smooth that possess a series of events happening one after the other in a manner of completing the puzzle. The theme it touches include integrity of man, forgiveness and redemption. The plot revolves around our protagonist, Walter but the two subplots that meet at a point do take a massive space inside the book. I like the way the author has entwined characters with plots and forming a perfect ending to the book. The plot has steady pace that grows further and a reader would be able to finish this book in to time. I was hooked by the plot, the characters and the writing style, and regardless of its length I did manage to finish it in two sittings.
The characters will take to a journey and will make you feel and realise the themes I mentioned earlier this book covers. They are so realistic and developed without any complexity. Every character has something to show a reader how humane they are. This simple manner of developing strong characters did astonish me. Even more, often times a reader will find that these characters drive the plot forward. The narrative voice is good and the dialogue formation is flawless.
The writing style smooth and simple and understandable. Author does try to let loose her characters at some point of time in the book and it seems these characters have their own destiny and are controlled by it. I like the way she writes in a flow that seems satisfying for a reader like me to enjoy. I recommend this book to any reader who wants to enjoy a well-written book.
4 out of 5!
August 11, 2016
I could not put this book down. Such a moving story about faith, hope, love and forgiveness. The characters jump right off the page and you are drawn into the story from the first chapter all the way to the last words. I would highly recommend picking this book up as it will become one of your favorites.
June 1, 2017
Awesome Book! I read it in two days. If anyone has problems with forgiving those who have hurt you the most, this book is a cure. The characters are alive and vivid.
July 23, 2019
Love this novel
This is a fantastic novel. I could not out it down. The way all their lives intertwined shows that God does work wonders. I would definitely recommend this book.
This is a fantastic novel. I could not out it down. The way all their lives intertwined shows that God does work wonders. I would definitely recommend this book.
December 27, 2022
Points to the author for trying to write a redemptive story, but there was just so much here that was either not believable, or didn't work. The timelines were confusing and inconsistent, one character was in the hospital long enough to know which staff worked on different days of the week, giving the impression that it was a lengthy stay, but events in other characters life during the same time only took a couple of days. Behavior of the main character didn't make much sense unless there was some serious mental illness involved. The drinking and dysfunctional relationships were the most troubling. Everyone involved turned to drink to cope with trauma, even those who had been hurt badly by alcohol and were strongly opposed to it. Most troubling was the single mother drinking constantly while caring for her children who lost their father to a drunk driver. It just doesn't work. Too much time spent detailing the dark side of relationships in my opinion. It seems to wallow in the depths possibly with the hope of creating contrast to the healing. The trouble there is that we don't get to see any of that process. We skip ahead a year and everyone is living happily ever after. Lazy writing.
September 15, 2017
Tekoa really brings every character in this book to life. Yet the plot thickens as each character is added in a way that will keep you unsure about the fate of this homeless man. You will come to hate then love differing characters as it is revealed how they really feel about things they can't possibly actually know about. How many factors seal the fate of Walter? Ya' gotta read it and find out!!
Any group that chooses this book as a group read will have a glimpse of themselves leading to great discussion. I can't spoil the ending....just know that once you start reading you may not put it down!!
Any group that chooses this book as a group read will have a glimpse of themselves leading to great discussion. I can't spoil the ending....just know that once you start reading you may not put it down!!
March 9, 2019
A Man Named Walter
Great book, couldn't put it down. The character's are so real and the story
I found could have happened to any of us. It's a story of losing one's self
and able to regain your life as long as you believe and have faith.
Great book, couldn't put it down. The character's are so real and the story
I found could have happened to any of us. It's a story of losing one's self
and able to regain your life as long as you believe and have faith.
July 3, 2022
I am glad I got the chance to read this exceptional work. It is a wonderful feeling for a reader to read a book that has a strong on going plot with mature and very well build characters. This quality to be expressed in the form of a writing is rare and Manning has displayed this through her novel.
Walter: The Homeless Man is a story about a man in sixties who has suffered a loss and is trying to avoid the pain that came afterwards. He is on a run in a different town where he sleeps under the stars and in day, breaks into a young widow's home for shelter. Unknown to him, his routine touches every life in that home changes the course of their lives. A misunderstanding that is displayed in fruitful manner starts another journey for Walter, that changes him for the good.
