Arthur: The Beginning

by Walter Stoffel

Young Arthur Berndt is fighting to survive his childhood but the odds are stacked against him. He lives in two worlds—the violent one he shares with his father at home and the confused one outside his house, where he continually gets into trouble in a futile attempt to gain acceptance at any cost.
Every day of his life Arthur finds himself trapped under the same roof with a mortal enemy—August Berndt. Though terrified of his abusive father, Arthur dares not share his fears with anyone else. Instead, on the street, he becomes a follower in his desperate effort to be accepted by someone—anyone. His need to please would-be friends compels Arthur to commit antisocial acts that suck the young boy into the legal system, make him an alien in his own neighborhood and only heighten the tension and violence he endures at home. Despite further complicating his life with his own self-defeating actions, subconsciously( and on the very rare occasion consciously), Arthur rationalizes his criminal behavior—if no one cares what happens to me, why should I care about what I do to anyone else?
Is Arthur doomed to meet the dark fate he seems headed for or will he live to see his life get better? You’ll be captivated by Arthur—the embodiment of the human struggle to survive.

Genres: Nonfiction

282 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2019

About the author

Walter Stoffel began his career as a writer in 2010. A lifelong procrastinator, he was determined to start, complete and publish a manuscript. That effort resulted in Lance: A Spirit Unbroken, a dog rescue memoir that has achieved five-star review status on three continents.

His follow-up effort, Arthur: The Beginning, is a work of historical fiction that chronicles the early years of a young boy struggling to grow up in the 1950s on Long Island.

Arthur: The Struggle Continues is the riveting sequel and provides more of the author’s unique blend of dramatic prose and cutting-edge wit.

Please visit Walter at The Penman’s Ship http://bit.ly/3qPwhep where you can enjoy his entertaining and thought-provoking essays.

Reviews

[Vonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written with so much understanding for abused children. Arthur is cruelly abused by the one person he should be able to trust, his father. It really shows how the kids have to live with split personalities- one life hiding the abuse and acting like life was normal then there is the side that is his"normal". As Arthur struggles to survive the life he was given he was an outcast everywhere except for the dog he meets Rex. Arthur will steal your heart.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I mostly read nonfiction books about child abuse but occasionally I will pick up a fiction novel about it. While this one started out holding my interest, I started losing interest around the middle of the book as events seemed somewhat repetitive. There seemed to be some filler information that was not really pertinent to the rest of the storyline. Overall, this was a pretty good book that really made me feel for Arthur and his quest to fit in and make some good friends.

[Josephine Sorrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story stole my life for a day as I read on and on and on. Don’t you love when you come across a book that is so captivating!

I immediately became immersed in the life of young Arthur. Walter Stoffel, the author, has penned a novel about a young boy’s life that reads as a work of non-fiction. I am hoping for a sequel as I want to know how Arthur’s life progresses.

Young Arthur Berndt is finding ways to survive his turbulent childhood but it seems at every turn the odds are stacked against him. Arthur’s father has a violent and unpredictable temper. Arthur finds sanctuary in school where he excels academically. He does gets into trouble in the attempt to gain acceptance at any cost.
As a teacher, I have witnessed this scenario first hand. Arthur finds himself drawn to older boys in the community, and as a result, he has earned police record, sad for one so young and innocent.
Now Arthur has a reputation in the community as a hoodlum and troublemaker. Every day of Arthur’s life is plagued by his father and mortal enemy—August Berndt. He is a cruel and abusive man. Arthur thinking that his peers probably live a life like his, keeps his fears to himself. He spends as much time away from his house as possible, but if not home by 5:00 the result is a severe and painful beating.
On the street he becomes a follower in his desperate effort to be accepted by someone, well anyone. Arthur has become alienated in his own neighborhood... with only a beloved dog named Rex for companionship.

Prepare to be captivated by Arthur, the epitome of the human struggle to survive.

[Elke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arthur: The Beginning is a story about a young boy who gets abused by his father at home. Growing up with nothing but violence, he takes to the street to find peace from home. There he meets all kind of people who lead him down a wrong path.

