Review: Traveler's Rest by Jonathan Marcantoni

Reading the Traveler's Rest was a first on many levels. It was the first historical/political adult fiction I've ever read, and it's a first that I'm able to interview the author Jonathan Marcantoni about the book. I have to say that I was very skeptical about this novel. I usually never read adult fiction, but I was willing to try because you only live once, right?
I love the dialogue in the novel. That was just blissful to me, even though what they said wasn't particularly blissful. I love how he said it how it is. That was incredibly refreshing. I also love how everything connected all together. I was at first struggling with all the flash backs and point of views being switched around, but that made it beautiful to me. I love Jonathan Marcantoni's style of writing. He has a very natural way of telling a story so that was pleasant to read. 

Characters! Oh my lord, these characters were so life like I thought I was reading a biography. I loved all of the characters and good and bad, and they were just so interesting and their stories were beautifully told. I don't think I've ever felt more empathy for a fictional character in my life. I don't know how Jonathan Marcantoni did it, or maybe adult fiction just has better writers but I dearly take all of the character to heart. I think my favorite character is Gustavo because he just sees things differently to me. He's the old guy that you know has more than a lifetime of stories and you feel like a little kid listening to all the tales he tells.


The whole political side of things were something I've yet to learn about and I'm very intrigued and really want to get my hands dirty and know more about it. I don't know why, but you don't learn things like this in school. I love the historical aspect of the novel because I just love history in general. Everything to me revolves around the history that had happen and continuing or bettering ourselves from that history.

I find the Traveler's Rest very comforting at times. It was like reading a diary of all of your past relatives. I really love how the present day at the beginning was in Baltimore. I love Maryland and I feel a deeper connection in a way to this book because of that. Not that it was a good thing that they were in Baltimore, but it gave me the feeling of, "Oh, look at that. I totally agree." or,"Oh! I've been there and people do talk like that". You know it's very homey to me.

So in the end, I will give Jonathan Marcantoni's first solo novel a heads nods, thumbs up, and smiling like there's no tomorrow. :)