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And the Soft Wind Blows

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Timmy Enosh is a peculiar, small man: fivethree, onehundredandfifteen pounds, and is a pharmacist in Ashton City, Tennessee.

He finds himself at fortythreeyearsold as his life starts to fall apart: his threehundred pound wife disappears, his romantic interest has lost interest and has gained hatred toward him, his coworkers harass him, customers verbally assault him, and he has the strange urge to adopt his foulmouthed, eighteenyearold coworker, Alex.
 
When things start to pile up, Timmy must find a way to deal: he turns to Alex to supply him with marijuana, starts sewing an elaborate Mr. Mistoffelees costume, finds solace in the wild, etc., etc., etc.

And the soft, constant wind of change blows him on, on, and on.

146 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2013

About the author

Lance Umenhofer

3 books4 followers
Lance Umenhofer lives in Nashville, TN. He is twenty-five years old. He graduated from Belmont University (Nashville, TN) in May of 2012 with an English degree. He is the author of And the Soft Wind Blows, his first book.

You can read his blog at: thehorrornamedgruffalo.blogspot.com, which features all original poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and other miscellaneous writings.

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Brandon.
1,010 reviews250 followers
April 30, 2013
And The Soft Wind Blows follows the life of Tim, a small town pharmacist who delivers newspapers on the side. When not working, he’s either being verbally abused by his wife or is fantasizing about Roxie, a waitress at a local diner he frequents. His life, while not perfect, is seemingly comfortable for a man of his nature.

One morning while having his breakfast and the accompanying conversation with Roxie, he unknowingly says the wrong thing terribly upsetting her. Later that day, his wife fails to return home without explanation. Tim’s life begins to unravel sending him into a mental breakdown that he may never recover from.

About two years ago, I sat down to watch the film Blue Valentine. If you haven’t seen it, it throws a spotlight on a married couple whose relationship is deteriorating around them. Despite the fact that they’re no longer compatible, they stay together and become increasingly miserable as each day passes. I couldn’t help but compare the relationship of Tim and his wife Mandy to those in the movie. It was heartbreaking to watch two people who at one point were happy enough to get married yet are now slumming around, stuck in a routine that neither is willing to change.

I quite enjoyed this and I think the author is someone that you should look out for. For a first time novel, I was pretty impressed at how real he made these characters and how concerned I found myself becoming for Tim’s well being. With such a sympathetic character in Tim, it's hard not to feel bad for the guy. He’s a loser but a lovable one at that.

The ending, while interesting, I felt was a pretty big departure from the story itself. That being said, I’m not sure exactly where I would've gone with it.

Cross Posted @ Every Read Thing

Check out my interview with Lance.

**I was given a copy of the book by the author in exchange for a fair review.
Profile Image for Sheri.
2,112 reviews
May 7, 2013
And the Soft Wind Blows by Lance Umenhofer

Timmy Enosh is a short, skinny man who works as a pharmacist and part time Newspaper delivery man. At forty three years old, he is married to Mandy, a three hundred pound bossy and mean woman. All he wants to do is please her.

He leads a pretty boring life, doing the same thing day in, day out. He is often ridiculed and picked on by his peers. He is used to the stares and rude treatment by people. This is just Timmys' life.

Then one day his wife disappears and his whole life begins to change. His co worker Alex a teen who works with him delivering papers, offers him some marijuana. He gladly takes him up on that offer. He starts to see his life differently and takes on a new attitude. Life as Timmy knows it is in for a big change.

Fast paced, very original, fun read. I thoroughly enjoyed; As the Soft Wind Blows and would love to see more work by Lance Umenhofer.
Profile Image for Ethan.
912 reviews159 followers
April 22, 2013
Writing a novella is a unique challenge. In a short number of pages, the author must create an intriguing story that features well-developed characters. In his debut novella, And the Soft Wind Blows, author Lance Umenhofer chooses to focus mainly on one character, allowing readers to delve into his psyche and really begin to understand his motivations.

