Touch: A Novel

In Elmore Leonard's Introduction to this book he talks about how hard it was to publish it. Thankfully he finally found someone who would because it is brilliantly written. I am on the verge of finishing all of his non-western books - which I will read too - and I've loved almost all of them but this was a masterpiece. The dialog is so fun to read, the characters are all colorful and outstanding in all their individual ways and the story is so simple and straight forward. Don't look for any hidden meanings. It's just a wonderful book about extraordinary things happening to normal people. I will be reading it again and again. Bravo Mr. Leonard.

Touch is vintage Leonard in dialogue,character development and the cleanest writing style in fiction. It's also an exploration of the relationship between truth and belief. Leonard deals with ideas well beyond who-dunit in Touch. The story is tender and tough, dark and day-lit at the same time. I'm glad he wrote it, and glad I read it.

I was happy with the book, but it’s in a little worse shape than advertised. Some of the pages fell out as I was opening the book.I chalk this up to “these things happen“

I bought this accidentally. It turned out to be one of the best things I have read in ages. Set in 1977, it is the story of a former monk who has the stigmata and can heal. Told in the style of Get Shorty. It is just wonderful. Fluid and imaginative.

Leonard had a hard time selling this book to his publishers. They wanted more crime novels from him and at that moment in his life he had Touch. It's a bit atypical for Leonard, being about a young man who apparently has some sort of supernatural "touch", a gift for healing that causes all sorts of mayhem in his life and the lives of those he meets. Of course, this wouldn't be a true "Elmore Leonard" novel if there wasn't a bit of a criminal element in it. This part of the book brings with it both poignancy and humor. I liked this book a lot (and I read it because I'm interested in Leonard's writing style and it doesn't really matter to me what the man wrote: I'd read a cookbook by him, if he ever penned one). The movie they made of this was even good. (It's at least watchable . . . and Christopher Walken plays the bad guy--of course.)

Excellent novel. Lots different from your regular Leonard novel. Really cool rock n. Roll storyline too

Didn't enjoy this book or its ending. My first and only time reading Leonard.

A young man who calls himself Juvenal served as a Franciscan monk in Brazil for about ten years. He came to the U.S. and worked helping to rehabilitate alcoholics in Detroit. Juvenal had the ability to heal. He allowed a blind woman to see, cured cancer in a young boy and had success healing broken and deformed bones. He was stigmatic. When he performed the miracles blood appeared on his body at the same places where Christ was crucified. Several people wanted to promote and take advantage of his gift for their own purposes. Mainly, a promoter and a right wing Catholic traditonalist. Their plans were not to be. As Juvenal fell in love with an attractive rock 'n roll promoter. This is the third book I've read by Elmore Leonard. Previously I read Split and The Switch. This book moved along fairly well. But, the ending just didn't satisfy my taste.

As always a great plot and entertaining

as with all his novels, great piece of writing - the man is a legend after all! Again great price, quick next day delivery - thank you amazon :)

Not too amazing

A wonderful series very well produced. Brilliant!

This book is disappointing. The premise of the story had potential but is wasted. There is blatant moral lecturing and the end for all the characters reads just like the sort of end you would have wished for all the people you loathed and loved as a teenager. The end comes suddenly and I think the author must have been as fed up as I was by that stage. Only read to end because it had been chosen for our book club. Also the quality of the printing is very poor. On many pages the edge of the last letter of each line was missing!