What a special book . . . “Theo of Golden” by Allen Levi is his first novel and I will hold its characters and story in my heart for a long time. The writing draws you into the little southern town of Golden and its community members. Be ready for a story full of love, hope, heartache, forgiveness and most of all, kindness.
Theo is an 86 year old gentleman who moves to Golden, Georgia for a year. He shares little about his background, other than stories of his Portuguese youth. People don’t even know his last name. But Theo has money and begins using it to help others. Little by little, Theo befriends people in the community and learns their stories. He also purchases hand-drawn portraits from the walls of a coffee shop and begins gifting them to their subjects. Theo’s actions begin changing the lives of those he meets in surprising ways. The novel proceeds at a slow pace until near the end, when several incidents ramp up the action and the ending of the story.
I enjoyed trying to figure out Theo’s secrets and really loved the secondary characters in the story. There were some parts in the middle that dragged a bit, but overall I loved every page and the writing was magical. “Theo of Golden” will be one of my favorite books of 2026 because it brings kindness back to our world with its beautiful story.
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