The story itself balances on the edge of convention. The main character, Timmy, is a skinny, middle-age pharmacist who works at the local Walgreens. The opening portion of the story sets up the monotony that is the life of Timmy Enosh. Each day, he wakes up before dawn, and heads out to pick up Alex, a high school student who tosses newspapers from Tim's truck. After their morning paper route is complete, he drops Alex off at the bus stop and proceeds to have breakfast at Roxie's, a small diner.

We learn of Tim's obese wife who seems to use him as a personal butler more than a husband. It is no wonder then that Tim finds himself attracted to Roxie, the owner of the diner where he eats his breakfast each morning. In his mind, Tim fantasizes about the life he could have with Roxie, but per routine, he doesn't act on these feelings. Instead, he goes to his job at Walgreens, continuing the monotony that is his life.

Soon this predictability becomes too much for Tim to handle. In a radical shift of self-discovery, he begins to do things that make him happy. He buys marijuana from his paper route partner, Alex, decides to act upon his feelings for Roxie, and moves back in with his overprotective mother. But is all this change for the good, or is it the early signs of Tim's slow descent into madness?

I was very impressed with this novella. By following the actions of one character, Umenhofer creates a story that maintains a strong focus, while still being engaging. The story follows Tim chronologically, broken down by each day. I was reminded a bit of the 2002 film, One Hour Photo, where Robin Williams plays a photo technician at a store, similar to Walgreens. In the movie, he too becomes disenchanted with the routine of his life and turns violent. In Umenhofer's tale, readers are guided into the mind of Tim the pharmacist and become so involved that it is hard to discern reality from fantasy. The story ends with a kind of twist ending that made me question every conclusion I had drawn to that point. With this novella, Umenhofer has proven his competency as a writer, and I look forward to seeing what he produces in the future.
Profile Image for Felicity Terry.
1,232 reviews23 followers
June 11, 2013
Described by the author as a piece of 'poetic fiction' which combines elements of poetry into a prose narrative I really didn't know what to expect of this novella and admit to feeling deeply concerned that it was not going to be a style of writing to my taste but never one to shy away from something new I agreed to reading and reviewing it anyway.

And, possibly the surprise read of 2013, I'm glad I did as though there was undoubtedly a poetic flow to the narrative and and some of the phrases did run into each other this wasn't the horrendously 'flowery', pretentious read I had feared but a joy.

Amazing the amount that can be conveyed in such a small book of only 138 'pocket sized' pages, I found myself totally immersed in the life of Timmy Enosh, a rather quiet, unassuming man who at forty three is arguably going through some sort of mid-life crisis.

Beautifully and powerfully descriptive, I found it fascinating to read of Timmy's/Tim's/Timbo's relationships with the other characters and in particular that of his 'friendship' with eighteen year old co-newspaper deliverer Alex with whom he seemingly reverts to his much younger self.

An original, quirky read, funny and yet incredibly moving, I think this young author is worth keeping an eye out for.

Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of the author and April Gloaming Publishing, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given
Profile Image for Valentina.
Author 36 books176 followers
May 15, 2013
This book’s premise was definitely interesting: a man who slowly realizes he’s is being trampled in every aspect of his life and the catastrophic meltdown this inspires. I had high hopes. Unfortunately, the writing didn’t live up to my expectations.
It really was the writing that made this one a tough read. There were quite a few quirks, with the author doingsomethinglikethisandjoininwordstogetherwithoutspaces for no real reason. Once or twice might have been okay, to make a point, but it’s done quite a bit throughout the novel and it gets tiring for the reader. Another huge thing is the “show don’t tell issue.” We were “told” pretty much everything, instead of getting to know the characters and the situations by reactions or interactions. It’s tough to enjoy a book that has that kind of fault.
The last chapter or two did feel like they’d been written in a smoother manner, which made them the best ones in the book.
It’s tough to say something like this about an indie author, knowing how hard it is for them to get their books out there, but this is one I would not revisit unless it is heavily edited.
74 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2013

Sometimes, just sometimes, you open up a book and start reading, and you're utterly hooked because you just have absolutely no idea where the story will go. In And The Soft Wind Blows, everything is where it's supposed to be, but there's an unpredictability over-riding everything. And it's the business.



The story

Timmy and Mandy married young, and Timmy was filled with the wonder and joy of eternal love. But while Timmy stayed smaller than his curiosity of spirit may indicate, Mandy got bigger and bigger, and filling up the house with her growing dissatisfaction. Timmy works two jobs, and gets by creating himself a fantasy girl in Roxy, the lady who works at his local diner.


One day, things start to fall apart. Roxy gets upset with Timmy, and Mandy doesn't come home in the evening. Timmy realises that life is tenuous, and you can't rely on everything to go on the way it should. Timmy embarks on a spiritual journey into the darkness of his soul, in the hope of making some sense of the mess his life has become.



The style

On Lance Umenhofer's website, he refers to his style of writing as poetic fiction, and this isn't a misnomer. Some of his phrases run together with no spaces, linking up like natural verbal speech. All the dialogue is written with a heavy accent and emphases, and Timmy's thoughts are magical and commonplace all at once. It's stunning stylistically, and the poetic nature of the writing conjures a dense and vivid reality.


I suspect it's this heavy realism in the characters that makes it so difficult to figure out what's going to happen next, which makes the plot all the more fascinating. Right up to the end, it's like being on a ride blindfolded, and I don't mind saying that when I did hit the twist at the end and the story finished, I was devastated because I just wasn't finished with it yet! It was more like a snapshot and I wanted MORE. But I also have to admit that the ending adds to the realism; since when is life complete? It's a series of snapshots. Furthermore, And The Soft Wind Blows is only 155 pages long, which means it really is a snapshot. So it's a breeze to read, but by the time you hit the end you're so invested in the story that left saying "No! More!".


And The Soft Wind Blows reminded me of Something Happened by Joseph Heller (but a heck of a lot shorter), which just happens to be on my list of the most amazing reads ever. So, I heartily recommend this lovely story.



Who is this book for?

Lance Umenhofer suggests it's a hipster read, but I'd like to think it has broader appeal than that. It's very short, so even if you're intimidated by books this is fantastic. Furthermore, it will enrich your life with its poetry, so just read it already. Jeez.

Profile Image for Christine.
728 reviews6 followers
September 3, 2017
Again, we've got another surprising read in this book. I had my doubts based on the length of the book (nothing against novellas but I am a little judgmental about the quality of the book based on the page count), and the summary of the story. It just seemed so odd and it read like a jumble of story lines. However, the story doesn't come across as odd; it's a quirky, funny look at a miserable two weeks in a peculiar little man's life. The downward spiral of his career, relationships, and sanity is entertaining and very satisfying. Even though it is a short read, I didn't feel it needed anything more to the story and it was as satisfying as a full book would be.

There was one huge problem though that was big enough to keep it from getting a perfect five out of five star rating. Every so often the auther would combine words tostartmakingonegiantwordthatlookedlikethis. I thought it was an error, initially, until it happened on nearly every page. This was completely annoying and took away entirely from the story. There was even one entire line in the book where he combined all the words into one giant word. It's too obvious to miss in editing so I'm guessing this was the author's choice and I believe it's one that needs to be altered immediately. I just can't take the author seriously when I need to spend ten extra seconds trying to decipher what he's written.

However, the story itself is great and it is so short there is really no reason to miss it. The word combination negatives I mentioned above are something that one could look past. I would say if you're looking for something different in your next book, check out this one.

*I received a free copy of this book for this review from the author.
Profile Image for Krystal Willingham.
55 reviews18 followers
June 18, 2013
And the Soft Wind Blows is about a man named Tim who is a pharmacist full time but delivers newspapers on the side. He is married to a woman who verbally abuses him and fantasizes about Roxie whom is a waitress at a dinner he likes to go to.

I have to say that while this book was easy to read, for the most part had it's moments where I really wanted to stop reading all together. I don't know what the author was going for when he would putwordstogetherlikethis for no reason what so ever, which made it incredibly hard to follow and read sometimes. Although annoying, it wasn't as bad as being told everything instead of the author showing us. It was hard to connect with the characters and honestly I wanted to back hand Tim and kill his wife to be perfectly honest. The author could have killed everyone off in this book and it wouldn't have affected me in any type of way which is not good. I like to connect with the characters and feel something for them and it's sad that I wasn't about to do that in this one.

Even though this book had it's faults it was still a good story and it did keep you guessing as what was going to happen. Watching as Tim went from a closed off let everyone walk all over him nothing to someone whom started caring about himself and what he wanted made the book pretty good and I liked that. It eventually does have a good message once you weed through all of the other stuff.

Disclosure Notice: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my personal and honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Profile Image for Angie.
2,849 reviews15 followers
May 20, 2013
Synopsis: "Timmy Enosh is a peculiar, small man: fivethree, onehundredandfifteen pounds, and is a pharmacist in Ashton City, Tennessee.

He finds himself at fortythreeyearsold as his life starts to fall apart: his threehundred pound wife disappears, his romantic interest has lost interest and has gained hatred toward him, his coworkers harass him, customers verbally assault him, and he has the strange urge to adopt his foulmouthed, eighteenyearold coworker, Alex.

When things start to pile up, Timmy must find a way to deal: he turns to Alex to supply him with marijuana, starts sewing an elaborate Mr. Mistoffelees costume, finds solace in the wild, etc., etc., etc.

And the soft, constant wind of change blows him on, on, and on."


My Review: Well that was interesting. I am not a hundred percent what to think of this one. Timmy seems like a nice guy who has had a lifetime of being walked all over and bad decisions. You really get to know Timmy through out the book and you find out how much he doesn't know himself. One simple comment started his week unraveling and led to more poor decisions. It is really kind of a sad story to read as his life crumbles around him as his bad choices lead to worse results. I can't help be also read it as a warning for our own lives and to carefully examine how we live and the choices we make and where they may lead us.
Profile Image for guiltlessreader.
387 reviews123 followers
November 2, 2014
Originally on my blog Guiltless Reading:
http://guiltlessreading.blogspot.ca/2013/07/and-soft-wind-blows-by-lance-umenhofer.html

Timmy Enosh, an everyman, an anyman. Humdrum. Day in, day out. Sun up, sun down. Mid-life crisis time for Timmy: jolted out of his routine where the comfortable and familiar are taken out of his everyday equation. No wife, his favourite waitress suddenly hating on him, customers badmouthing him, co-workers acting out. What is he to do? He decides to take this "jolting" into his own hands and runs with it, including among other things, running around in a crazy Mr. Mistoffelees costume.

I initially gave this three stars when I finished it, but re-reading it and ruminating upon it some more, I felt that this little novella is so much more than it initially seems.
Profile Image for Christine .
285 reviews3 followers
June 20, 2013
I received a copy of this novella from the author/publisher in exchange for a fair review
Timmy is a very downtrodden man. He had a controlling mother and he has a controlling wife. His life is life is boring and dull and he dreams of someday running off with his favorite waitress at his favorite restaurant. He fantasizes about co-workers but can barely work up the courage to say more than a few words to them. He doesn’t know how to be assertive, though he wishes he could just get the guts to do and say what he wants.

Read full review HERE
Profile Image for Lisa.
Author 10 books8 followers
May 8, 2013
The author describes this novella as "poetic fiction". And I could definitely see elements of poetry in the narrative. It was an original, fast read and I found the found the author's writing style to be very striking. The twist ending also left me with my mouth hanging open going "Huh?" but it was a good "huh" not a "What the heck was he thinking? huh".

I received a complimentary copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Derek Emerson.
384 reviews23 followers
March 28, 2013
This is an advanced copy, but it could use a bit of editing. The overall story is interesting, but the jumps in action or thinking are too fast. Creating more of a backstory would help.
Profile Image for Robyn.leigh.lear.
1 review3 followers
Read
April 10, 2017
An astonishing and beautiful character novel. I eagerly await reading anything this talented author comes up with!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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