Customer Reviews

Unconventional

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As indicated by its title, Unconventional, by J.J. Hebert, is certainly not the average novel. In fact, rather than merely being entertained by a good story, Hebert managed to locate every belief and vulnerability I possess and then challenge it. The result is a heart-stirring journey the reader takes right along with an unforgettable protagonist who eventually develops an indomitable spirit.

Unconventional is the story of James Frost, an aspiring novelist who earns his living as a school custodian. A product of a broken home and stuck in a job he hates, James is plagued by self-doubt and subject to the criticism of others as he works to follow his dream of becoming a published author-a feat that is much easier said than done. In fact, the only thing going for him is Leigh, whose kind and gentle spirit provides a spark of light in his bleak world. After suffering rejection after rejection, loss after loss, James is on the brink of giving up hope. However, after a near-death experience, James is finally shaken by an epiphany-one that guides him through a spiritual journey that proves to be the most unconventional path of all.

The first quality I admire about Unconventional is the protagonist, James Frost. In today's society, when you turn on the television or even open a book, male characters are either morons with one-track minds or completely over-the-top Alpha males who are only interested in being "top dog," if you'll excuse the pun. Therefore, it would seem that another unconventional quality about this novel is a realistic, human male protagonist. James Frost is not a super model. He is not a Harvard scholar who works as a superhero at night. James Frost is an average male, who happens to be a gentleman (we forgot about gentlemen, didn't we, ladies?). He also experiences vulnerability and self-doubt. He even cries. Unfortunately, in today's entertainment industry, James might be considered a bit of a sissy. I consider him to represent true human frailty and the complexity that makes him a three-dimensional character. Furthermore, those qualities make him an excellent example to young men. James Frost's story proves that you don't have to step all over people or act like an egotistical jerk to get places in life. Rather, James Frost illustrates that achievement takes faith, hard work, and an indomitable spirit.
Secondly, Unconventional addresses the issue of superficial judgment and the destruction of "keeping up appearances." James Frost is a janitor, which he says repeatedly, is a job, not who he is. However, other people, including Leigh's parents, don't see his profession in quite the same way. Through much of the book, James if forced to overcome the stereotypes people place on custodians while they scoff at his pursuit of his dream. In addition, James follows the unconventional Christ-like life by providing unconditional love and help to others-even when those others have self-destructive or undesirable qualities. This aspect of Unconventional echoes so many beliefs I have regarding the injustices and cruelty that results from judgmental people. I would just like to say, "Right on!" to J.J. Hebert right now for bringing these issues to light.

Unconventional is the perfect novel for anyone who has ever had a dream or striven for purpose and then doubted him or herself along the way. Hebert beautifully illustrates the pain and heartache that accompanies creativity and talent, and as a writer, I found myself chuckling, shaking my head, and even shedding a few tears as I read this story. I have experienced the same shattered hopes, the same fury and anger and lack of understanding as the protagonist-but Hebert helps readers to make sense of all the rejection in the end by revealing a greater purpose. James Frost's journey of doubt, depression, hopelessness, and eventually, faith and joy, is one that will truly inspire readers who have ever dared to chase their dreams.
Even though my tastes usually lie in fantasy or paranormal novels, I highly recommend Unconventional to readers of all ages and from all walks of life. No matter what path you are on in life, Hebert's novel will speak to you on a soul-deep level, leaving you inspired and with a new sense of purpose.

I found Unconventional to be very engaging. I enjoyed the struggle James endures to be true to himself. The story is a believable one in that the world doesn't do much to encourage people who dream "outside the box." Dysfunctional families, loneliness, and self-loathing are a very real aspects that James must not only face but overcome. I enjoyed getting into the mind of James; he feels real to me. One of my favorite scenes is when he imagines a conversation with the characters in his book. Nicely done. There are some unexpected changes in this novel; I was surprised and kept reading because I wanted to know how everything ended up. If you're a writer, you will appreciate this book from a writer's perspective and if you're not a writer, you will enjoy it's inspiring message: believe. I recommend it.

Unconventional is a heartwarming story about a man who struggles to achieve his dream of becoming a published author. James Frost wants to be a writer more than anything in this world! He works for his fathers janitorial company to pay the bills, but in his spare time, he is working on his fantasy novel. He suffers from low self esteem and has many battles to overcome to just believe in himself. James works so hard and finally finishes his novel and submits it to lots of different publishers. Then come the rejection letters. This adds to his low feeling of self worth. Rejections mount and mount, but the one bright spot in his life other than writing, is Leah. She makes him believe in his dreams. Leah has her own issues to battle with her controlling parents, but together James and Leah overcome many things to be together and to find happiness. Leah shows James his need for a Savior and this is one aspect of the book that meant a lot to me. I love how James' character evolves in this book, from someone who is ashamed of his skinny body and ugly brown teeth and low paying job, to someone who knows that he's a Christian and an heir of God. Someone who knows his dreams are important, and God does love him. He comes to terms with an enemy of his past and finds a way to forgive him for the wrongs he did when James was in school. Sometimes we carry unforgiveness in our hearts toward people who have wronged us in some way. The way James is able to overcome his enemy is a lesson to be learned in this book.
The characters in Unconventional were so real and believable. There were periods in the book that I was so sad and crying, and other times when I was on top of the world!! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to be inspired! I'm anxiously awaiting the authors next book. What an awesome debut book!!!

I debated whether to give this one 3 or 4 stars, and decided on 3, because too many parts of the book were deadly dull. I almost quit reading after half a dozen pages, because James was such a little whiner. I stuck with it, though, and was ultimately glad I did. As he matured emotionally, he became an interesting character. But....it was hard slogging through his whines about having to work as a janitor and how everybody looked down on janitors, and nobody thought he'd ever succeed, and he was rejected by all the agents and editors, and....and.... I wanted to tell him to quit whining, get on with his life, and if one story wasn't succeeding, write another one, and get that out there, too. I was also bored during the pages of his conversion; I really didn't need to read the gospels in the middle of this novel.

I also didn't understand his antipathy toward college. Not going to college was "unconventional"? Only conformists went to college? HUH? He also had an irrational dislike of people who did to college, and believed they looked down on him--even if they said or did nothing to confirm this. This judgemental attitude--reverse prejudice--in my mind made him no better than the college grads he despised. It also got tiresome hearing about it.

So...while this is good book, it's not one that thrilled me. However, I think it shows promise as a first novel, and I'll look for more by this author in the future.

It's rare to find a book in which the characters can relate so much to every day life. It's even more rare to find those characters in which you can think of them like friends while you read. The characters suffer with every day, real problems, which makes them very tangible.

As the character James Frost often says in the book, being a janitor is a job, it is not who he is. How often we forget how we are defined (and in turn, how we define people) in our lives. Author JJ Hebert did a remarkable job making James three-dimensional and a real, "normal" human being. Because of this, readers take his journey along with him, and you feel his frustration, his pain, his love, his happiness right along with him.

Hebert also does an amazing job at making the reader analyze his or her own life, and who they really are. It's incredibly thought provoking and I may give the book another go in a few months to get into it a little more.

The characters in this novel had so many issues to work through and that's what made the story so engaging to me. James Frost wants to get his Science Fiction/Fantasy novel published. He spends his free time writing a book and he works for his father's janitorial company. He hates being a janitor. If he has to clean up after one more person, young James feels as if he'd lose his mind! He wants to be a writer!

He meets attractive Leigh online. When they meet in person, James is smitten by the pretty woman, and wonders what she sees in him. He has no money, a beat-up car, plus his teeth are decayed! Leigh does have feelings for James and while they date, her affluent parents object to their relationship. James wonders if Leigh's parents will ever accept him.

Leigh is a Christian and her influence prompts James to go on a spiritual journey while he tries to get his novel published. James also develops a friendly relationship with an old female novelist that gives the story a unique twist.

This novel had a young adult flavor to it. I enjoyed it, and I could see teens relating to the young characters in this story. The author deals with the subjects of salvation, alcoholism, and following your dreams.

I guess one reason that I really loved this book is because the author has an alcoholic secondary character in the story. If you've read enough of my novels, you know that's a subject that I repeatedly place into my own work. Also, James is a young janitor - When I was around the age of James Frost I worked as a student housekeeper during the summers while in college. It gets kind of gross cleaning up after people - especially those all-male dorms! Yuck! It definitely wasn't a job that I enjoyed and those dormant memories came tumbling back into my mind when I read J.J. Hebert's novel.

Here's my quote on the back cover:
"I loved UNCONVENTIONAL, a stirring love story and spiritual journey that will surely touch your heart. You'll remember James Frost for a long time!"

I enjoyed this book; it was an easy read and a little different than most Christian books. It shows how many people consider others inconsequential unless they are their version of successful (conventional). James Frost, the main character is either ignored as less than a person or dismissed as below their level, both on the job and by his girlfriend's parents, but, with God's help, he doesn't give up. The book shows his very real struggles to become a published author against the odds. I enjoyed this debut novel; writing was quite a change from the author's previous vocation (janitor). Good job, JJ.

Unconventional was a great read. I found the characters and situations heartening and infuriating at the same time: the creative minds that encourage vs. the 'conventional' ones that just don't 'get it.' The mixture of frustration and exasperation directed at the publishing industry is very relatable, as is the self-doubt every writer/artist/musician experiences when trying to bring their creations to the world. Well written and truly inspirational for anyone ever attempting to tread the path less followed.

This interesting story about a janitor who dreams of becoming an author is pretty good. I debated long over whether it was four-star worthy or not. The biggest reason I decided on three-stars was because about half way through the book, I started to get a bit bored. Part of this is because I prefer a romance and was disappointed that the romance took a distant back seat in the middle of the book. I also felt there was too much preaching at the reader during James' conversion.

The characters were very interesting and many were quirky. I really identified with James Frost both before and after his conversion. His struggles to balance family relationships, friends, his dreams, and his boring job seem very real. I particularly liked his tendency to visual taking out his frustrations, even though he got his temper under control before acting out.

I would recommend to friends as an inspirational story.

Let me take just a moment to say that this book was amazing. Not at all what I thought it would be. It was so much more than I was expecting. J.J. Hebert instantly captured my mind and my heart with this novel. His skills shine bright in this beautifully written debut novel.

Told in first person point of view, James Frost is a character that tugs at your heart. He dreams of becoming a writer, and J.J. Hebert fills this book with the emotionally turmoil one goes through with multiple rejections. James Frost is a character that is deeply complex and emotionally moving as he reaches and pushes on for those dreams. His family doesn't accept the fact that he would rather reach for those dreams instead of reaching for that education. He faces those turmoils and, eventually, he hits a rut that he doesn't think he will ever get out of.

But, then, J.J. Hebert brings in God's amazing love and grace. I became a part of this amazing story and found my self praying, often, that James would reach out and grip that love that that unconventional God offers to him. Through this love of God, and a roller coaster of ups, downs, seriousness and judgement, J.J. Hebert turned this into a phenomenal piece of moving fiction.

Without a doubt, I highly recommend this debut with 5 stars. It is so much more than just a novel...it is a message from God, and a lesson in life. Reach for your goals. Reach for your dreams. No matter what anyone says, does, or thinks, if you have dreams, chase them. Hats off to a wonderful and new author! Looking forward to more of this authors work!