Serendib

by Jim Toner

Book Overview

I didn't invite him. The idea was all my father's, my seventy-four-year-old father who had never been outside America and who suddenly thought that Sri Lanka, where I was a Peace Corps volunteer,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0820346616
• ISBN13: 9780820346618
• Release Date: June 2013
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

moved

A writer I once knew told me about the importance of honesty in one's writing. Here in this book there is a beautiful and simple honesty which allows us to enter into the skin of the author and to see through his eyes. After reading it, I feel that I've been to Sri Lanka and gotton to know the author intimately. A beautiful, giving spirit shines through so that it is easier to return to an American world and bring a little bit of Sri Lanka and a little of Jim Toner back to it.

A powerful read

I picked up "Serendib" thinking it looked interesting, and couldn't put it down. A powerful story of father/son relationships, this book made me laugh, and broght me to tears. I'll buy a copy for all my brothers, and then buy some more for friends. It's a must-read for any sibling from a large family who wants to know how to navigate the crowded road of parent and child relationships. Not to mention a fabulous peek into life in Sri Lanka.

An uplifting read!

This simple little book contains such power within! It deals with the journey of learning to love our parents, and the courage that it takes to process our relationships with our parents. Mr. Toner accepted the gift of a visit from his father to Sri Lanka as an opportunity, and in doing so Toner inspires the reader to examine the conflicts in one's own life as gifts. Through the shared adventures and lessons Toner learns to appreciate things about his father--especially the unknown talents and strengths and views--and in doing so Toner finds the healing power of love. The writing will warm you!

Serendib Touches Every Part of the Human Soul

A book that can make you laugh out loud, then cause tears to stream down your face on the very next page is a great rarity. Serendib is just such a book. Every single sentence of this extremely well-crafted novel evokes vivid imagery which delights or saddens the heart depending upon the situation. Jim Toner's charming witticisms made me laugh. The joy he and others found amidst the everyday tragedies in Sri Lanka made me cry. The relationship that developed between Mr. Toner and his aging father in this utter chaos made me do both.It was serendipitous indeed that I came across this wonderful book. I haven't felt such power in the written word in a long, long time.

Serendib

A book that can make you laugh out loud, then cause tears to stream down your face on the very next page is a great rarity. Serendib is just such a book. Every single sentence of this extremely well-crafted novel evokes vivid imagery which delights or saddens the heart depending upon the situation.Jim Toner's charming witticisms made me laugh. The joy he and others found amidst the everyday tragedies in Sri Lanka made me cry. The relationship that developed between Mr. Toner and his aging father in this utter chaos made me do both.It was serendipitous indeed that I came across this wonderful book. I haven't felt such power in the written word in a long, long time.