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Alchemy
The summer of 1984 was a golden time in America. From California, where gymnast Mary Lou Retton was winning Olympic gold, to Cape Cod, where explorer Barry Clifford was discovering pirate gold, the nation seemed obsessed with the precious metal. But for 15-year old Al, that obsession hits a little too close to home when he finds a code-filled notebook belonging to his missing father that may contain the ancient formula for turning lead to gold. Convinced that his father’s sudden disappearance is connected to his secret experiments in alchemy, Al sets out to find the truth. He enlists the help of Cammie, a beautiful girl staying for the summer while her marine biologist father tracks a wayward manatee, and together they begin unraveling the mystery. But the closer they get to an answer, the closer they grow to each other, and as the end of summer draws nearer, Al wonders if they can break the code without breaking his heart.
366 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2010
37 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Mike Wood
2 books28 followersMike Wood is a middle school teacher by day, husband/father by night, and author by accident. His first novel, Alchemy, was mostly written while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon (which is a cool injury when it happens on a football field, but not so cool when it occurs while dancing at an outdoor concert!) That injury, and a somewhat serendipitous meeting with best-selling author AJ Jacobs, inspired him to start pursuing his secret dream of being a writer. After many rejections from agents and publishers, he finally found someone foolish enough to publish his books…himself!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
June 11, 2011
This book was a nice little surprise! I got in touch with author Mike Wood through the Kindle page on Facebook by chance and soon saw that he had self-published his first novel. I'm all for supporting independent writers and, upon reading his book's description, I decided to give it a try. It looked fun, it was about the 1980s, I grew up in the 1980s, so it just jumped to the top of my "What to read next" queue.
I have to say I really can't remember reading a fiction book with a story so compelling that I actually felt I had to put the book away for a few hours after a big revelation hit me hard, out of nowhere. I really wasn't expecting it and I definitely couldn't go on reading because I needed to digest that important development in the character's life before moving on with the story the next morning. Besides, I got to that crucial part of the book when I was on my way to my niece's high school gala and I couldn't get my make up all messed up! Yes, had I gone on reading just another page, I'd probably burst into tears.
"Alchemy" is compelling indeed. It's the story of a young teenage boy during one eventful summer in the East Coast. His Dad has gone missing and he has to deal with both issues of abandonment and not knowing how to comfort his Mom. At the same time, he experiences his first love and feels jealous that his two best friends―who used to despise one another―are getting to hang out a lot and have fun without him, while he's too busy trying to get the girl.
There's also a lot of action: a manatee swimming north from Florida and getting caught in unfamiliar territory, the hunt for the treasure left behind by an 18-century pirate, trying to sneak into the drive in, and the inevitable quest for the next clue that could lead him back to his father, a "closeted alchemist" who had been fascinated with the idea of turning lead into gold.
Thinking about what I would take with me from this book, I realized that speaking English as a second language means that some expressions don't really ring true to me until I can finally associate some sort of feeling with the words. After having my daughter, I could finally realize that "I could eat you with a spoon!" does make sense. After reading Mike Wood's "Alchemy" I finally realized what a "coming of age" tale is all about.
I have to say I really can't remember reading a fiction book with a story so compelling that I actually felt I had to put the book away for a few hours after a big revelation hit me hard, out of nowhere. I really wasn't expecting it and I definitely couldn't go on reading because I needed to digest that important development in the character's life before moving on with the story the next morning. Besides, I got to that crucial part of the book when I was on my way to my niece's high school gala and I couldn't get my make up all messed up! Yes, had I gone on reading just another page, I'd probably burst into tears.
"Alchemy" is compelling indeed. It's the story of a young teenage boy during one eventful summer in the East Coast. His Dad has gone missing and he has to deal with both issues of abandonment and not knowing how to comfort his Mom. At the same time, he experiences his first love and feels jealous that his two best friends―who used to despise one another―are getting to hang out a lot and have fun without him, while he's too busy trying to get the girl.
There's also a lot of action: a manatee swimming north from Florida and getting caught in unfamiliar territory, the hunt for the treasure left behind by an 18-century pirate, trying to sneak into the drive in, and the inevitable quest for the next clue that could lead him back to his father, a "closeted alchemist" who had been fascinated with the idea of turning lead into gold.
Thinking about what I would take with me from this book, I realized that speaking English as a second language means that some expressions don't really ring true to me until I can finally associate some sort of feeling with the words. After having my daughter, I could finally realize that "I could eat you with a spoon!" does make sense. After reading Mike Wood's "Alchemy" I finally realized what a "coming of age" tale is all about.
May 10, 2011
The premise got me -- anybody who grew up in the 80's will love this book...
This was a wonderful coming-of-age tale about a fatherless boy who is figuring out his place in life. The author did a great job making the reader root for Al during this story. This book would be great to develop into a movie!! I would recommend this book to anyone that was ever a child or has a heart :)
This was a wonderful coming-of-age tale about a fatherless boy who is figuring out his place in life. The author did a great job making the reader root for Al during this story. This book would be great to develop into a movie!! I would recommend this book to anyone that was ever a child or has a heart :)
July 16, 2016
The author of this book states in his end 'Credits' that he 'doesn’t honestly like writing'. And yet, he persisted for 346 very long, tedious pages it seems. He also pays tribute to his editor's keen eye for detail. Really? Hmm...
‘I had just went…’
‘Why don’t you where your shoes?’
‘Must of called in sick’
‘By dinner time, I had made up my mind to just peddle over there…’
‘I might get a peak at the upstairs’
Aaargh!
…to quote just a few from the appallingly long list. There were missing quotation marks, bad grammar, characters starting nearly every sentence with ‘well’, inconsistent spellings. And...plurals are not formed with an apostrophe and an ‘s’. As for punctuation…not quite a ‘Let’s eat Grandma’ example but ‘Be sure to come right in Cammie’ wasn’t far off.
If a badly edited book really annoys you, don’t read any further. This book isn’t for you.
Editing aside, this book wasn’t for me simply because it was mind-numbingly boring. Al Newman is a fifteen-year-old teen, whose father left the family home one day and never returned. Refusing to believe he simply walked away, Al sets out to explore theories of abduction. He is helped by Cammie, staying in the area with her father for the summer period. Cammie is a beautiful young girl for whom Al falls hook, line and sinker.
This doesn’t actually get remotely interesting until Al finally learns the truth of his father's disappearance, which is over halfway through. The book could easily have been a hundred pages shorter. The first half overdoes the teenage angst thing while trying to hold your attention with the explanation of Newman Senior’s vanishing act (which I guessed early on).
Despite the fact that this practically put me to sleep every night, I stuck it out to the end. I liked Al. I liked his mother. Although the writing isn’t prize-winning stuff, there’s a gentle humour and wit throughout. I got the feeling that a lot of the author was in Al...and Wood seems like a nice chap. So it does pain me to say that, regrettably, I can't recommend this. I would recommend, however, an editorial overhaul.
‘I had just went…’
‘Why don’t you where your shoes?’
‘Must of called in sick’
‘By dinner time, I had made up my mind to just peddle over there…’
‘I might get a peak at the upstairs’
Aaargh!
…to quote just a few from the appallingly long list. There were missing quotation marks, bad grammar, characters starting nearly every sentence with ‘well’, inconsistent spellings. And...plurals are not formed with an apostrophe and an ‘s’. As for punctuation…not quite a ‘Let’s eat Grandma’ example but ‘Be sure to come right in Cammie’ wasn’t far off.
If a badly edited book really annoys you, don’t read any further. This book isn’t for you.
Editing aside, this book wasn’t for me simply because it was mind-numbingly boring. Al Newman is a fifteen-year-old teen, whose father left the family home one day and never returned. Refusing to believe he simply walked away, Al sets out to explore theories of abduction. He is helped by Cammie, staying in the area with her father for the summer period. Cammie is a beautiful young girl for whom Al falls hook, line and sinker.
This doesn’t actually get remotely interesting until Al finally learns the truth of his father's disappearance, which is over halfway through. The book could easily have been a hundred pages shorter. The first half overdoes the teenage angst thing while trying to hold your attention with the explanation of Newman Senior’s vanishing act (which I guessed early on).
Despite the fact that this practically put me to sleep every night, I stuck it out to the end. I liked Al. I liked his mother. Although the writing isn’t prize-winning stuff, there’s a gentle humour and wit throughout. I got the feeling that a lot of the author was in Al...and Wood seems like a nice chap. So it does pain me to say that, regrettably, I can't recommend this. I would recommend, however, an editorial overhaul.
September 3, 2011
In his bio on Amazon, Wood indicates he had many rejections from agents and publishers, "claiming the book was great, but too hard to market." After reading "Alchemy," I understand why. It isn't a mystery, although there is a mystery to be solved. It has a protagonist who is the perfect age for a Young Adult novel and I daresay many in this demographic would relate to much of the story - possibly (hopefully) even learn from it. However, some parents might feel that parts of the book aren't suitable for the younger portion of the demographic; not because it is explicit or crude (it isn't), but because some subject matter might be too mature for them (saying more would be a spoiler.) Marketing as a Young Adult book might also limit the adult audience, many whom would find the book nostalgic for the time in which it takes place as well as some of the things Al is going through. It is a coming of age story, but that doesn't help with the marketing angle and also sells the book short -it is much more than that.
I also understand why those agents and publishers liked "Alchemy." Wood's writing voice (or maybe I should describe it as Al's voice) is different in a way I haven't been able to identify. Whatever it is that makes it different, it fits the character well. During the story, Al learns about love, in many different forms. He matures, learning that just being himself and being open about his feelings is best. Most importantly, he finds out that things aren't always as they appear and that sometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Older teens and adults, especially those who were still young in the 80s, should especially connect with "Alchemy."
One minor complaint I had were a few instances where Al's Great-Grandmother appeared in the story. She spoke in what I took to be an Italian accent and the dialogue attempted to convey this. Where accents in dialogue are concerned, a little bit goes a long way. On the positive side, this was a very small part in only two or three scenes. However, the first was very early, which didn't get me off to a great start.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
I also understand why those agents and publishers liked "Alchemy." Wood's writing voice (or maybe I should describe it as Al's voice) is different in a way I haven't been able to identify. Whatever it is that makes it different, it fits the character well. During the story, Al learns about love, in many different forms. He matures, learning that just being himself and being open about his feelings is best. Most importantly, he finds out that things aren't always as they appear and that sometimes people do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Older teens and adults, especially those who were still young in the 80s, should especially connect with "Alchemy."
One minor complaint I had were a few instances where Al's Great-Grandmother appeared in the story. She spoke in what I took to be an Italian accent and the dialogue attempted to convey this. Where accents in dialogue are concerned, a little bit goes a long way. On the positive side, this was a very small part in only two or three scenes. However, the first was very early, which didn't get me off to a great start.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
August 22, 2011
This is a "very good," but not "great" YA novel. I loved the first 38-and-a-half chapters, which is pretty good for a 40 chapter book from a first time author. The characters were engaging and likeable, the story was fast-paced and plausible, and the FIRST ending was very satisfying.
Though I hate cliches, I have to say "I couldn't put it down." I was emotionally engaged with the characters to the point where I had to stop reading several times because I couldn't see through my tears, or because my hands were shaking, either with laughter or fury. The author has "nailed" the thoughts and feelings of typical teens as they navigate the treacherous waters between child and adult. I truly hope he continues to write, because I am certain that his next book will be even better.
My only quibble is with the SECOND preachy ending. The author, a middle school teacher, apparently couldn't resist lecturing. Teens like to draw their own conclusions about the "message" of a book. Mr. Wood put words in the mouth of his protagonist that sound like the kind of moralizing I expect to hear from a high school principal. That is especially true of Chapter 40, which could be seen as a THIRD ending. That one is almost unbearable, and is inconsistent with the protagonist's nature as represented by the first 90% of the book. IMHO, this book would be far superior without the last one-and-one-half chapters. They are unnecessary, and I hope the author will consider dropping them from future editions.
I gave this gook five stars on Amazon, because of the blatant "grade inflation among their reviewers. I do think Goodreads readers are a bit more discerning, so I gave it four stars here. That doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to more from this author. I can only hope to be half as good a writer someday.
Grab this book. It's a good read, and it'll enable you to say "I was a Mike Wood fan back when he was an unknown."
Though I hate cliches, I have to say "I couldn't put it down." I was emotionally engaged with the characters to the point where I had to stop reading several times because I couldn't see through my tears, or because my hands were shaking, either with laughter or fury. The author has "nailed" the thoughts and feelings of typical teens as they navigate the treacherous waters between child and adult. I truly hope he continues to write, because I am certain that his next book will be even better.
My only quibble is with the SECOND preachy ending. The author, a middle school teacher, apparently couldn't resist lecturing. Teens like to draw their own conclusions about the "message" of a book. Mr. Wood put words in the mouth of his protagonist that sound like the kind of moralizing I expect to hear from a high school principal. That is especially true of Chapter 40, which could be seen as a THIRD ending. That one is almost unbearable, and is inconsistent with the protagonist's nature as represented by the first 90% of the book. IMHO, this book would be far superior without the last one-and-one-half chapters. They are unnecessary, and I hope the author will consider dropping them from future editions.
I gave this gook five stars on Amazon, because of the blatant "grade inflation among their reviewers. I do think Goodreads readers are a bit more discerning, so I gave it four stars here. That doesn't change the fact that I enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to more from this author. I can only hope to be half as good a writer someday.
Grab this book. It's a good read, and it'll enable you to say "I was a Mike Wood fan back when he was an unknown."
August 3, 2011
This debut novel by author Mike Wood was a fun summer read and a very cool trip down the 1980s memory lane for me. The story is set in the summer of 1984 in Cape Cod, MA, and is told in the 1st person narrative by 15 year old Al Newman. During this coming of age summer, Al struggles with the unanswered disappearance of his father, and he is determined to find out what happened to him. Along comes a pretty teenage girl, Cammie, who along with her marine biologist father have tracked a wayward manatee, Hugh, from Florida to Cape Cod. When Al meets Cammie, they become friends which quickly turns into Al's 1st crush and kiss, and together they set out on an adventure to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Al's father. During this summer, Al learns to deal with the fickleness of teenage friendships and young love, the ups and downs of family life and life's lessons in general. The author weaves an enjoyable story mixed with many nostalgic memories of the 1980s that will keep the reader smiling throughout the book.
April 18, 2011
This was an excellent book. The author did an AMAZING job of capturing how it feels to be an early teenage boy...it really took me back 35 years. The characters are well developed and multidimensional. The book moves along at an excellent pace, and even when the story completely changes gears, the transition is smooth. There is an emotional depth to this story that is quite amazing, especially for a first-time author. Lastly, this book has an excellent message, and yet it avoids getting "preachy". Highly recommended!
August 11, 2011
YA. Very enjoyable light easy holiday read. Review to follow.
March 23, 2015
Good book by someone everybody knows!
July 2, 2011
A sweet, quirky story. Very well written.
August 17, 2017
First off...I need to apologize to author Mike Wood...I started this book last fall and just finished it this August--all due to the fact that I had misplaced my Kindle!! Had I NOT misplaced it, it would have been finished much sooner!
This was a great coming-of-age story that I really enjoyed. The multi-layered story is pretty compelling and the characters are enjoyable and entertaining. It is known that authors tend to draw from their own experiences when they write...how much of this book reflects on Mike's life--I don't know--but he's got a pretty good imagination if all of the events and characters are strictly fiction!
I'm wondering if there is another Al and Cammie story in the works--it'd be a great read, I'm sure!
This was a great coming-of-age story that I really enjoyed. The multi-layered story is pretty compelling and the characters are enjoyable and entertaining. It is known that authors tend to draw from their own experiences when they write...how much of this book reflects on Mike's life--I don't know--but he's got a pretty good imagination if all of the events and characters are strictly fiction!
I'm wondering if there is another Al and Cammie story in the works--it'd be a great read, I'm sure!
July 11, 2014
More reviews available at my blog, Beauty and the Bookworm.
Okay. Let me begin by copying and pasting the description of this book. According to Goodreads, Alchemy is about how, "The summer of 1984 was a golden time in America. From California, where gymnast Mary Lou Retton was winning Olympic gold, to Cape Cod, where explorer Barry Clifford was discovering pirate gold, the nation seemed obsessed with the precious metal. But for 15-year old Al, that obsession hits a little too close to home when he finds a code-filled notebook belonging to his missing father that may contain the ancient formula for turning lead to gold. Convinced that his father's sudden disappearance is connected to his secret experiments in alchemy, Al sets out to find the truth. He enlists the help of Cammie, a beautiful girl staying for the summer while her marine biologist father tracks a wayward manatee, and together they begin unraveling the mystery. But the closer they get to an answer, the closer they grow to each other, and as the end of summer draws nearer, Al wonders if they can break the code without breaking his heart."
That said...that's not really what this book is about. Okay, there's a notebook with a code in it, and Al's father did go missing several years ago. But that's not the real story. The real story mainly revolves around Al's relationship (or wannabe relationship, depending) with Cammie, and the notebook and the "mystery" are pretty much a ploy to get her to spend time with him. That said...the summary is also a blatant lie. Al, our narrator, is a blatant liar. You know what I don't like? Unreliable narrators. They can be done incredibly well, when you know they're unreliable the whole time, and spend the entire book questioning what's real and what's not. But when you get to the end and find out that half the plot wasn't actually plot? No. No. That's not cool. See, up until the end, I really loved Alchemy. Okay, there were some issues. Wood apparently doesn't know to properly punctuate when using parentheses at the end of a sentence, and also is a little shaky on how to use quotation marks on dialogue that spans more than one paragraph. (For future reference, if the parentheses are a separate sentence, the punctuation goes inside them; if they are included in a larger sentence, the punctuation goes outside them. Also, if your dialogue spans more than one paragraph, you put quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph of dialogue, and then one final set of end quotation marks when your character stops speaking.) Still, I enjoyed the narrative style. There were some other aspects that put me off a bit (for example, Al's age is listed by the book as being 15, but the timeline is a little shaky sometimes so it's often hard to tell how old he is, and he has a job at one point but then it never shows up again) but I liked the overall story and the mystery and how it was all coming together. Would I have liked some more involvement of the Hugh Manatee storyline, or the story about the guys looking for pirate gold? Yeah. Sure. Definitely. But I was still thoroughly enjoying the book, and it was looking at a four-star rating.
Then there was the end. The end was preachy. The end completely derailed the rest of the book. Honestly, I think it would have been perfectly possible to end Alchemy without trying to beat me over the head with the lesson of "appreciate what you have before it's gone" and turning the entire mystery into a red herring. I was so incredibly disappointed by how the ending dragged on and felt the need to beat me over the head with the moral lesson when the lesson should have been clear from the entire book; really, it's like War and Peace. When I say that, I mean that in War and Peace, Tolstoy spends the entire book building up his philosophy of history, and then spends the last forty or so pages of the book telling you exactly the same thing but all in one place. It's just not necessary, and it results in treating your reader like they are intellectually inferior and aren't smart enough to "get" the point you've been making.
So, yeah, I enjoyed the bulk of Alchemy. But in the end, being treated like I couldn't understand the lesson of the book and being told that half the book had just been a decoy was so infuriating that it completely ruined the rest of the experience for me.
2.5 out of 5 stars.
Okay. Let me begin by copying and pasting the description of this book. According to Goodreads, Alchemy is about how, "The summer of 1984 was a golden time in America. From California, where gymnast Mary Lou Retton was winning Olympic gold, to Cape Cod, where explorer Barry Clifford was discovering pirate gold, the nation seemed obsessed with the precious metal. But for 15-year old Al, that obsession hits a little too close to home when he finds a code-filled notebook belonging to his missing father that may contain the ancient formula for turning lead to gold. Convinced that his father's sudden disappearance is connected to his secret experiments in alchemy, Al sets out to find the truth. He enlists the help of Cammie, a beautiful girl staying for the summer while her marine biologist father tracks a wayward manatee, and together they begin unraveling the mystery. But the closer they get to an answer, the closer they grow to each other, and as the end of summer draws nearer, Al wonders if they can break the code without breaking his heart."
That said...that's not really what this book is about. Okay, there's a notebook with a code in it, and Al's father did go missing several years ago. But that's not the real story. The real story mainly revolves around Al's relationship (or wannabe relationship, depending) with Cammie, and the notebook and the "mystery" are pretty much a ploy to get her to spend time with him. That said...the summary is also a blatant lie. Al, our narrator, is a blatant liar. You know what I don't like? Unreliable narrators. They can be done incredibly well, when you know they're unreliable the whole time, and spend the entire book questioning what's real and what's not. But when you get to the end and find out that half the plot wasn't actually plot? No. No. That's not cool. See, up until the end, I really loved Alchemy. Okay, there were some issues. Wood apparently doesn't know to properly punctuate when using parentheses at the end of a sentence, and also is a little shaky on how to use quotation marks on dialogue that spans more than one paragraph. (For future reference, if the parentheses are a separate sentence, the punctuation goes inside them; if they are included in a larger sentence, the punctuation goes outside them. Also, if your dialogue spans more than one paragraph, you put quotation marks at the beginning of each paragraph of dialogue, and then one final set of end quotation marks when your character stops speaking.) Still, I enjoyed the narrative style. There were some other aspects that put me off a bit (for example, Al's age is listed by the book as being 15, but the timeline is a little shaky sometimes so it's often hard to tell how old he is, and he has a job at one point but then it never shows up again) but I liked the overall story and the mystery and how it was all coming together. Would I have liked some more involvement of the Hugh Manatee storyline, or the story about the guys looking for pirate gold? Yeah. Sure. Definitely. But I was still thoroughly enjoying the book, and it was looking at a four-star rating.
Then there was the end. The end was preachy. The end completely derailed the rest of the book. Honestly, I think it would have been perfectly possible to end Alchemy without trying to beat me over the head with the lesson of "appreciate what you have before it's gone" and turning the entire mystery into a red herring. I was so incredibly disappointed by how the ending dragged on and felt the need to beat me over the head with the moral lesson when the lesson should have been clear from the entire book; really, it's like War and Peace. When I say that, I mean that in War and Peace, Tolstoy spends the entire book building up his philosophy of history, and then spends the last forty or so pages of the book telling you exactly the same thing but all in one place. It's just not necessary, and it results in treating your reader like they are intellectually inferior and aren't smart enough to "get" the point you've been making.
So, yeah, I enjoyed the bulk of Alchemy. But in the end, being treated like I couldn't understand the lesson of the book and being told that half the book had just been a decoy was so infuriating that it completely ruined the rest of the experience for me.
2.5 out of 5 stars.
September 12, 2012
Alchemy is the coming-of-age story of one Albert Einstein (yes, 'Enstein') Newman, who's engaging narrative steers us through the events of one memorable summer in 1980's Cape Cod.
School's out, the sun's blazing and his two best friends are up for some high jinx... but Al's summer plans make a sudden sharp turn when he runs into gorgeous, (relatively) sophisticated and out-of-his-league Cammie, who is visiting the area with her Marine Biologist father as they track a wandering manatee named 'Hugh'. On top of all the ensuing hormonal drama, Alchemy blends in some pirate gold, the mystery of a missing father (a part-time alchemist), a snarky grandma... There's a lot more going on with this story than meets the eye, in part because several different stories have been sandwiched into one: it begins as a mystery, morphs into a boy-meets-girl teen romance, and then a treasure hunt and then... turns into something quite unexpected at the end. Yes, it's a little schizophrenic, but it pulls together.
What impressed me was how credible and well-written the fourteen-year old Al is - with all the requisite teenage angst. His gawky efforts to impress Cammie are hilarious, as are the cringe-worthy interactions with Cammie's unimpressed father. There were some very moving and insightful moments too, for example when Al's own father mysteriously disappears, leaving his mother to raise Al by herself. Both are coping but bereft - "I'll catch her crying, or just staring, and then I get mad at her for ruining my good mood", "I think we have both been punishing ourselves since Dad's been gone".
There are plenty of vivid characters in Alchemy too - Al's grandmother is a wonderfully mean old bag! Of course, the real star of the story is Al himself who is written with such irrepressible charm you just want to ruffle his hair and call him a scallywag! His teenage-boy musings are the sugar of the story ("...how much of rain is actually evaporated sweat?"). And the description of him torpedoing a sunken pirate ship in his dad's fish tank with glycerin suppositories... Uh, that had me in stitches!
It seem to me that the 'alchemy' of the title is not just a search for gold, but for different kinds of treasure and precious things. I found it to be charming, nostalgic and quirky. Should also mention it's more-or-less pitched for young adults but adults will enjoy it too.
V.S. Williams (author of 'Slave')
Full disclosure: author Mike Woods kindly left a review for my first novel, Slave. I had already purchased a copy of Alchemy prior to this and let Mr Woods know that I would leave a review for it. I also warned him that (for good or bad) any review I left would have to be my honest opinion - and it is.
School's out, the sun's blazing and his two best friends are up for some high jinx... but Al's summer plans make a sudden sharp turn when he runs into gorgeous, (relatively) sophisticated and out-of-his-league Cammie, who is visiting the area with her Marine Biologist father as they track a wandering manatee named 'Hugh'. On top of all the ensuing hormonal drama, Alchemy blends in some pirate gold, the mystery of a missing father (a part-time alchemist), a snarky grandma... There's a lot more going on with this story than meets the eye, in part because several different stories have been sandwiched into one: it begins as a mystery, morphs into a boy-meets-girl teen romance, and then a treasure hunt and then... turns into something quite unexpected at the end. Yes, it's a little schizophrenic, but it pulls together.
What impressed me was how credible and well-written the fourteen-year old Al is - with all the requisite teenage angst. His gawky efforts to impress Cammie are hilarious, as are the cringe-worthy interactions with Cammie's unimpressed father. There were some very moving and insightful moments too, for example when Al's own father mysteriously disappears, leaving his mother to raise Al by herself. Both are coping but bereft - "I'll catch her crying, or just staring, and then I get mad at her for ruining my good mood", "I think we have both been punishing ourselves since Dad's been gone".
There are plenty of vivid characters in Alchemy too - Al's grandmother is a wonderfully mean old bag! Of course, the real star of the story is Al himself who is written with such irrepressible charm you just want to ruffle his hair and call him a scallywag! His teenage-boy musings are the sugar of the story ("...how much of rain is actually evaporated sweat?"). And the description of him torpedoing a sunken pirate ship in his dad's fish tank with glycerin suppositories... Uh, that had me in stitches!
It seem to me that the 'alchemy' of the title is not just a search for gold, but for different kinds of treasure and precious things. I found it to be charming, nostalgic and quirky. Should also mention it's more-or-less pitched for young adults but adults will enjoy it too.
V.S. Williams (author of 'Slave')
Full disclosure: author Mike Woods kindly left a review for my first novel, Slave. I had already purchased a copy of Alchemy prior to this and let Mr Woods know that I would leave a review for it. I also warned him that (for good or bad) any review I left would have to be my honest opinion - and it is.
July 13, 2011
By the time I was halfway through Alchemy, I was already thinking about how I was going to review the book without spoiling it. It's about a 14 year old boy in New England in the summer of 1984, which I also was, coincidentally. The protagonist, Al, experiences some major upheaval in his life that summer, and author Mike Wood takes us along for the ride.
I don't want to get into the plot too much, for fear of spoilers, but Alchemy is essentially the tale of Al's first love and his search for the father who disappeared from his life several years before. Set in Cape Cod, the geography and landmarks of that area make regular appearances, as do some of the real-life events of that remarkable summer that I remember so well.
What drew me in the most deeply is the convincing way Mike developed his characters. Al is REAL. If he doesn't remind you of yourself, he reminds you of someone you know. Al walks the same twisting paths that I did at 14: confusion about how to best live life as things change around him; worries about keeping a balance between family, friends, and a first girlfriend; experiences with numerous "firsts" in life; and even the little eccentricities of a teenage boy's mind, like how to get rid of that bright spot behind your eyelids if you close your eyes after looking at the sun, and how great it is to pee with the bathroom door open when no one is home. I've read a number of books that have reminded me of circumstances in my youth, but this one was one of the rare ones that took me back inside my head at that time in my life. And not only Al. All of the characters Mike Wood has created in Alchemy are people you HAVE met at some point. And you would want to if you have not.
Then there are the twists in Alchemy. They are terrific, and yet none are merely contrived merely to excite. Each one fits perfectly into the flow of the story. You'll say "I didn't see that one coming" more than once.
I can't recommend Alchemy by Mike Wood strongly enough. If you were a kid in the 80s, before or after, you will be able to relate to this terrific debut novel. I am eagerly waiting for Mike Wood's next project, though it is going to be a tough act to follow.
I don't want to get into the plot too much, for fear of spoilers, but Alchemy is essentially the tale of Al's first love and his search for the father who disappeared from his life several years before. Set in Cape Cod, the geography and landmarks of that area make regular appearances, as do some of the real-life events of that remarkable summer that I remember so well.
What drew me in the most deeply is the convincing way Mike developed his characters. Al is REAL. If he doesn't remind you of yourself, he reminds you of someone you know. Al walks the same twisting paths that I did at 14: confusion about how to best live life as things change around him; worries about keeping a balance between family, friends, and a first girlfriend; experiences with numerous "firsts" in life; and even the little eccentricities of a teenage boy's mind, like how to get rid of that bright spot behind your eyelids if you close your eyes after looking at the sun, and how great it is to pee with the bathroom door open when no one is home. I've read a number of books that have reminded me of circumstances in my youth, but this one was one of the rare ones that took me back inside my head at that time in my life. And not only Al. All of the characters Mike Wood has created in Alchemy are people you HAVE met at some point. And you would want to if you have not.
Then there are the twists in Alchemy. They are terrific, and yet none are merely contrived merely to excite. Each one fits perfectly into the flow of the story. You'll say "I didn't see that one coming" more than once.
I can't recommend Alchemy by Mike Wood strongly enough. If you were a kid in the 80s, before or after, you will be able to relate to this terrific debut novel. I am eagerly waiting for Mike Wood's next project, though it is going to be a tough act to follow.
May 20, 2012
In this book, Mike Wood gives us a chance to relive a small piece of 1984 with his 15 y.o. protagonist, Albert E. Newman. Al has a hole in his heart that hasn't healed. His scientist father disappeared from his life 4 years ago, and his mother has not given him answers. No one has. So Al dreams that his father's experiments in alchemy are the real reason he took off - he imagines plots of kidnapping and conspiracy. Summer visitor, Cammie is fascinated by the idea of a plot. When Al finds a notebook of his father's, he convinces her to help him figure out the mystery.
I really, really enjoyed this book. The characters were delightful and the book was filled with humor and little memories of growing up in the 1980s. The action is slow at times, with the ramblings of a 15 year old boy, but that adds charm to the story and gives us insight into Al. A few surprises here and there in this book. And one thing that I have a hard time believing would have happened in the 1980s. Overall, a fun little read with lots of memorable snippets!
As it turns out, he finds his father in Provincetown. The father is gay and has HIV. They reconcile, but Cammie moves back for Florida.
I really, really enjoyed this book. The characters were delightful and the book was filled with humor and little memories of growing up in the 1980s. The action is slow at times, with the ramblings of a 15 year old boy, but that adds charm to the story and gives us insight into Al. A few surprises here and there in this book. And one thing that I have a hard time believing would have happened in the 1980s. Overall, a fun little read with lots of memorable snippets!
As it turns out, he finds his father in Provincetown. The father is gay and has HIV. They reconcile, but Cammie moves back for Florida.
February 15, 2012
Al Newman is 15 years old and ready for the same old, same old summer when he meets sweet and beautiful Cammie. It's love at first sight. Al resurrects his search for his missing father - a scientist who disappeared four years ago, and enlists Cammie's help to try and spend more time with her. His plan falls apart as she is called away. But still the mystery calls for him to solve and discover the truth.
I enjoyed this book. It was a trip in the way back machine to the 1980s. Al is a very sympathetic character and as he tells this story in his first person voice. And we love him for his heart, his confusion, his honesty and his innocence. But in the end Al confronts a bigger issue than teenage love, and it is in this that Al truly comes of age.
This book kind of reminds me of the Wonder Years in a way - even the geeky best friend named Paul. It's a feel good kind of book in a way, but also reminds us of the challenges of growing up.
I enjoyed this book. It was a trip in the way back machine to the 1980s. Al is a very sympathetic character and as he tells this story in his first person voice. And we love him for his heart, his confusion, his honesty and his innocence. But in the end Al confronts a bigger issue than teenage love, and it is in this that Al truly comes of age.
This book kind of reminds me of the Wonder Years in a way - even the geeky best friend named Paul. It's a feel good kind of book in a way, but also reminds us of the challenges of growing up.
May 20, 2012
I'm actually going to give this book 5 stars because it had everything I look for in a good novel - a bit of suspense, some mystery, some times when I literally laughed/chuckled out loud, and an overall good story. I found the writing style to be very refreshing; I could really seem to get into the head of a 14-year-old boy. It was fun, direct, and yet not-so-direct all at the same time.
That said, I can see why publishers were wary of it. Not because it wouldn't sell or wouldn't be a good read, because I gladly purchased the book and obviously read it (and thoroughly enjoyed it), but because it doesn't fit well into any publisher's niche. It's got elements of mystery, YA coming of age, romance... but also touches on some very adult topics. I'm glad I got this book through Amazon and I highly recommend it to all of my friends. I'd also be interested in reading more by Mike Wood.
That said, I can see why publishers were wary of it. Not because it wouldn't sell or wouldn't be a good read, because I gladly purchased the book and obviously read it (and thoroughly enjoyed it), but because it doesn't fit well into any publisher's niche. It's got elements of mystery, YA coming of age, romance... but also touches on some very adult topics. I'm glad I got this book through Amazon and I highly recommend it to all of my friends. I'd also be interested in reading more by Mike Wood.
September 25, 2011
Very enjoyable coming of age novel set in 1984 on Cape Cod. However, it is NOT a YA novel. The themes are quite sophisticated and nuanced, and young adults who read this should have an open-minded adult to talk to about the story.
I found the first person narrative of teen Albert E. Newman quite engaging. All the secondary characters were well drawn also. Cammie, Al's girlfriend for the summer is the most obscure, but that is because Al finds girls confusing and mysterious. The reader can see in advance what the true story of Al's dad's disappearance four years previously is, which Al has not understood due to his age and level of understanding. I felt a lot of empathy for Al as he begins to put the pieces together.
I found the first person narrative of teen Albert E. Newman quite engaging. All the secondary characters were well drawn also. Cammie, Al's girlfriend for the summer is the most obscure, but that is because Al finds girls confusing and mysterious. The reader can see in advance what the true story of Al's dad's disappearance four years previously is, which Al has not understood due to his age and level of understanding. I felt a lot of empathy for Al as he begins to put the pieces together.
August 21, 2011
Wow...just WOW! After finishing this story I could see it being a movie. The author weaves a "coming of age" story unlike any I've read before. Al's Dad doesn't come home one day and nobody tells him why leading him to think all sorts of things that may have happened to him and we see it all from his eyes letting us feel the confusion and everything else that happens to Al. Five years later at age 15, Al is dealing with a first love, his boyhood friends, his Mom, his Grandma, his missing Dad and a few shocking things that happen this same summer changing his life forever and the way he thinks about some things and the people close to him.
March 6, 2013
This was another free book I received for my kindle in one of the daily emails alerting readers to deals on amazon. I am continuously amazed at the quality of many of these books. Alchemy proved to be no exception to that and is one of the best books that I've read so far this year. Hugh Manatee, the wayward manatee who makes his way up to Cape Cod each summer, is the perfect mascot for this novel. Alchemy is filled with heart, laughter (I was literally cackling out loud while reading parts), love, sadness, pain, honesty and of course humanity. Wood has a way with language that I found fresh and unique. I will be watching this author for his future works.
February 27, 2014
I fell a little bit in love with 15 year old Al. He is real in the way a lot of fictional teenagers aren't, and has this whole "endearingly incompetent" thing going on. He's a really nice kid, who messes up a lot (like most 15 year olds). He's a lot like I was at that age, only I wasn't so good at apologies.
Al's relationship with Cammie is really sweet, but not saccharine. There's just the right amount of innocence without being twee and unrealistic.
Sometimes I would drift for a couple of pages here and there, which could have done with tightening up a bit and possibly being a little less earnest, but mostly I loved it and didn't want to put it down.
Al's relationship with Cammie is really sweet, but not saccharine. There's just the right amount of innocence without being twee and unrealistic.
Sometimes I would drift for a couple of pages here and there, which could have done with tightening up a bit and possibly being a little less earnest, but mostly I loved it and didn't want to put it down.
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July 28, 2011This was an excellent book. The author did an AMAZING job of capturing how it feels to be an early teenage boy...it really took me back 35 years. The characters are well developed and multidimensional. The book moves along at an excellent pace, and even when the story completely changes gears, the transition is smooth. There is an emotional depth to this story that is quite amazing, especially for a first-time author. Lastly, this book has an excellent message, and yet it avoids getting "preachy". Highly recommended!
April 23, 2012
I was a hesitant to read another "coming of age" story but I am glad I did. I loved the first person narration but thought that some of his observations were a bit too mature to be coming from a person of his age. I thought the author captured the time period well and made enough references to current happenings of the 80's for you to be immersed in that time frame. The characters were well fleshed out and I enjoyed the ending's'(other reviewers made reference to 3 endings)I think Mike Wood is an author I will be keeping an eye on.
February 11, 2012
Wow. What a wonderful read and a wonderful first book by author Mike Wood.
It's a beautiful coming-of-age story that made me both laugh out loud and weep, as I got the privilege of following 15 year old Al and his friends as they enjoyed the pleasures and pain of the fateful summer of 1984.
I can't say much more without spoiling the story, so I won't :)
What I WILL say, however, is: Buy This Book! :D
It's a beautiful coming-of-age story that made me both laugh out loud and weep, as I got the privilege of following 15 year old Al and his friends as they enjoyed the pleasures and pain of the fateful summer of 1984.
I can't say much more without spoiling the story, so I won't :)
What I WILL say, however, is: Buy This Book! :D
October 18, 2012
This is truly a wonderful story. It is nothing like I was expecting! I loved all the characters; they were real, well rounded and engaging. The way the author was able to take us into their lives and understand all perspectives was amazing. This story had depth, drama, and humor; it is far more than a simple story. I think this is an author to watch. I recommend this book to anyone who loves heartfelt coming of age stories. This is also a very well edited book, very professional.
April 15, 2012
Somehow I knew this book was special from the moment I saw it. It is unlike any other book I have read. Al is such a great character, and I ended up feeling like he or maybe the author was my little brother.
No way am I going to spoil any of the surprises in this book, but it has really touched me. Mike, you should be proud of this book.
No way am I going to spoil any of the surprises in this book, but it has really touched me. Mike, you should be proud of this book.
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July 18, 2012I just finished reading this book by Mike Wood. Mr. Wood happens to live in my hometown and he is going to be a guest speaker at our next book club meeting to talk to us about his book. Alchemy was a fun, easy read about a young boy coming of age in Cape Cod. I took this book with me to the beach and thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters.
August 18, 2012
Great summer read & awesome to get to have the author at our Book Club. It took awhile to get into the story but once it caught on I couldn't put it down. Mike brought us back to the 80's of a young summer romance. I would recommend this book for anyone to read from young adolescents to adults. Good job Mike!!
December 22, 2017
I got this free or cheap for the Kindle. So, it was gym reading for me. I found I was rather surprised by it. I enjoyed the story a lot. Except the very ending. I mean the VERY ending. It felt like it should have ended before that last whale stuff. To be totally honest, I skipped a lot of that. But overall, I definitely enjoyed it.
July 14, 2011
Good coming of age type story. I enjoyed this book. It is the story of a boy trying to find out why his father left/disappeared. The ending surprised me, but not in a bad way. I liked the character development and the author did a nice job crafting the characters.
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