This book started out strong. The pace was fast, the story drew me in and I wanted to keep reading. But after about one hundred pages things slowed down extremely and I felt like a lot of the scenes were just repetitions of one another with a different setting. There were even a few chapters that didn't do anything to move the story along, they felt like fillers and to me they were quite boring. They basically went something like this... Arthur did something and got in trouble and then he hoped his father wouldn't find out and hurt him. Several chapters went like this and after a while it just got really dull.

And I absolutely hate every single person that Arthur came across. No one once saw what he was dealing with and all of them blamed Arthur for everything and then told his parents that they need to keep a better eye on their son. Even people telling Arthur (who was 8 at the time) that he was on the wrong path and that he will be an juvenile delinquent. He was 8 years old! How about helping him instead of blaming him? Even his sister betrayed him by telling their father something Arthur had done. She sees what happens to him, why would she do that? I don't believe she would just do that to get into their fathers good graces.

I had high hopes for this book but I really didn't like it. 2 stars for the strong start.

I received a review copy through Netgalley.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't surprised to learn that the author has a BA in psychology and is an alcohol and drug counselor. Arthur, even at age five, knows why he's making the choices he makes, and the narrator uses psychological meta language throughout.

The book cover says this is Book One in the Arthur Series. I imagine the next installment will continue through Arthur's difficult childhood, and reveal some of the consequences of his upbringing.

[Diane Secchiaroli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur is a young boy in a dysfunctional family where the father continuously beats him for wetting the bed and other reasons. The Beginning follows Arthur from 4 to 11 years old. Arthur consistently associates with older troubled children who get him in trouble. At first I found it unbelievable that he hung out around these older children one after the other. I figured no one could be that unlucky. However because his family situation was so bad he didn’t have the opportunity to associate with children his own age. As he got a reputation as a troublemaker those individuals who could have been his friends were not allowed to by their parents. Arthur finds solace in the woods surrounding his residence and with his dog Rex. There are two older sisters and his mother in the family. It appears that the three of them are only abused verbally. The mother doesn’t stop the beatings but occasionally keeps things from the father so he doesn’t get beaten. The father is a hard working, hard drinking angry man who also was raised in a dysfunctional family. The mother married him to get away from her family, so both parents come with baggage. Arthur craves acceptance, appreciation, and to be loved which he is not getting from his family members. So he seeks it elsewhere and unfortunately thinks he is getting it from people who are likewise damaged. He is on his way to becoming a juvenile delinquent. Hopefully in the next book someone “saves” him.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dark....(spoilers)

This book was generally well written but lacked something for me that is hard to place. I wish that there was more of a timeline that allowed us to see how Arthur turned out and if there was ever any closure. There is a story here, but no real plot. This is a depressing tale of an abused boy who never gets any redemption or healing (that the reader sees). I wish the characters had bee more fleshed out, specifically August. I don't mind a flawed character, but I want more insight into what has made them the way they are.

A lot of the story simply went nowhere.

[rachelle leaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started really strong and was a page turner at the beginning. However, I feel the author lost his way and just found a number of scenarios to justify Arthur’s beatings. The book lacked structure and was repetitive. I was hoping to see how this family, father and awful beatings affected the boy, the teenager, the man. Near the end there was a reference to August’s mother and his relationship with her. Would history repeat itself with Arthur or did he have the wherewithal to change his future?

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author wrote a realistic novel about the two lives many abused children live. Arthur is abused at home by his father and his mom attempts to keep him from suffering some beatings by hiding things from the father. This book covers Arthur’s life up to age 11, so I am curious as to what the author comes up with for Arthur in his teen and adult years. This is unfortunately how life is for many abused children, so it is an emotional read.

[Aletha Pagett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story of a young boy with an abusive father and a rather passive mother trying to grow up in a place he feels unsafe every day. Although a work of fiction, Arthur's life can provide the reader insight into the lives and behaviors of children growing up in a negative environment and into the lives of adult survivors. No one grows in a vacuum. This book was received from Goodreads.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written. Sad truly. I'm just wanting to know if there is a book following this one?!?

[Elke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Arthur: The Beginning is a story about a young boy who gets abused by his father at home. Growing up with nothing but violence, he takes to the street to find peace from home. There he meets all kind of people who lead him down a wrong path.

This book started out strong. The pace was fast, the story drew me in and I wanted to keep reading. But after about one hundred pages things slowed down extremely and I felt like a lot of the scenes were just repetitions of one another with a different setting. There were even a few chapters that didn't do anything to move the story along, they felt like fillers and to me they were quite boring. They basically went something like this... Arthur did something and got in trouble and then he hoped his father wouldn't find out and hurt him. Several chapters went like this and after a while it just got really dull.

And I absolutely hate every single person that Arthur came across. No one once saw what he was dealing with and all of them blamed Arthur for everything and then told his parents that they need to keep a better eye on their son. Even people telling Arthur (who was 8 at the time) that he was on the wrong path and that he will be an juvenile delinquent. He was 8 years old! How about helping him instead of blaming him? Even his sister betrayed him by telling their father something Arthur had done. She sees what happens to him, why would she do that? I don't believe she would just do that to get into their fathers good graces.

I had high hopes for this book but I really didn't like it.

[Diane Secchiaroli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arthur is a young boy in a dysfunctional family where the father continuously beats him for wetting the bed and other reasons. The Beginning follows Arthur from 4 to 11 years old. Arthur consistently associates with older troubled children who get him in trouble. At first I found it unbelievable that he hung out around these older children one after the other. I figured no one could be that unlucky. However because his family situation was so bad he didn’t have the opportunity to associate with children his own age. As he got a reputation as a troublemaker those individuals who could have been his friends were not allowed to by their parents. Arthur finds solace in the woods surrounding his residence and with his dog Rex. There are two older sisters and his mother in the family. It appears that the three of them are only abused verbally. The mother doesn’t stop the beatings but occasionally keeps things from the father so he doesn’t get beaten. The father is a hard working, hard drinking angry man who also was raised in a dysfunctional family. The mother married him to get away from her family, so both parents come with baggage. Arthur craves acceptance, appreciation, and to be loved which he is not getting from his family members. So he seeks it elsewhere and unfortunately thinks he is getting it from people who are likewise damaged. He is on his way to becoming a juvenile delinquent. Hopefully in the next book someone “saves” him.

[Clazzzer C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such as heartbreaking read. Who wants to believe that such betrayal can go on behind closed doors in what should be the safe, secure and loving family unit. The abuse and hardship he experiences at home at the hands of his father, his caregiver, the person who is trusted with his care and protection leads to his life entering a vicious circle of negativity. Abuse at home lessens the value he places on himself, which filters out then into his street persona. His desire to be accepted means he'll stop at nothing in order to assimilate and gain popularity, some street cred. This has further adverse effects however when he returns home to his father's clutches after run ins with the law. His mother tried but wasn't effective in defending her poor child, such was the hold her husband had over them both. Stoffel did a good job of detailing some of the hardships that Arthur endured at the hands of his father, if not a little repetitive at times. Such beatings were repetitive I'm sure though, otherwise the need for this story would not have come to light. I was left in limbo as it only covered a small portion of Arthur's life though and I hope that there'll be a second instalment, but based on the ending and the title I suspect there will be.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher for this ARC.

This fictional tale follows the early childhood of Arthur who has a very difficult home life and seems to always be on the wrong side of the law, with some questionable morals. Arthur is certainly pushed towards this lifestyle by his abusive father and this story promotes the reader to consider the nature/buried debate. I feel the book was written honestly, having read many books in this genre that have been autobiographical I felt this piece surmised how a child in this situation would genuinely feel.

I did, however, struggle with the purpose of the story as few interesting events happen in the book. The book abruptly ends at age 11 giving no closure to the reader regarding Arthur’s adult life. I would have liked a summary chapter at the end telling me how the protagonist got on as an adult after his depressing upbringing.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author wrote a realistic novel about the two lives many abused children live. Arthur is abused at home by his father and his mom attempts to keep him from suffering some beatings by hiding things from the father. This book covers Arthur’s life up to age 11, so I am curious as to what the author comes up with for Arthur in his teen and adult years. This is unfortunately how life is for many abused children, so it is an emotional read.

[Kat M · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read but wasn't my favorite. The characters were good and I thought the struggle that Arthur faced was well written.