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Theo of Golden

Allen Levi

Literary Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · 2023

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About this book

Character · supporting

Ellen

relationship

  • Theo befriends Ellen, attempts to locate her missing daughter, and helps soothe her distress with gentle empathy.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 6-7 ('tries to locate Ellen’s lost daughter... mutually disarm Ellen with their kindness') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

role

  • Ellen is an unhoused woman in Golden living with mental illness who receives kindness and support from Theo.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 6 ('Ellen, a homeless woman with an unspecified mental illness') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

James Ponder

role

  • James Ponder is a prominent local grandee in Golden who rents an apartment to Theo and becomes his trusted ally.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 9 ('local grandee James Ponder, who becomes Theo’s ally and landlord') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Kendrick

relationship

  • Without announcing it, Theo helps Kendrick’s daughter obtain improved medical attention and money for future college study.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 6 ('secretly arranges for Kendrick’s daughter to have a better doctor and a college fund') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

role

  • An accident leaves Kendrick’s daughter recovering in hospital and her mother dead. Kendrick works in building care.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 6 ('Kendrick, a custodian whose daughter is in the hospital recuperating after a car accident that killed her mother') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · minor

Minette

role

  • Minette is the first resident to receive her portrait from Theo, bearing grief from past family pressure.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 11 ('the first portrait recipient, Minette, turns out to have a motivating tragedy') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · minor

Mrs. Ocie Van Blarcum

role

  • Mrs. Ocie Van Blarcum is a church matriarch who lives by active faith and joins Theo in comforting Ellen.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 7 ('Mrs. Ocie Van Blarcum, a church “matriarch” who “knew well and lived devotedly the ethic … ‘Faith without works is dead.’ ”') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · minor

Pearce

personality

  • In Slate’s reading, Pearce puts his own gain ahead of both his staff and relatives.interpretation · Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 10 ('the horrible Pearce, an avaricious smartphone addict (of course) who exploits his workers and manipulates his family members') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Simone

relationship

  • Theo helps organize a visit by Simone’s parents so they can hear their child perform.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 6 ('makes plans for Simone’s parents to fly east to be at his recital') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

role

  • Simone studies music at a Golden university and is among those given a portrait by Theo.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 6 ('Simone, a music student at the town’s university') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · protagonist

Theo

appearance

  • Theo is an elderly Portuguese man whose voice has a lilt and whose face often carries a slight smile.Theo of Golden permissioned opening excerpt · Prologue, final paragraph · BookBrowse / Allen & Unwin · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • Theo remains active in old age and resists being regarded as physically helpless.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 5 ('meet a “spry, bright-eyed soul.” ... not a “relic” or “frail,” despite his age; rather, he’s a “young old” with “vigor”') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

clothing

  • For his first morning walk he wears a scarf, a collared garment and a hat.Theo of Golden permissioned opening excerpt · Chapter One, leaving the hotel · BookBrowse / Allen & Unwin · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

personality

  • Theo stops to examine sights that catch his curiosity during his morning walk.Theo of Golden permissioned opening excerpt · Chapter One, walk along Broadway · BookBrowse / Allen & Unwin · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • The Slate reviewer interprets Theo as warmly attentive to the people who receive his portraits.interpretation · Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 5 ('total, sincere interest and genuine presence, Theo, like a freelance therapist or a wandering priest, guides the portrait subjects into conversation') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

age

  • Theo is an eighty-six-year-old man who introduces himself to residents using only his first name.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 5 ('an 86-year-old man who uses only his first name') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

relationship

  • James Ponder rents Theo a place to live and supports him as a friend.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 9 ('local grandee James Ponder, who becomes Theo’s ally and landlord') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

role

  • Theo moves into the Southern town of Golden and spends a year buying portraits of local residents to return to their subjects.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 5 ('spends the year buying up portraits of its residents done by a local artist and gifting them to their subjects') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Character · supporting

Tony

role

  • Tony is a Vietnam veteran and bookstore owner in Golden who receives his pencil portrait from Theo.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 6 ('from Tony, a Vietnam veteran and bookstore owner') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Place · primary

Golden

look

  • Golden’s spring streets feature dogwood and azalea blooms; pollen coats exposed surfaces.Theo of Golden permissioned opening excerpt · Prologue, first paragraph · BookBrowse / Allen & Unwin · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

atmosphere

  • Golden features traditional community life and artistic appreciation alongside residents' quiet personal struggles.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 8-9 ('Southern haven of Golden... old-fashioned, almost antimodern interest in art as an expression of beauty') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

geography

  • The story takes place in Golden, a town in the American South.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 5 ('a Southern town called Golden') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Place · primary

Oxbow River

look

  • The Oxbow bends broadly below Theo’s hotel, with mist suspended above its water before sunrise.Theo of Golden permissioned opening excerpt · Chapter One, hotel window · BookBrowse / Allen & Unwin · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Place · recurring

The Chalice

atmosphere

  • The Chalice serves as a lively gathering hub in Golden where Theo initially encounters the community portraits.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 7 ('bustling coffee shop where Theo first discovers the portraits—the Chalice') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

look

  • Portraits are displayed at the busy coffee shop called The Chalice.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 7 ('bustling coffee shop where Theo first discovers the portraits—the Chalice') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail

Details

  • Theo arrives in Golden just before Easter, as spring flowers fill the town.Theo of Golden permissioned opening excerpt · Prologue, first paragraph · BookBrowse / Allen & Unwin · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
  • In the Southern town of Golden, elderly Theo arrives and purchases portraits in coffee shop The Chalice to return to locals.Theo of Golden’s Good Christian Heart · Paragraph 5-7 ('The story follows Mr. Theo... Southern town called Golden... coffee shop where Theo first discovers the portraits—the Chalice') · Slate · License unspecifiedSign in to report this detail
Verified context available · 2 chapters with coverageResearch status →Contribute context →

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