The plot of this book is smooth that possess a series of events happening one after the other in a manner of completing the puzzle. The theme it touches include integrity of man, forgiveness and redemption. The plot revolves around our protagonist, Walter but the two subplots that meet at a point do take a massive space inside the book. I like the way the author has entwined characters with plots and forming a perfect ending to the book. The plot has steady pace that grows further and a reader would be able to finish this book in to time. I was hooked by the plot, the characters and the writing style, and regardless of its length I did manage to finish it in two sittings.
The characters will take to a journey and will make you feel and realise the themes I mentioned earlier this book covers. They are so realistic and developed without any complexity. Every character has something to show a reader how humane they are. This simple manner of developing strong characters did astonish me. Even more, often times a reader will find that these characters drive the plot forward. The narrative voice is good and the dialogue formation is flawless.
The writing style smooth and simple and understandable. Author does try to let loose her characters at some point of time in the book and it seems these characters have their own destiny and are controlled by it. I like the way she writes in a flow that seems satisfying for a reader like me to enjoy. I recommend this book to any reader who wants to enjoy a well-written book.
4 out of 5!
Walter: The Homeless Man is a story about a man in sixties who has suffered a loss and is trying to avoid the pain that came afterwards. He is on a run in a different town where he sleeps under the stars and in day, breaks into a young widow's home for shelter. Unknown to him, his routine touches every life in that home changes the course of their lives. A misunderstanding that is displayed in fruitful manner starts another journey for Walter, that changes him for the good.
The plot of this book is smooth that possess a series of events happening one after the other in a manner of completing the puzzle. The theme it touches include integrity of man, forgiveness and redemption. The plot revolves around our protagonist, Walter but the two subplots that meet at a point do take a massive space inside the book. I like the way the author has entwined characters with plots and forming a perfect ending to the book. The plot has steady pace that grows further and a reader would be able to finish this book in to time. I was hooked by the plot, the characters and the writing style, and regardless of its length I did manage to finish it in two sittings.
The characters will take to a journey and will make you feel and realise the themes I mentioned earlier this book covers. They are so realistic and developed without any complexity. Every character has something to show a reader how humane they are. This simple manner of developing strong characters did astonish me. Even more, often times a reader will find that these characters drive the plot forward. The narrative voice is good and the dialogue formation is flawless.
The writing style smooth and simple and understandable. Author does try to let loose her characters at some point of time in the book and it seems these characters have their own destiny and are controlled by it. I like the way she writes in a flow that seems satisfying for a reader like me to enjoy. I recommend this book to any reader who wants to enjoy a well-written book.
4 out of 5!
July 2, 2023
Needed a proof reader
I did not realize when I bought the book that it was fiction. I thought it was based on a true story. I enjoyed the book and the message behind the book. The author really needed someone with a red pen to proofread the book. Punctuation throughout the book was bad. Often sentences were too long and ran on and occasionally did not make sense. The story behind the book and the characters were well developed. It was entertaining but not great.
I did not realize when I bought the book that it was fiction. I thought it was based on a true story. I enjoyed the book and the message behind the book. The author really needed someone with a red pen to proofread the book. Punctuation throughout the book was bad. Often sentences were too long and ran on and occasionally did not make sense. The story behind the book and the characters were well developed. It was entertaining but not great.
February 22, 2025
An interesting story about love and forgiveness. It shows how sometimes we need to forgive ourselves before we can forgive others. I enjoyed how the author managed to show connections with the characters and the importance of having faith and trying to see both sides of a situation even if it is difficult. At times the story was a bit predictable but I still enjoyed it.
November 1, 2025
a real blessing
I love how the story explores life and trials. It is wonderful to hear faith and redemption wrapped up in the warmth of God. Thank you for sharing this story with us.
I love how the story explores life and trials. It is wonderful to hear faith and redemption wrapped up in the warmth of God. Thank you for sharing this story with us.
December 12, 2019
This is a book that just makes you feel good I love the way it ended.
January 4, 2023
Great book
Reading this book was a blessing to be reminded of the goodness of God and how He can make right the messes of our lives.
Reading this book was a blessing to be reminded of the goodness of God and how He can make right the messes of our lives.
July 23, 2024
It has been a while since I read this book but what I remember is not being able to set it down. I believe it is a fantastic story. We sneed to see more compassion like this in a book. A great read!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews