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Lawrence G. Taylor

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The Eternal Struggle: An Amorous Story Kindle Edition

by Lawrence G. Taylor (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.2 16 ratings

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Updated 6.1.23: The story first appeared in third person, but a year ago I changed the storytelling to first person. The narrative is set in Stockholm, Sweden in the early 70s. I've chosen the categories literary, contemporary & historical fiction

The story presents a psychological portrait of gender struggle between the two main characters, James is from the Caribbean and Maud is from Sweden. Both are full of themselves––two ego-strippers. The storytelling is character-driven, and the plot has a few surprises.

For years, James behaved like a playboy, shying away from a meaningful relationship until he began to feel like "a sex machine" and lonely. The time to turn a new page in his life had arrived. He had lost faith in meeting the right woman.

James then meets a woman of his dreams - she's attractive and intellectually stimulating. His old seductive tricks become a threat, but James is disciplined. On the first date, a heated discussion erupts, which threatens his dream.

James and Maud are argumentative and egoistic, and wage a battle of sexual politics against the other. Whether feminist Maud will stick to her gun or succumb to her affections remains a question. Former lady's man James has the choice of compromising to achieve his desire, by letting go of misogynistic inclinations – or walking away in despair.

Opposites do attract. Solid 5 stars.
Byvermont reviewer on February 5, 2017
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The main character in the story James certainly could be described as a ladies man. He finds out that love is just around the corner and his life is about to be changed when he meets Maud Magnusson who is a journalist and also a feminist. James finds that a more meaningful relationship can be developed with someone who is much different than those whom he had met previously. One of my favorite lines from the story. “The only lies for which we are truly punished are those we tell ourselves.” James had a goal in his life to become a writer. Another line that I liked. “In general, people aren’t good in giving up bad habits!” I wondered what kind of relationship James and Maud would have? The old adage opposites attract certainly holds true. One more line that I liked “Guilt is an emotion that people experience because they’re convinced they’ve caused harm.” The references to the music really added to the story. Both characters had enough flaws to have the readers relate to them. Lawrence G. Taylor shows his readers a great story through his characters. I look forward to reading more works by Mr. Taylor. I have rated this one a solid 5 stars.

Print length

134 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

December 9, 2016
File size

467 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

StaceyK reviewed The Eternal Struggle: An Amorous Story A Fantastic, Enjoyable Read! More Than Just Your Typical Love Story December 12, 2016This masterfully written book is a thought- and emotion-provoking work of art from beginning to end. The author does an amazing job of developing the characters and giving us a sense of the time and world in which they live (Sweden in the 1970s), as well as creating a palpable tension between the "love birds" throughout the work. As a student of human thought and behavior myself, I found the complexity of the main character to be simultaneously intriguing, funny, and heart-wrenching. You get to see his motivations and thoughts in a very realistic, honest, and relatable way--both the good and the bad (and sometimes even the ugly). And though the story does follow the lines of a traditional love story (boy and girl meet, something keeps them apart, finally they get together), the characters and situations are refreshingly non-traditional and unique. This is a true gem of a read from an independent author, and I wholly recommend it if you are looking for something that goes a little deeper while still being an enjoyable Sunday-afternoon read. It will make you smile!

From the Author

This novella is set in the early seventies. At the time a publisher showed an interest but wanted me to make the story longer by adding more characters. I thought about his suggestion but didn't follow through on it. It was a lost opportunity for me to get published by established company. But I was in my late twenties and not easily persuaded by others. In hindsight it was perhaps a mistake, for I could have easily expanded the story. The story was revised a bit, by adding a few flat characters, and one or two rounded ones.The story was created in an era of demands for political and social changes in several countries the world over, and the hope of making the world "a better place" for disenfranchised peoples and others. However, such a cry was perhaps mostly focused upon conditions in distanced countries while some local problems took a back seat, as it were - I remembered complaining. Of course, in those days, I was a bit of an idealist, trying to be a part of the "romantic movement" for change. "Make love, Not War", which I readily embraced! But "the whole thing" fell apart or, rather, fell short on its promises. It left disappointment and sorrow in its trail to linger on, in the memory of so many.In the story, there are casual allusions to the sexual revolution and political protests of one kind or another that had taken place in the early seventies. It is a love story of sorts between a Guyanese man and a Swedish woman. The story belongs to the category of literary fiction. It is a realistic, character-driven and psychological portrait of a struggle between the two main characters.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MYXPSUO
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 9, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 467 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 134 pages

Customer Reviews:
4.2 16 ratings

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Lawrence G. Taylor

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I was born in Guyana, went to England, and worked and studied in London and relocated to Sweden in autumn 1969.

In the 70s, I tried my hand at mainly writing short stories, a four-act closet drama, a novella, and an unfinished novel. I had spent two years nurturing the ambition to become an author of some repute. But the going was tough, creating a feeling of insecurity for the future. In time, I shelved the idea, got a hospital porter job, and later obtained a BA (Eng. & Edu.). I enrolled in a 4-term course for mental-health carers after a summer job at a psychiatric hospital. After that, I completed the first two stages of psychotherapy education and several short studies in cognitive therapy. After retirement in 2007, I did private mental health counselling for several years, which ended in 2015.

