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Southwest on the A303
Arguably one of England's most cherished and notorious roads, the A303 is filled with history, wonder, and magic. Adam takes us on a journey of adventure, self discovery, and touching family bonds in this moving coming of age tale.
Alex is a young man in his early twenties who has fallen into a miserable state of mind, losing his motivation and love for life. When he receives the heartbreaking news that his beloved uncle has passed away, leaving Alex with all of his belongings - including his renowned VW Campervan - he sets out to Cornwall for the funeral, rediscovering his love for life along the way.
Readers feeling like they've lost the spark of life will immediately relate to Adam's tale, and find inspiration to go out and seek adventure wherever possible.
Southwest on the A303 is Adam Gary's debut novella.
Alex is a young man in his early twenties who has fallen into a miserable state of mind, losing his motivation and love for life. When he receives the heartbreaking news that his beloved uncle has passed away, leaving Alex with all of his belongings - including his renowned VW Campervan - he sets out to Cornwall for the funeral, rediscovering his love for life along the way.
Readers feeling like they've lost the spark of life will immediately relate to Adam's tale, and find inspiration to go out and seek adventure wherever possible.
Southwest on the A303 is Adam Gary's debut novella.
106 pages, ebook
Published July 9, 2017
1 person is currently reading
288 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 27, 2018
I won a copy of Southwest on the A303 in a Goodreads giveaway!
Southwest on the A303 is Adam Gary's debut novella. It tells the story of Alex, a young man learning to love life again after the devastating loss of his uncle, whom with he had become very close. The funeral is set to take place in Cornwall, and so Alex sets out in his uncle's camper van on a week long adventure with the hopes that he will gain perspective and find closure before he reaches his destination.
It's not a terrible read by any means, but it is a bit naive and slightly cringe-worthy at times. The plot itself was actually fine. I think it was the perfect length and seemed to hit all the points Adam Gary wanted to make. I will say that there was a lot of discussion about the A303 itself and it's surrounding roads. I think this probably held some sort of significance for the author, but for someone living outside of the UK, it's all pretty meaningless.
The biggest downfall is the writing which just isn't strong enough. While there was definitely potential, there were a lot of awkward sentences. I'll give you a couple of examples:
At one point Alex is listening to live music that he describes as "random drunken drum beats coming from the stones.
As I let the beats reach me, I pictured Amy and I out amongst the fields that day...
Another time he reacts to a door being slammed...
...slamming it shut with a thunderous thud that shook the inside of my head as if I had just been smacked with a brick.
A thunderous thud! Imagine that. He also uses the word smack another time... I can't find it right now, but it had to do with the wind smacking his face. Overall just... not a good use of words or knowledge of their connotations most of the time which caused the language to feel rather stilted.
Also, oh my goodness, the semi-colons! This guy is semi-colon crazy!! He tossed them around everywhere he could it seemed. I found it quite funny that he's currently working on a collection of poetry called ";". It's to raise awareness for depression and I myself am very aware what the symbol of the semi-colon means in those terms (and I think it's quite lovely), but it is first and foremost a form of punctuation and it's clear that Adam Gary has little to no idea how to use it.
Ultimately I don't think it's completely unlikely that Adam Gary has a future as an author. I would encourage him to continue to read and write as much as he possibly can in order to hone his skills.
Southwest on the A303 is Adam Gary's debut novella. It tells the story of Alex, a young man learning to love life again after the devastating loss of his uncle, whom with he had become very close. The funeral is set to take place in Cornwall, and so Alex sets out in his uncle's camper van on a week long adventure with the hopes that he will gain perspective and find closure before he reaches his destination.
It's not a terrible read by any means, but it is a bit naive and slightly cringe-worthy at times. The plot itself was actually fine. I think it was the perfect length and seemed to hit all the points Adam Gary wanted to make. I will say that there was a lot of discussion about the A303 itself and it's surrounding roads. I think this probably held some sort of significance for the author, but for someone living outside of the UK, it's all pretty meaningless.
The biggest downfall is the writing which just isn't strong enough. While there was definitely potential, there were a lot of awkward sentences. I'll give you a couple of examples:
At one point Alex is listening to live music that he describes as "random drunken drum beats coming from the stones.
As I let the beats reach me, I pictured Amy and I out amongst the fields that day...
Another time he reacts to a door being slammed...
...slamming it shut with a thunderous thud that shook the inside of my head as if I had just been smacked with a brick.
A thunderous thud! Imagine that. He also uses the word smack another time... I can't find it right now, but it had to do with the wind smacking his face. Overall just... not a good use of words or knowledge of their connotations most of the time which caused the language to feel rather stilted.
Also, oh my goodness, the semi-colons! This guy is semi-colon crazy!! He tossed them around everywhere he could it seemed. I found it quite funny that he's currently working on a collection of poetry called ";". It's to raise awareness for depression and I myself am very aware what the symbol of the semi-colon means in those terms (and I think it's quite lovely), but it is first and foremost a form of punctuation and it's clear that Adam Gary has little to no idea how to use it.
Ultimately I don't think it's completely unlikely that Adam Gary has a future as an author. I would encourage him to continue to read and write as much as he possibly can in order to hone his skills.
September 12, 2017
Southwest on the A303 by Adam Gary, 92 pages, July 21st 2017, Genre: Coming of Age. Warning: May Contain Spoilers.
Review by Leigh Holland.
Alex is a young adult residing with his parents in England. He’s always been one to play by the rules, avoid trouble, and disavow unpleasant or undignified situations. Throughout his young life, he developed a close relationship with his maternal uncle, Bill. Uncle Bill was the opposite of Alex- in Bill’s youth, he lived wild, carefree, with spontaneity and wanderlust. Their relationship was meaningful to both of them. One day, his Uncle Bill died. Alex is somber and sulky, as most folks are during grief. However, Uncle Bill left behind some very specific instructions in his will. Alex is to take the two weeks leading up to Uncle Bill’s funeral and experience life the way Bill lived it- with spontaneity and a carefree attitude.
I choked up and teared up a bit at one point- shortly after Bill’s death. It struck a chord with me, that sense of loss and sadness. For this reader, that made the journey that Alex takes through the rest of the book more meaningful. The road trip, and everything Alex does and learns from it, is his way of honoring his Uncle Bill’s life. Uncle Bill leaves behind sticky notes for Alex to find at certain junctures. Bill was still mentoring, providing for, and caring for Alex even after his own death.
There was a question I was left with towards the end, but as I don’t want to give away too much, suffice it to say there was something that struck me as unrealistic. However, overall, I enjoyed this coming of age tale about a young man learning that life isn’t always safe and sometimes that’s the best thing about it. I’d give this book 3.5 stars.
Review by Leigh Holland.
Alex is a young adult residing with his parents in England. He’s always been one to play by the rules, avoid trouble, and disavow unpleasant or undignified situations. Throughout his young life, he developed a close relationship with his maternal uncle, Bill. Uncle Bill was the opposite of Alex- in Bill’s youth, he lived wild, carefree, with spontaneity and wanderlust. Their relationship was meaningful to both of them. One day, his Uncle Bill died. Alex is somber and sulky, as most folks are during grief. However, Uncle Bill left behind some very specific instructions in his will. Alex is to take the two weeks leading up to Uncle Bill’s funeral and experience life the way Bill lived it- with spontaneity and a carefree attitude.
I choked up and teared up a bit at one point- shortly after Bill’s death. It struck a chord with me, that sense of loss and sadness. For this reader, that made the journey that Alex takes through the rest of the book more meaningful. The road trip, and everything Alex does and learns from it, is his way of honoring his Uncle Bill’s life. Uncle Bill leaves behind sticky notes for Alex to find at certain junctures. Bill was still mentoring, providing for, and caring for Alex even after his own death.
