by A. Robert Allen
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Read what people are saying: “Immersive, Amazingly Original---Epic Story Across Two Centuries---A Tale of Redemption for the Ages”
What if the only way to survive your life is to go back in history and right the wrongs of two other men’s lives?
Patrick Walsh finds himself in this precarious position as he goes back in time from modern day New York City to:
˃˃˃ The French Caribbean in 1790
Biracial plantation owner Patrice Beaumont is known as a “kinder” slave master and claims to be committed to ending slavery, but his actions don’t back-up his words. Is being the “best of the worst” all he’s capable of?
˃˃˃ 1863 New York City
Irish street fighter Patrick Allen is days away from the biggest fight of his career, when the Draft Riots ignite dangerous racial conflicts around the city. Never one to take sides outside the ring, he steers clear of the angry mobs. So when he stumbles on a lynching in progress, who can expect him to do anything more than look away?
Tackling race relations from a unique perspective, Failed Moments is a thought-provoking adventure that questions the measure of a man not by his decision to do no harm, but his willingness to act on what is right.
AUTHOR BIO
A. Robert Allen is a longtime New York City college administrator with a lifelong passion for writing. When he traced his family tree back hundreds of years and uncovered roots that were white, black, Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, the seed of a story began to grow. Failed Moments is a fictional account of the exploits of his ancestors during racially charged periods in the past.
REVIEWS
By Nichole M on March 5, 2015
Format: Kindle Edition
Reviewed by Lilaina Osborn at On Writing
Failed Moments by A. Robert Allen is an emotional ride through the history of Haiti and Civil War era New York City. The main character Patrick Walsh has to grapple with his mortality and questions around the soul. As he navigates through key moments in history charged with racial tension he is guided towards changing his actions in order to improve the outcomes of these events and to help himself in the process. Along the way he learns more about himself and what really matters in life.
Failed Moments combined historical fiction with spirituality and just a dash of mystery. The main character Patrick is incredibly flawed at the beginning, and the reader doesn't every get a good sense of why beyond “people are difficult for him” There is an overwhelming theme of subtlety to the extreme in this book, almost to the point where you feel like an idiot for not understanding what everyone in the books seems to have interpreted from the story. You are left to infer what I think is quite a bit of information but it is nice to read something so well-crafted that doesn't hold your hand through the narrative.
The story is immersive, your emotions are so closely tied to the characters and their challenges that’s it’s a bit of a roller-coaster while you are reading. Patrick as his spiritual others become the heroes of each mini story within the book and collectively remind you what main character Patrick is trying to do and why he is worth saving in the end. Patrick learns a valuable lesson and the satisfaction you feel when he sees the error of his ways is genuine.
Failed Moments by A. Robert Allen is an emotional ride through the history of Haiti and Civil War era New York City. The main character Patrick Walsh has to grapple with his mortality and questions around the soul. As he navigates through key moments in history charged with racial tension he is guided towards changing his actions in order to improve the outcomes of these events and to help himself in the process. Along the way he learns more about himself and what really matters in life.
Failed Moments combined historical fiction with spirituality and just a dash of mystery. The main character Patrick is incredibly flawed at the beginning, and the reader doesn't every get a good sense of why beyond “people are difficult for him” There is an overwhelming theme of subtlety to the extreme in this book, almost to the point where you feel like an idiot for not understanding what everyone in the books seems to have interpreted from the story. You are left to infer what I think is quite a bit of information but it is nice to read something so well-crafted that doesn't hold your hand through the narrative.
The story is immersive, your emotions are so closely tied to the characters and their challenges that’s it’s a bit of a roller-coaster while you are reading. Patrick as his spiritual others become the heroes of each mini story within the book and collectively remind you what main character Patrick is trying to do and why he is worth saving in the end. Patrick learns a valuable lesson and the satisfaction you feel when he sees the error of his ways is genuine.
By KAC on March 13, 2015
Format: Paperback
Robert Allen weaves together a deeply personal narrative with societal and historical threads to create a novel that tackles timeless and complex issues of race, class, and status -- accentuating their impact on people’s individual journeys. When a near-fatal incident leaves the main character on life support, his spirit joins his beloved, deceased Aunt Grace on a passage back in time. What ensues is a cautionary tale of self-discovery filled with well-defined characters, richly crafted settings, and engaging plots. This imaginative story leaves the reader to reflect on how one’s ancestral heritage, place in history, and conception of the afterlife connect to present-day relationships and realities; reminding us that our daily decisions have the capacity to drive the course of our own lives and the potential to change the lives of others. Failed Moments is a beautiful, satisfying, and thoroughly enjoyable read!
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