REWRITING/REVISING…May 2023
Having made the decision to revise my trilogy of novels and having withdrawn them from distribution (though occasional copies may be hanging about, and who knows, the price may be shooting up) I am encouraged to discover that many illustrious authors have been well known for doing this. However the thought of losing some reviews on Amazon was bothering me so I have created this page to preserve some of them. I was particularly pleased with the long review from a Hall of Fame top 100 reviewer Grady Harp.
And the revision process? Well of course in theory it could go on indefinitely, one’s critical faculty is hopefully always developing, however I am hoping to produce a new third novel to replace ‘Ends of Madness’ and may possibly condense much of the material of the first two into one much edited version. This is the plan which of course may evolve.
REVIEWS
JONATHAN’S MISTAKE, A SHOCKING STORY
Five stars Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 March 2017
The characters in this novel are far from stereotypical. I found I became immersed and involved in them as the unusual circumstances, and the resulting actions and consequences created an intriguing story. I initially thought there were too many characters but not one is superfluous they all intertwine and work to create an interesting, thought provoking take on the complexities and variations of metal states and relationships. Despite the strong topics the language is sympathetic allowing you to absorb the subject. Though I may not have fully understood it certainly challenged my thinking, and unlike much of current literary offerings where I find myself skimming words and paragraphs this book made we want to read every word, to rediscover purposeful reading. Thank you.
Reviewed in the UK on 16 October 2016 by Annie Lancaster
This is an intense and involved book of words! It's almost like two novels in one. Jonathan's mistake could stand alone and his miscreant parishioners have secrets to hide and those who confided their innermost thoughts to a sympathetic vicar's ear, enabled him to use the information for financial gain. It makes one think, is using this money for good causes justifiable? And at the same time, the Manor House is a steamy, thought provoking and disturbing place! Those Games Rooms reveal secrets and misdemeanours which would change and provoke relationships, not to mention the odd murder or two. Led by a benign lottery winner, the Manor is an intriguing, unusual holiday destination and not for the faint hearted.
And what WAS Jonathan's mistake? There are several possible answers to this, but a clue comes right at the end of the book and reflects the theme at its heart, his anguish and confusion about what his faith was based on and horrors about many things that happened in past centuries.
ENDS OF MADNESS
‘Give it to Jonathan? What, you mean the Manor House!’
Reviewed in the United States on 20 October 2017 by Grady Harp, Hall of Fame Top 100 reviewer
British author Elizabeth Tebby Germaine is a multi-talented author. Her books include HOW TO PLAY THE PIANO (3 volumes for pupils grades 5 – 8), REALLY USEFUL VIOLIN DUETS (beginners to grade 3), REALLY USEFUL VIOLA DUETS, LIVES IN BURMA AND CHINA 1927 – 1951, STORIES OF SURVIVAL IN BURMA WW2, PHOTOS FORM BURMA 1937 – 1966, and her remarkable Trilogy. She is based in Gloucestershire and Warwickshire and spent the early years of her life teaching piano and violin, playing in orchestras and performing in charity piano recitals
Elizabeth’s writing style somehow fits this story quite well: there is a sense of isolation, of family secrets, of mysteries that play well under her scriptive hands. An example –‘ ‘… The dark angel has brought me here to this enormous old house and it’s like a party. Everyone is happy and having fun and playing these crazy number games. Jonathan is always talking to the mad boy. Last week when we were playing chess he moved the White King, that proves it and now I know this is where they’ve been planning to bring me. That man showed us round and I saw where it’s going to happen. It’s a big bare room with no carpet and a ladder and ropes hanging from the ceiling at the side, and tables and chairs, he said it was where they played ‘Mixed Messages.’ He said they were having a break from it. And there was a lock on the door. The rocks are coming out of the sky and people are dying, hundreds of people. God is angry. It’s all coming true. I need to escape after dinner when it’s dark, it’s getting dark already. Nurse Gabrielle was the only one who cared but they found out and came to take her away. The last thing she said before I left was…
Being unfamiliar with parts 1 and 2 of this third installment of the Trilogy is taken into consideration by the author. She opens with a summary of the story we are entering: ‘JONATHAN’S MISTAKE (Book 1) - In the tiny village of South Witters there is something about Jonathan Wender which enables people to tell him their darkest secrets. This includes Hugo, a lonely autistic boy, a dangerous homeless man, an anxious woman with a guilty secret and her desperate daughter and an old lady in her final hours. He reaches out to them despite months of mental turmoil following his wife’s sudden shocking death. His neighbour Ruby glimpses his wild thoughts and sense of isolation but she doesn’t yet know about another side to him. Eventually he learns from the Bishop that some of his reckless behaviour in the village has been discovered, but at this moment it is more important to him to express the horror and confusion that has overtaken his mind, making it impossible to continue as a priest. Jonathan’s friend George has won the lottery and with the help of local auctioneer Sylvia and wealthy neighbour Maxwell he creates something very unusual indeed at the Manor House in the village. People start coming in large numbers to take part in the mysterious Games and the press are desperate to know what is going on… Suddenly Jonathan falls in love with Pamela, an unusual young girl in desperate circumstances, but his part in much that has happened in her life and that of her brother Matthew cannot be concealed. Things develop in a way that could not have been foreseen. Should Jonathan have acted differently about Frank Williams? Was what happened his fault? He moves out of the vicarage and his future is uncertain. Although George doesn’t understand, he is very concerned about his friend. Against his better judgment Jonathan is drawn into helping out in a Game at the Manor House. Little does he know who else will be playing it… Has he now lost Pamela forever? JONATHAN AND THE WHITE KING (Book 2) -Sixteen year old Belinda has run away from a childhood of horror and finds temporary refuge with Natasha, a younger cousin of Jonathan who has become a drug addict and dealer in London. Later on the streets Belinda is picked up and groomed by petty criminals who then vanish, leaving her alone in a chaotic house where she survives from day to day and scribbles endlessly in notebooks, trying to make sense of her life. Pamela has gone away and Jonathan is truly desperate to see her. After his mother’s death he goes to sort out her house, but his hostile and unstable cousin Jeremy (Natasha’s father) is living there and Jonathan discovers the painful reason why and gets a chilling insight into his own early life. Pamela is developing the psychic powers that have puzzled her all her life. She is compelled to do this. She cannot see Jonathan although she loves him deeply. But then he walks through the woods by a moonlit river and considers taking his own life and from a distance she is overcome with an awareness of his despair. She is finally able to move beyond her confusion and they are reunited. But can they really understand one another, and will the past always be with them? What is the meaning of his experience by the river? Jonathan helps Jeremy’s daughter Natasha, his younger cousin, who is struggling to come off the cocaine and deeply hurt by her father’s behaviour, and in passing she mentions Belinda who stayed briefly in her flat. A strange chain of events leads Jonathan to a hospital where Belinda has been taken after being found homeless. After a dark time in a psychiatric ward she is finally able to speak to Jonathan who desperately tries to help her, realising her fears relate to his own mental anguish. But tragically she cannot see him for what he is… Meanwhile at the Manor House George feels driven to suspend the Games, something is not right and he feels unable to make sense of what they have been doing… Jonathan is finally allowed to take Belinda to live with him and Pamela and Natasha, and they all come to visit the Manor House. There are some surprises in store and Hugo’s sister Anthea is struggling with what her life has become. But then Belinda runs off into the dark December night and Jonathan makes an appalling discovery… What was it she believed about the White King and where did this idea come from?’
And ENDS OF MADNESS (Book 3) – ‘The strong friendship between Jonathan and George has survived their unusual and shifting circumstances. Together with his lover Pamela and his younger cousin Natasha, Jonathan has brought the vulnerable Belinda to the Manor House for a visit. But she runs off into the December night and he gets a terrifying glimpse into her recent thoughts. Has he done her more harm than good? George makes Jonathan a huge offer he cannot refuse, despite Pamela’s worries. Is she seeing the future? Belinda is not lost, she has been kidnapped, but by who, and why and what is about to happen? Still tortured by his thoughts Jonathan throws himself into new projects. Is it all more than he can handle? Can Hugo really be helped? What are those women planning and who is Francesca? And what is the thing in the storeroom that defies explanation? Now living at a distance from Jonathan, Pamela’s life takes a frightening turn. But he doesn’t get all her messages. At the Manor House everything seems to be running out of control. There is a terrible event and everything changes. But Jonathan is about to discover something absolutely incredible. How will all the madness end?’
The story plays well, the prose is simple and without unnecessary flourish that would dampen the suspense. Having only read Part 3 this reader can only look forward to turning to the full trilogy. Grady Harp, October 2017
Ursula Seyah
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 January 2018
End the Madness: The third book in a trilogy by Elizabeth Tebby Germaine impressed me quite deeply and left me to dwell on some things that could be seen as somewhat twisted, no matter what century we are currently living in. This book has a religious basis and cites some scripture here and there throughout the story, even not having read the first two books I found myself consumed by this one, I could not pry myself away from it. Jonathan is a man a former vicar who has all but lost his faith and he searches the scripture for answers, he also questions it constantly. This is a very good read with unseen twists, I was very entertained by it. It is the last book in a set of three and it test the meaning of the words literally and his own sanity on more than one occasion.