There was a question I was left with towards the end, but as I don’t want to give away too much, suffice it to say there was something that struck me as unrealistic. However, overall, I enjoyed this coming of age tale about a young man learning that life isn’t always safe and sometimes that’s the best thing about it. I’d give this book 3.5 stars.
January 25, 2018
I absolutely hate it when I can't give a book a wonderful review! It makes me so sad! I fully realize that the author more than likely put their heart and soul into their book. I imagine that it takes a lot of hard work and time to write a book. However, I promised a true and honest review so that is what I will do.
I didn't really care for this book. It was simply ok. Not exactly horrible, just not really good. and trust me, I really wanted this to be a great book! The description sounded wonderful and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me.
Too much of this book felt unrealistic. There weren't enough things that made the book feel like it could be an actual situation. Also, the writing felt, well, pushed. Like the author was trying too hard or something.
I'm so sad! I hate writing a negative review but, unfortunately, that is what I have to write.
*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't really care for this book. It was simply ok. Not exactly horrible, just not really good. and trust me, I really wanted this to be a great book! The description sounded wonderful and I was excited to read it. Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat for me.
Too much of this book felt unrealistic. There weren't enough things that made the book feel like it could be an actual situation. Also, the writing felt, well, pushed. Like the author was trying too hard or something.
I'm so sad! I hate writing a negative review but, unfortunately, that is what I have to write.
*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 7, 2018
Sometimes taking a journey is the best cure; grief, loneliness, or just a clear headspace. After losing a very important uncle, Alex is gifted a van and an opportunity to travel. With some gentle encouragement from his mom, he sets out to see sights and experience things that will change his life.
Southwest on the A303 is about conquering anxieties, learning to let go, and learning how to just live life. Along the journey Alex is reluctant to take risks, but his Uncle Bill left beyond some very convincing arguments for Alex to just go for it.
At its heart it’s a sad tale. Loss is difficult for anyone to handle and some people cope better than others. Some have an immediate silver lining to their situation while others have to really search. A303 provides a lick of hope for those still searching that they’ll be alright one day.
Southwest on the A303 is about conquering anxieties, learning to let go, and learning how to just live life. Along the journey Alex is reluctant to take risks, but his Uncle Bill left beyond some very convincing arguments for Alex to just go for it.
At its heart it’s a sad tale. Loss is difficult for anyone to handle and some people cope better than others. Some have an immediate silver lining to their situation while others have to really search. A303 provides a lick of hope for those still searching that they’ll be alright one day.
September 2, 2017
From a big picture perspective, Southwest on the A303 is a decent enough coming-of-age tale with a unique story as its foundation. However, I thought the writing could stand a bit of tightening up, at times feeling a bit verbose. There were also bits of the story that didn’t ring true. They were little things like an extravagant parking charge at Stonehenge or Alex, the protagonist, jumping out of his camper van naked while parked by the side of the road without registering that he was doing that. But those little things add up, planting the seed in the back of the reader’s mind that the credible sounding parts of the story might not be believable either.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
September 16, 2017
Adam Gary's debut novella, South West On The A303 is a brilliant young adult coming of age tale. The miserable, depressed Alex sets out on a road trip to attend his beloved Uncle's funeral. With a little help from his deceased Uncle, Alex rediscovers his love of life along the way. A great read and I look forward to more books by Adam Gary.
September 25, 2017
This is the story of a boy recalling his Uncle Bill just after his passing, and I guess the significance comes from the boy's expedition to Cornwall on the "famous A303." What's so famous about it? It's just a road, right?
The reader's just on the road with this story. Nothing really happened in the plot—at least, nothing interesting. I just didn't really feel any connection with it.
The reader's just on the road with this story. Nothing really happened in the plot—at least, nothing interesting. I just didn't really feel any connection with it.
November 1, 2017
Southwest on the A303by Adam Gary is a coming of age story. It deals with a young man learning that safe is not always best in life. The hero's uncle left him some things including that he had to take a journey and life the way his uncle had for about two weeks.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews