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Contrapasso
Matt Kingston has loved one woman for his whole life. John Velde, his best friend, never loved anyone. Now it's time for them to reconcile the deeds of their youth with the loss of innocence and the angst brought on by life's changes.
596 pages, Paperback
Published December 3, 2019
15 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 7, 2021
Brilliant!
I’ve never laughed nor cried so hard while reading a book! Jorgenson was at his best tellling a story of real life scenarios that can and does happen to all of us as we live life. A wonderful blend of great humor with friends, trials and life challenges, and a love story that Jorgenson wraps in the middle of it all.
I’ve never laughed nor cried so hard while reading a book! Jorgenson was at his best tellling a story of real life scenarios that can and does happen to all of us as we live life. A wonderful blend of great humor with friends, trials and life challenges, and a love story that Jorgenson wraps in the middle of it all.
July 2, 2021
Nathan Jorgenson's books are fantastic books about relationships. This one is no different. Some of the character's friends are a bit odd in this book. I read it so quickly I think I could easily read it again sometime soon. His medical references were right on target. Every single thing he talked about with what his wife went through, I have watched people go through the exact same thing. I can say, that the knowledge he uses in reference to Matt's wife's surgery, is accurate and concise. And what happens afterwards to her gives you an insight into a woman losing a part of herself. It really is a very good book!
December 17, 2021
Contrapasso – the concept that the punishment of an individual’s soul corresponds to the sin that person committed on earth. The protagonist had read Dante’s Inferno, and the concept resonated with him most in the rough parts of his life.
The writing is brilliant, clever, funny, quirky, written with a unique sense of humor! It’s a book about relationships throughout life, and a look internally at things we lose as we age. The characters are well developed, some of them were quite odd, every one of them flawed, but they connected with each other, or they didn’t, in friendships that went deep. They were friends who saw each others' flaws but looked deeper, to the heart. The medical knowledge is spot-on, both with the dentistry and details of the things he and his wife went through. Matt is also a fisherman and a hunter. He and Jane are parents of 2 boys we never get to meet. Contrapasso doesn't have a plot, and it's not a mystery. The stories are vignettes of life that we all share and will recognize. The love, the humor and the heartbreak, and grief over things we lose as we age, are woven throughout the story … it's the story of life. Let it be said that the book is an emotional journey—I put it down, picked it back up, I laughed, I cried.
Matt Kingston is a 60-yr old dentist living on a lake in a small town in northern Minnesota, married for 40 years to his best friend and soul mate, Jane Monahan. The stories of their life together are sweet, poignant, love-affirming. His closest guy friend is John Velde, and when they are together, there are 2 boys who never grew up. John is a taxidermist, raised in a tiny town they both felt they had to leave. John is a loose cannon, was a high school jock who, at 60+, still tries to talk and swagger like a teenager, resists being serious about his own life. He’s not married and not fully appreciative of those who care for him. He’s often hard to like, maybe not someone I’d like to know, but he kept Matt laughing and Matt saw things in John no one else did—actually, John turned out to be a good baseball coach for a team of young boys.
I loved this book. The stories were very real, especially what Jane went through and the ways that affected her husband and her marriage. I loved the fishing stories, clenched my fist in the dentist’s chair … enjoyed friends relaxing with a beer around the campfire. [Not so crazy about some of the language, not always necessary or well placed…] That said, Waiting for White Horses was a masterpiece. This is another one!
The writing is brilliant, clever, funny, quirky, written with a unique sense of humor! It’s a book about relationships throughout life, and a look internally at things we lose as we age. The characters are well developed, some of them were quite odd, every one of them flawed, but they connected with each other, or they didn’t, in friendships that went deep. They were friends who saw each others' flaws but looked deeper, to the heart. The medical knowledge is spot-on, both with the dentistry and details of the things he and his wife went through. Matt is also a fisherman and a hunter. He and Jane are parents of 2 boys we never get to meet. Contrapasso doesn't have a plot, and it's not a mystery. The stories are vignettes of life that we all share and will recognize. The love, the humor and the heartbreak, and grief over things we lose as we age, are woven throughout the story … it's the story of life. Let it be said that the book is an emotional journey—I put it down, picked it back up, I laughed, I cried.
Matt Kingston is a 60-yr old dentist living on a lake in a small town in northern Minnesota, married for 40 years to his best friend and soul mate, Jane Monahan. The stories of their life together are sweet, poignant, love-affirming. His closest guy friend is John Velde, and when they are together, there are 2 boys who never grew up. John is a taxidermist, raised in a tiny town they both felt they had to leave. John is a loose cannon, was a high school jock who, at 60+, still tries to talk and swagger like a teenager, resists being serious about his own life. He’s not married and not fully appreciative of those who care for him. He’s often hard to like, maybe not someone I’d like to know, but he kept Matt laughing and Matt saw things in John no one else did—actually, John turned out to be a good baseball coach for a team of young boys.
I loved this book. The stories were very real, especially what Jane went through and the ways that affected her husband and her marriage. I loved the fishing stories, clenched my fist in the dentist’s chair … enjoyed friends relaxing with a beer around the campfire. [Not so crazy about some of the language, not always necessary or well placed…] That said, Waiting for White Horses was a masterpiece. This is another one!
March 10, 2021
I was already a fan of Mr. Jorgenson from reading his other books. Having been married to my best friend and sweetheart for over 60 years, twice a cancer survivor, and lived in small town Minnesota there was a lot I could relate to. This book isn’t a mystery with a final twist or surprise. It is a story about the human condition, life - the joys as well as the rough spots along the way and those with whom you share the journey. Living with a bow hunter and fisherman and raising a couple of boys some of the stories were familiar. In some parts I laughed (outloud) and in others the tears flowed. Jorgenson develops his characters so thoughtfully and thoroughly that you will miss them and think about them with fondness like old friends when you finish. Lots to think about.
April 12, 2020
Nathan Jorgenson is one of my favorite authors. After only the first page, I know it’s going to be a book I can’t wait to read. His characters come alive with so much personality.Each book includes a hobby of the main character that lets you learn a little more about that subject. Contrapasso takes you on an emotional journey covering everything from laughter to crying. Parts of the story just pull at your heartstrings. It makes you question previous relationships and the impact they have on the life you are now leading. The book leaves you revisiting your own life and wondering what lies ahead. Happy reading! This is a keeper for sue
May 19, 2022
This story has something for everyone. It’s about life, death, the past, the future, coping, and surviving. Nathan Jorgenson has a way of bringing all those things together and making them seem real. Jane and Matt have something that most people dream about in a marriage. Then, life throws them a curve ball and leaves Jane and Matt searching for what they once had.
December 4, 2024
I happened to just read this book at the perfect time in my life. The aging process is there. I had cancer and surgery late this summer and learned you don't go through it alone, you go through it together, how love changes and still grows. I am having my husband read it next so I can tell him I love him like that.
August 8, 2021
Another brilliant book by one of my favorite authors! Nathan Jorgenson is a master story teller in all of his books and especially in this one. I’ve never laughed nor cried out-loud so much while reading a book.
March 8, 2020
Excellent book. Great story. Many points hit home with me and it was my type of humor. Glad you have another book out - been waiting!
May 11, 2020
One of my all time favorites.
October 14, 2020
GREAT book!
Nathan Jorgensen did if again! Could not put the book down! The characters were so real! Have read all of his books.
Nathan Jorgensen did if again! Could not put the book down! The characters were so real! Have read all of his books.
November 6, 2022
Love this author
I recommend this book for anyone, but especially if you're in the 55+ age group. 🙂 I sincerely hope Nate is working on another book!
I recommend this book for anyone, but especially if you're in the 55+ age group. 🙂 I sincerely hope Nate is working on another book!
April 5, 2023
I have ranked all the books the author writes very high. This one just didn't capture my attention like his other novels. The plot was just too ho-hum for me.
January 26, 2022
I could not finish this book. I was looking forward to it. I liked two others by Nathan Jorgensen…The Mulligan…and…Waiting for White Horses. This seemed at times too unbelievable. Two 60+ year old men having conversations and actions of two college age boys. I just couldn’t get through it. I read 200 pages of the approximate 600. Tell me if I should have kept reading.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews