Autumn Shadows in August [Paperback]

Robert W. Norris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2006

An hallucinogenic mid-life crisis/adventure, and homage to Malcolm Lowry and Hermann Hesse. An American expatriate and his Japanese wife set out on a journey to Europe to retrace a path from his youth. What lies ahead--a trip through the Magic Theater, a sudden death, an encounter with Lowry's ghost, and a descent into the Capuchin Crypt in Rome--will change their lives irrevocably. "A journey in miles and of states of mind. The reader travels through Europe with an American expatriate who recapitulates his past in a transcendental and evocative fashion.... An insightful and very enjoyable read."--David Echt, author of Messenger from the Summer of Love.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"'Autumn Shadows in August' is a journey in miles and of states of mind. The reader travels through Europe with an American expatriate who recapitulates his past in a transcendental and evocative fashion. Along this mind-expanding sojourn, we also travel over the Khyber Pass from Afghanistan and into India, where the protagonist's life is transformed. 'Autumn Shadows in August' is an insightful and very enjoyable read. I'm glad I went along on this personal journey."--David Echt, author of "Messenger from the Summer of Love"

About the Author

Robert W. Norris was born and raised in Humboldt County, California, where he played basketball in high school and junior college. In 1969 he entered the Air Force, subsequently became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, and served time in a military prison for refusing to fight in the war. In his twenties he roamed across the United States, went to Europe twice, and made one journey around the world. During that time, he worked as a millhand, construction laborer, stevedore, baker, saute cook, and oilrig steward.

Norris has lived and taught English in Japan since 1983. He has an M.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Newport University in Newport Beach, California. He is the author of "Toraware," a novel about the obsessive relationship of three misfits from different cultural backgrounds in 1980s Kobe, Japan; "The Many Roads to Japan," a novella/ESL textbook about a conscientious objector’s 14-year search for identity; and "Looking for the Summer," the story of a conscientious objector's adventures and search for identity on the road from Paris to Calcutta in 1977. He and his wife live near Fukuoka, Japan, where he is a professor at Fukuoka International University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 207 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (January 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411672976
• ISBN-13: 978-1411672970
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,211,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert W. Norris was born and raised in Humboldt County, California, where he played basketball in high school and junior college. In 1969, he entered the Air Force, subsequently became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, and served time in a military prison for refusing to fight in the war. In his twenties, he roamed across the United States, went to Europe twice, and made one journey around the world. During that time, he worked as a millhand, construction laborer, stevedore, mailman, baker, saute cook, and oil rig steward.

Norris has lived and taught English in Japan since 1983. He has an M.A. in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Newport University in Newport Beach, California. He is the author of "Looking for the Summer," the story of a Vietnam War conscientious objector's adventures and search for identity on the road from Paris to Calcutta in 1977; "Toraware," a novel about the obsessive relationship of three misfits from different cultural backgrounds in 1980s Kobe, Japan; "Autumn Shadows in August," an hallucinogenic mid-life crisis/adventure, and homage to Malcolm Lowry and Hermann Hesse; and "The Many Roads to Japan," a novella used as a textbook in Japanese universities. He has also written several articles on teaching English as a foreign language. He and his wife live near Fukuoka, Japan, where he is a professor at Fukuoka International University.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Thought Provoking Masterpiece!, March 17, 2006

By 

Kayatika (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autumn Shadows in August (Paperback)

This is one of the best novels I've ever read!
It's an inspiring, meaningful story of a journey through the mind of an enlightened and experienced soul; at the same time it's an exhilarating and humorous adventure, an exploration of great art, literature, and architecture, and a beautiful, emotionally enthralling romance.
But this book is far more than the sum of its parts, and my feeble literary reviewing skills can do no justice to this eloquent and multifaceted tale.
This book is highly recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Making peace with the past, September 4, 2010

By 

Alice Berger "Bergers Book Reviews" (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autumn Shadows in August (Paperback)

David Thompson made an irrevocable decision when he declared himself a conscientious objector during the Vietnam war. Spending time in prison did not rehabilitate him as the authorities expected, but instead made him realize he would never fit into American society. So he made his home in Japan, married Kaori, and settled into his new life as an expatriate.

But now, many years later and after both he and Kaori fight life-threatening illnesses, David wonders about his time on earth. Has he really made the right choices? He and Kaori decide to take a journey through Europe, reliving David's past, hoping to lay old ghosts to rest.

Autumn Shadows in August was modeled roughly on Malcolm Lowry's Dark as the Grave Wherein My Friend Is Laid, and is richly peppered with Norris's own life experiences as an expatriate. In this story, David takes a magic mushroom trip back in time, visits with Lowry's ghost, and shares his heart and soul with Kaori. And when the trip comes to an end, both Kaori and David have a new understanding of themselves and their relationship.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

5.0 out of 5 stars Open your mind and heart to new adventures, August 8, 2006

By 

Reader Views "Reviews, by readers, for readers" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autumn Shadows in August (Paperback)

Reviewed by Beverly Pechin for Reader Views (7/06)

"Autumn Shadows in August" is truly a novel that brings one through the course of a life, with an ending that is much more revealing than expected. This is the story of a man who spent the early years of his life constantly searching for a place to fit in, yet never truly found it, and takes you along the deep and uprooted path of his previous years.

His early life is filled with drugs and hallucinogens that may have upset the world as we know it, but have led the main character, David Thompson, to the path for which he was destined. As he and his beloved wife travel through Europe, they find the meaning of their own lives within their experiences of many countries. Kaori, Thompson's wife, is a Japanese woman who was always lost too, until later in life she blossomed into a comfort zone which included her husband. Thompson, referred to by Kaori as "honey-chan," was never sure where he was destined to end up in life. Being hit with the normal trials of mid-life, he and his wife have other issues they have faced that help to give them a better perspective on life.

She is a cancer survivor and he is bearing the medical problems of hepatitis. They come to grips with the realization that they not only are older, but have found a way to realize the comforts they have always searched for in life. In this combination love story and mid-life coming of age novel, Robert Norris shares the outside influences of this exceptional couple and the innermost, deepest feelings that are sometimes enhanced by hallucinogens. They find not only their own, individualized purpose in life through a travel of the past, but they also find the soul-touching need and care for each other as a couple. Meeting many people from David's past, Kaori and the reader gain a sense of self worth from the intense friendships David has formed with people throughout Europe.

This absolutely breath-taking novel brings the reader to a whole new level of understanding life. It will not only stir your own realizations of where your life has taken you, but also open your mind and heart to new adventures.

Received book free of charge