Customer Reviews

The Pendulum's Path

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I admit, up front, that I'm an escapist reader. I like my fiction with a meat-and-potatoes kind of action or adventure. But once I stuck my nose in Dave Shields' book, I couldn't put it down.
Tom Lewis is a happily-married white-collar guy with his own office, an optimistic outlook and his first baby on the way. Then a chance encounter with a nigh-forgotten relative turns his world upside-down: His mother is not his mother; his uncle is not his uncle--his entire life has been a lie.
I think I was more fascinated with Uncle Martin's episodic revelations than even his own nephew--the man had an unorthodox childhood, to say the least. Piece-by-piece, he presents a secret family history that will shatter our hero's identity, lead him to question his own self-worth...but, ultimately, motivate him to find and know his real father.
The Pendulum's Path is set in Salt Lake City. I've passed through it a couple times, but my view from the highway gave me no insights as to how this city is different from any other. Not only does Dave Sheilds' book show us how it's different, his cultural microcosm of a Mormon family also reveals how people are so much the same, wherever and whenever they happen to live.
Regardless of what you know (or don't know) about Utah, Mormonism or rock-climbing (did I fail to mention that?), The Pendulum's Path will grab you.

I'm glad I read this novel. The characters were well developed and highly varied, keeping things interesting. The writing is strong. The story is something I easily sunk into, and I enjoyed staying in the world the author created. An important criterion for recommending a novel is the ending. I want to feel something, see a resolution, and understand why this novel was written and what it was leading to. I want to close the cover feeling grateful that I invested the time to read it. I got all that with The Pendulum's Path. An easy five star rating for me.

An intensely enjoyable novel about family, religion and the majesty of Utah. An exhilarating and moving story. Dave Shields shows that even when things look hopeless, you can be determined to make it better.
I recommend this book highly.

The Pendulum's Path is a beautifully written family saga that is impossible to put down. It is one of those books in which you come to know and relate to the characters as actual people.
The story of the past and the present lives of the family intertwine in a fascinating and gripping tale.
If you like Pat Conroy, you will love Dave Shields!!! His writing style is beautiful and detailed and his story is richly woven. A definate 5 star book.

Dave Shields is a natural storyteller who has written a wonderful story about the complexities of family relationships, skillfully demonstrating how the same circumstances can affect and shape people in so many different ways. I felt Tom's shock, anger, frustration--and courage in unraveling the tangles--when he learned that his entire life had been a lie.

This novel is, in the time-honored tradition, the quintessential slice of life story. The first impression one receives is that of careful craftsmanship in the writing, none of the sequential lapses or non-linear aberrations so common in even the best novels. The dialogues are realistic, not overdone, yet have the ring of honesty, obviously the work of a dedicated author who cares a great deal about his calling. The story is both simple and complex. On the surface, it is obviously the chronology of a man in an early mid-life crisis brought about by the startling revelation that his mother is really his aunt, his estranged uncle is his father, his grandfather was a hypocritical, mean and abusive tyrant that had affairs, yelled a lot and created an environment that screwed up the lives of all in his family and the women all had dark secrets. Wait, youre thinking, isnt this the Sopranos? No, believe it or not, it is about Mormons, which no doubt will not please all members of that faith since many of the characters within are Jack Mormons, including the main one, Tom, who drinks beer, doesnt tithe and tells lies, but that is to be expected since he is also a mortgage broker. However in his defense, he hates his job and tries many times to work up the gumption to do something about it. I must admit this genre isnt my normal reading fare, so my interest in Tom and his problems was lukewarm at best due to the fact he was such a wimp, having great difficulty making decisions or sticking to them, crying at the drop of a hat, which he did frequently, and whining about his oh, so hard office job lifting that heavy phone. A year on the green chain at the sawmill would have done wonders for his attitude. Despite this, his obsession with his father, new baby, and the complicated issues with all the members of his immediate family including his amazingly understanding, almost angelic wife, Sara, subtly drew me in, hooked by wondering how this loser was going to end up. In a mental ward? Rooftop sniper? Serial killer? Guest on Jerry Springer? I wont spoil it for you, you have to read it to find out.
Another interesting character, Toms biological father, Martin was just eccentric enough to be enjoyable. He could have easily upstaged everyone in the book with a little help and if Shields ever writes a book with Martin as the main character, Ill buy it. Being also a compulsive-obsessive of sorts, I related to him quite well and thoroughly liked the authors creative concept of a story within the story as Martin relates his significant memories from childhood to adulthood in his above average-dysfunctional family. The last two chapters were my reward, they actually had some genuine physical action and danger, a perfect wrap to this ingenious look at this clan from the Great Salt Lake City, which apparently only has rusty colored cars, no doubt due to the proximity of so much salt. You will learn much about the Mormon mindset, (Dont care how you bringham, just bringham young) familial bonds and the stresses they often endure,(the Doctor Schwartzeneggers a baby out by the head by sheer brute force) some mundanely, expectedly normal, (Uncle John is an alcoholic politician, Grandpa LaVar, the Church Stake President practices morality, fidelity and truth Bill Clinton style)and some totally unexpected,(spacecase Martin, a computer programmer?) but this book works on a more subtle level as well as it follows an individuals difficult journey to find himself and the true values that make life worth the hardship of living. Even blase readers will find themselves reassessing their own lives and familial obligations after reading this well-crafted novel. On its own merits, I have to give it top marks, for it succeeds in doing what it was written to do, entertain, inform with emotional insight and make one evaluate the meaning of true wealth: the riches of having the unconditional love of family and friends.

"The Pendulum's Path" is a superb first novel for an author that shows great promise. It is a family drama that grips you and never lets go. The characters are well-defined, the dialogue crisp, the plot ever deepening, and the conclusion heart-poundly profound. I related quite well to the dysfuntional family, and liked that issues were delved into realistically. I would highly recommend reading this page turner; I myself read it till wee hours of the morning, not able to put it down. Great first effort!!!!

Dave Shields has written a forceful, emotional tale of family secrets, and their affects on a Utah family. His characters are alive; his descriptions of the Salt Lake City area are authentic; and his story is compelling. The plot is delicately woven with threads of surprise interspersed in a believable manner. It is a modern novel that develops modern problems familiar to most families. You will not be disappointed.

I am normally one of those people who starts a book, gets bored quickly and never finishes. I have at least three started novels under my bed collecting dust. Since the birth of my daughter 4 months ago, my life now has no time for extracurricular anything.
With that said, I couldn't put The Pendulum's Path down. I got it on a Wednesday and by the next Wednesday, I had finished the entire thing. The characters were so complex, the story is riveting and incredibly thought-provoking, and I found my emotions right on the surface from the first chapter. I identified personally with the mother/daughter relationship between Delilah and Emma. I have seen the exact same thing happen between my mother and grandmother. Dave Shields wrote a novel that shows the complexities of all families through the Crumps. Even though you don't know this family, you feel close to them instantly. A thumbs up to Mr. Shields for a great book that collected no dust in my house.

How we define ourselves influences how we interact with others and what directions we take when choosing where we will journey in life. In Mr. Shields's excellent and compelling first novel, his protagonist's discovery destabilizes his entire definition of who he is. The author avoids the obvious: Tom Lewis is no drama king who dives headlong into an abyss of despair. Rather, he is a man any reader can identify with as he juggles responsibilities that seem to multiply just when he is least in a position to deal with them.

It is this proliferation of crises that is the main driving force behind his story, and it works beautifully. The pacing and the reader's involvement with the character are so strong it is all but impossible to put the book down. Each event arises naturally from the groundwork Mr. Shields has made in the beginning, so there is never any sense of a conflict's being contrived or a reaction's being unmotivated.

All of the characters have that deep, vibrant humanity that arouses a sense of recognition-we know these people, or wish we did.

All this leads to an ending that grabs the reader by the throat and dares one to stop before the final resolution. The unspoken message is that even the worst possible life events can have meaning, depending on the choices we make when coping with them. Tom Lewis's response to his crisis is composed of equal parts confrontation and acceptance-a balanced reaction that is sharply reflected in the book's climax.

Dave Shields has written an emotionally rich book that proves coming-of-age is not an adolescent phenomenon, and does it with charm and optimism that is often lacking in a time when cynicism too often prevails.