The Testimony of Taliesin Jones

Beautifully written....Taliesin Jones sparkles with that sort of childhood innocence that we all wish we still had...Author Rhidian Brook paints a spectacular technicolour picture of 11-year-old Taliesin Jones growing up in Cwmglum, Wales. Taliesin's increasingly dysfunctional family (his mother's run off with the hairdresser, his father keeps hoping she'll come back, and his brother is completely taciturn) spurs his thirst to find out whether there really is a Christian God. Through his piano teacher and mentor, Billy Evans, who happens to be a healer (that is, one who heals by praying), Taliesin comes to grasps with who he is, who his God is, and growing up in his place in Welsh society.The language in which this delightful novel is written captivates and provides a vivid mental picture. One finds themselves thinking what Taliesin is thinking, seeing what he is seeing, and searching for his answer along with him everys step of the way.Fantastic.

This is a wonderfully uplifting story of a young Welsh boy trying to find his way in a confusing world...which became confusing when his mother ran off with her hairdresser for reasons Taliesin doesn't understand, but which Brook makes clear to the reader. Though the story is told from the boy's point of view, the reader is in the position to see that he is working out his own salvation in the stumbling way of the seeker who knows where he is going and why, he just doesn't know how. What is endearing is his great "plan" which comes to naught as does most of our plans. Tal is just so normal. I've passed around my copy and encouraged the public library to buy one for their shelves. The paragraph about the Skin Clock is worth the price of the book! I would love to read Brook's other book, Jesus and the Adman. His skill with words, character development and setting are exemplary although plot resolution was a bit weak...still a heartwarming read.

This is a moving, wonderfully written portrait of a Welsh boy with 'still-growing eyes' emerging out of childhood into a world of new uncertainty and possibility. Destined to become a Welsh classic. Buy it and spread the word.