Thoroughly involving, Edenfield is, in whole, the unraveling of naivete amidst the swell of lust, love, and betrayal. At its deepest level, it is an all-embracing, coming-of-age account of Weldon Thatcher, a young man in transition and caught up in the most intricate aspects of faith-based academia grounded in the narrowed tenets of fundamentalism: from classroom to dorm room, from prayer meeting to revival meeting, from spirituality to sacrilege, from lust to love—its affects holding sway even after thirty years and well beyond what Weldon thought was his last goodbye.
Edenfield, is a very special book. I was immediately transported into a world about which I previously knew virtually nothing. The author seems to have lived these experiences first hand, if not, it speaks even more strongly to his writing skills. His characters (each with their own dreams and demons) are both real and alive. Throughout, I felt as if I were part of the story itself … seeing it directly through the eyes of the protagonist. Brilliant writing. Thank you, George, and thank you, Weldon, for allowing me to tag along through this deeply personal journey. A must for serious readers.
Keith Grenda
Cap Estates
St. Lucia Island
For those of us who have a small church-related college in their background, Edenfield is bound to conjure numerous memories and emotions so prevalent with coming of age. Justice, a former classmate of mine, poignantly opens up the entire spectrum of faith-based campus life, from professors to dorm life, from love interests to the oftentimes troubling experiences Weldon is left to confront as he returns to his alma mater. I found myself reliving my own memories through the words of this sensitively written book. Edenfield is by all measures a sensitively written book. I don’t know of any other work that does this so well.
Max R. Terman
Ph.D. Professor Emeritus
Tabor College
Hillsboro, Kansas
As a former English teacher, I love good writing, and as one who has lived through most of the turbulent stages of development described so eloquently in this intriguing book, I fully credit it as a "must read." And, as a former College Dean, I recall many students who struggled with life decisions, moral choices, and feelings of being lost in a complicated world. In unique turns of phrases, Justice brings his characters to life and brings the reader to quickly identify with their challenges in very personal ways. The one thing I particularly loved about Edenfield is the humor he brings to adolescent decision-making and the excuse-making when teens try to justify the mistakes they make along the way. As a former student at such an institution, Justice sheds light on a part of higher education little understood by a majority of Americans. As one raised in a Southern Pentecostal environment, I could identify with his descriptions of religious norms that are part of the experiences only few can know. With my background, I couldn’t help but feel a bond with Justice’s main character, Weldon Thatcher, as he encounters academic and work challenges, temptations and revivals. It is by all accounts, a marvelously-told story. To all readers of quality literature, I say “Enjoy the ride!”
Donald Nichols Ph.D.
Pikeville, Tennessee
Edenfield is a book I didn't want to end. Great to open. Hard to close. The reader joins a young man on his journey at a small church-affiliated college and shares his struggles with social, spiritual, and scholastic challenges. Mr. Justice’s gifted handling of the language makes the scenes and characters come to life. Top shelf!!!
Judge David E. Cain, Ret.
Columbus, Ohio
“Edenfield” is a work that gave me clear insights into a young man’s mind, particularly on the issues of religion and romance. It is, in part, an honest look at the human condition: shortcomings and vulnerabilities alike. No one paints word-pictures as vividly as George Justice.
Mary Ann Cain
Columbus, Ohio
George Justice’s latest novel, Edenfield, was a work I didn’t want to put down. He takes the reader through the life of a young man, Weldon Thatcher, who was pushed into attending a religious-based college, and who struggles relentlessly with the trials of coming-of-age. But it’s the gradual unraveling of his naivety that life opens up for him in oftentimes startling ways. The books’ characters are beautifully depicted to where you actually come to know them. Outstanding read!
Cindy Tobin
Royal Oak, Michigan
One thing that really impressed me about “Edenfield” is the way the author skillfully portrays the characters. Life in a small town with a Christian college is very accurately described as the characters go through the toils and tribulations of faith-based academia. In the telling of Edenfield, Justice’s main character, Weldon Thatcher, is painfully taken from adolescence to adulthood, his growth rife with both joy and heartache alike. However, he is somehow able to weather it all and emerge, though it be thirty years later, as someone we never would have thought possible. Throughout, Weldon was no less a conundrum, and continually led me through some of the most hilarious (as well as sad) situations so inherent with coming of age. And though there were times I thought I had the plot all figured out, I soon discovered that there were things I never saw coming. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, and sat for some time afterwards ruminating about life and its twists and turns, and how Mr. Justice so ably brought it to the page. High marks!!!
Chuck Brown
Athens, Alabama
Edenfield is a captivating coming-of-age story centered around young Weldon Thatcher and his days at Edenfield College (a protestant institution with fundamentalist traditions). Part first-person narrative and part flashback, works to define Weldon’s overall experience: from his first step onto Edenfield’s campus to his return thirty years later. Throughout, Mr. Justice writes with the insight of someone who has firsthand knowledge of such institutions and the rigors they present. The back and forth of the two voices (young Weldon and older Weldon) provides added depth to his evolution, and allows for closure to his thirty-year struggle and lingering uncertainties while adding relevancy to the man he becomes. Even though the time period for Edenfield is the early 1960’s, the struggles of young Weldon Thatcher remain just as pronounced today, giving this book a timeless quality. George Justice’s imagery and character development are topmost. A most sincere two thumbs up.
Patricia Brinegar
Westfield, Indiana
After reading Mr. Justice’s novel “Edenfield” I am eager to say that it is altogether captivating. His handling of the language alone puts him in an elitest class. The intricacies and perils inherent with coming of age within the confines of a religious institution are flawlessly depicted in his main character, Weldon Thatcher, the ins-and-outs of his emergence into adulthood on full display from one escapade to another. The setting, the pace, the humor, the joy and the pathos, are handled with a delicate balance that only a few authors can attain. The jolt of surprises, the twists and turns, are at once intriguing. Mr. Justice’s overall concept is the work of someone totally invested in breathing life into his story, particularly his characters. Heartwarming, poignant, and true to life, Edenfield speaks to the worthiness of an artist true to his craft. Five Stars.
Peggy Mariucci
Ann Arbor, Michigan
George Justice’s latest novel, Edenfield, is a prime example of an all-embracing work. Heartfelt and with lasting effect, Edenfield has the depth of what readers everywhere have come to expect: exceptional writing. An excellent read and my highest recommendation.
James E. Rowe
U.S. Air Force, Ret.
Pikeville, Kentucky
Edenfield is a captivating account of Weldon Thatcher who struggles with going from boyhood to manhood in the midst of a structured religious environment. Mr. Justice readily captures the emotions and wild swings of late adolescence fighting for a place in an adult world. The author's descriptions are crisp and enlightening, and his characters’ dialogues are on-target for young men of the era ... especially those trying to live a godly life while wrestling with the temptations of the world, and never more poignant than Weldon’s involvement with the women who all but derail him. This is a book that depicts an era and a genre of higher education uncommon to the vast majority. Nevertheless it touches on all the common coming-of-age themes that virtually every young person experiences. Edenfield is, by all accounts, a most worthy read. Two thumbs up!!!
Rev. Neil Veydt, Ph.D.
Spring Arbor, Michigan
The enriching experience of reading George Justice's latest novel, Edenfield, immediately transports us back to where we've all been: to the struggles of coming of age and its inherent torments; to the roads we chose to travel, and to the impact of those we meet along the way. It’s Justice’s sensitive handling of these age-centered ordeals that we are opened up to the complexities of discovery; and, in a constantly changing environment, arrive at a place where we can begin to explore who we are. Excellent storytelling. Outstanding prose. A must read.
Jay Gilroy
East Lansing, Michigan
Edenfield Background
The year is 1962 and young Weldon Thatcher, caught between two worlds (boyhood and manhood, cartoons and raging hormones) is coerced by his mother and the local preacher into attending Edenfield College, a Protestant icon and a place straightaway paranoid about influences from the outside world. Though Weldon is fashioned from a childhood of perfect Sunday school attendance, he brings to Edenfield a determined curiosity to know what lies beyond the boundaries of God’s moral code and the stuff of religion. It is in this context, and in a world beyond his adolescent experience, that he is awakened to a centuries-old chasm of religious dogma.
Done as a flashback, Edenfield’s overall structure is a first-person narrative; character driven with rich insights into the world of faith-based academia. The site of the principal action is Edenfield College, which, in itself, takes on the part of a character; that is, it is not merely a backdrop against which the action occurs—and which forms the borders of Weldon Thatcher’s world—but one which acts upon him as well.
author footnote
In the telling of Edenfield, I wanted to shed light on the pitfalls inherent with coming of age—a time when the pain of self-introspection takes up the bigger part of one’s reality. In hindsight, I’m hoping these Edenfield experiences will, in some emblematic way, become part of someone’s survival guide.”