Levies of Devotion

by Matthew Taylor

Missing in action for over forty years, American GI Robert Clark's remains are discovered on a hillside in Vietnam. While exhuming the grave, the recovery team is surprised by a local woman in possession of letters written by Clark. The letters threaten to expose closely-held secrets and renew bitter family rivalries. And the woman in possession of the letters, she has a secret of her own.

Levies of Devotion explores the lives of four youths coming of age in Western New York amidst the backdrop of Vietnam and the cultural upheaval of the 1960’s. Choices made at a tender age sealing their collective destinies. Love and intimacy, courage and family expectations forge paths riddled with loss and the living reminders of loss.

Richly woven with the detail of period and place, Levies of Devotion captures the emotion of first love, from seeds of desire through the harvest of wisdom.

Genres: Fiction

223 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2020

About the author

Born in Buffalo, Taylor spent his teens and early twenties living in Canada, studying journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa before moving to California and getting a degree in film and television writing from California State University at Northridge.

Taylor owns and operates a printing and graphic design company in Orchard Park, New York.

Married to Liza for 34 years, together they have three children and two grandchildren.

Reviews

[Crystal]

This book was not what I expected but at the same time I was not disappointed either.
This book is somewhat realistic and could be teachable moments too.
I found the book interesting and intriguing and might read again.

[Lorna]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway!

Levies of Devotion explores the lives of American youths coming of age during the turmoil of the Vietnam War. Exploring the choices they make in their youth, the book goes on to detail how these choices ripple out to effect their whole lives.

I was really hopeful for this book- I love coming of age stories and I love historical novels, but I just could not love Levies of Devotion . The book felt clumsy at times and could have benefitted from better editing to ensure that mistakes were edited out, tenses weren't changed arbitrarily and for better clarity. I also felt that the transition between time periods was often clumsy and I had to work at figuring out "when" we were in the story.

The idea of the story was much more powerful, but I felt that the drama within was written poorly (I'm sorry but I still cannot buy into the "I know I'm only 14 but he's the love of my life" schtick.). I even felt that some of the other romantic entanglements within the book were unnecessary. There was also this weird passage about virginity at the beginning of the novel that I felt was weird, pretentious and added nothing to the plot.

I really hope the Taylor sticks at his craft because he does have a gift for storytelling, he just needs to refine that talent!

[Vandana Puranik]

To get 4 stars from me is really really good. And this is the author's first novel!
Pls note: I don't do summaries as part of reviews because those are readily available in descriptions.

Having said that, the premise of this story was very different than what I had imagined based on the synopsis I had read - I was under the impression that it was going to be about 4 young adults living in NYC and the effects of war on their inter-twined lives. Well I got the second part right - sort of. The war itself was not the story - it was more of a marker: If you picture a see-saw, the war is the pivot point in the middle and either side if it, rocking back and forth, is the pre and post war story of the same people, with the chapters oscillating between times, lives, and situations. "Coming of age" and "historical fiction" sound so cliche, but that's perhaps the best way to most commonly describe the story.

I love the way the author laid out the preface of the book - pretty creative in my opinion. Got me thinking right away - initially I asked myself WTH? but then soon after it became clear how the story unfolded from that intro. Aspects of the story made me ask "why" many times - about how the book was written, about why certain elements were part of the story, and about why the figures made the decisions they did. The characters were interesting, the locations & landmarks are real, and the situations are all relatable in some way. You may find the number of characters a bit difficult to follow in the beginning but stick with it. The writing is attractive, the chapters are short, the rhythm is quick & steady. The book spurred me to look up historical facts which for me, were fascinating new discoveries, and drew me in that much more.

Thank you Matt Taylor for the gift of the book and the opportunity to share my thoughts.

[Diane Balding]

One of the BEST BOOKS I HAVE read in a long time. It starts out at the beginning then takes you to when they were all young to make you understand. Reggie,Robbie,Tommy and Debbie aka Peanut and their off springs.. And the love they have for 1 guy. The rich guy who goes to War and leaves the 2 loves behind. I hated to put it down when I finally got to trade it, but I had just to go to sleep for work the next couldn't wait to start reading it again.. Thank you for this wonderful book!

[the_frat_nanny_reads]

First of all, thank you to the author for sending this book to me. Historical fiction is not a genre a read very often. This is a good first novella, especially if you like to read about the Vietnam war.
It was a quick and enjoyable read and came at a perfect time for the Reading Rush, because historical fiction is definitely something I want to read more of.

[Candlelight]

You'll think you stepped back in time with all the accurate details in this story but it's not about timetravel, it's much deeper than that! If you enjoy books that make you think and wonder what's going on, you'll like this one.