In February 2016, my debut book appeared: Strangers In Another Country – a collection of two short stories and two novellas, available in e-book and paperback at Amazon. This collection and the rest of my stories fall under literary fiction, except for the short story Darker Than Blue – This Mortal Coil, an experimental blend of fantasy, dystopia, and satire.

On December 9th, 2016, I published a novella, The Eternal Struggle: An Amorous Story.

In March 2017, a short story appeared, Two Girls in a Café.

Making Sense of Past Time - a Novel available in paperback and e-book format.

Tell Me Who My Enemy Is - a four-act closet drama published this summer (2018).

The Ballad of Calle and Maja - a novella published Nov 2018.

Getting it Right, if Ever – Romance Novella available for pre-order; to be published

August 22nd -19

Four Bittersweet Romances & A Four-Act Closet Drama was published on November 3rd, 2019.

Short Story "Darker Than Blue – This Mortal Coil was published July 24th, 2020.

Religion as tormentor of the soul and a negative refuge – an essay (an assignment from my university days in the 70s: Go Tell It on The Mountain by James Baldwin, a Black American writer (1924 – 1987)

Binky's Reverie is a YA story revised and first appeared in my debut book, Strangers In Another Country. This collection of stories received 21 reviews.

A Day In The Life Of Charlie Cheddar – a story which appeared in my debut book.

"Betty And the Black Puppy – Short Story – YA Kindle Edition. Revised (Dec 2021). It is one of four stories in my debut book.

Darker Than Blue––This Mortal Coil ––a dystopian short story set in the fictitious nation Atlantis Island in 2030. Published June, 2020.

SHORT STORIES NOVELLAS A CLOSET DRAMA (a collection of most of my already published writings.

Regarding reviews of my books, reviews are available at Amazon.com.

MY BOOKS ARE REVISED AND UPDATED (2021-2023).

Today I put out STRANGERS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY––A Short Story. February 22, 2023.. The story appeared in my debut book (a collection of four stories) with the same title. The other three stories have appeared as Single stories.

WHAT IS MY WRITING ABOUT?

The reader will likely enjoy my stories for the following reasons.

My writing is literary fiction, which is no longer popular.

My stories are grounded in realism, with a dash of fantasy or humour for flavour.

Based on input from reviews, the target audience will likely be socially, culturally, psychologically, or philosophically minded. I take pleasure in leaving the reader with something to think about. Themes include loneliness, romantic relationships, migrants’ yearning for a better life, and their social and psychological issues in a setting rife with prejudice and xenophobia.

The only exception is my short story Darker Than Blue––This Mortal Coil, in which I attempt satire, comedy, and fantasy.

My Twitter account is @lgt41, and my blog page is lgt41blog.wordpress.com. I'm a hobby photographer, and you can view several of my images at https://www.foap.com/community/profiles/lgt41

I sincerely hope you find my stories enjoyable, and a review of my books would be much appreciated.

Lawrence Gordon Taylor

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

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Vermont Reviewer

Opposites do attract. Solid 5 stars.

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

The main character in the story James certainly could be described as a ladies man. He finds out that love is just around the corner and his life is about to be changed when he meets Maud Magnusson who is a journalist and also a feminist. James finds that a more meaningful relationship can be developed with someone who is much different than those whom he had met previously. One of my favorite lines from the story. “The only lies for which we are truly punished are those we tell ourselves.” James had a goal in his life to become a writer. Another line that I liked. “In general, people aren’t good in giving up bad habits!” I wondered what kind of relationship James and Maud would have? The old adage opposites attract certainly holds true. One more line that I liked “Guilt is an emotion that people experience because they’re convinced they’ve caused harm.” The references to the music really added to the story. Both characters had enough flaws to have the readers relate to them. Lawrence G. Taylor shows his readers a great story through his characters. I look forward to reading more works by Mr. Taylor. I have rated this one a solid 5 stars.

Helpful

StaceyK

A Fantastic, Enjoyable Read! More Than Just Your Typical Love Story

Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

This masterfully written book is a thought- and emotion-provoking work of art from beginning to end. The author does an amazing job of developing the characters and giving us a sense of the time and world in which they live (Sweden in the 1970s), as well as creating a palpable tension between the “love birds” throughout the work. As a student of human thought and behavior myself, I found the complexity of the main character to be simultaneously intriguing, funny, and heart-wrenching. You get to see his motivations and thoughts in a very realistic, honest, and relatable way—both the good and the bad (and sometimes even the ugly). And though the story does follow the lines of a traditional love story (boy and girl meet, something keeps them apart, finally they get together), the characters and situations are refreshingly non-traditional and unique. This is a true gem of a read from an independent author, and I wholly recommend it if you are looking for something that goes a little deeper while still being an enjoyable Sunday-afternoon read. It will make you smile!

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

I looked forward to reading this novel, having read “Strangers in Another Country”, Taylor’s collection of short fiction. Sadly, The Eternal Struggle: An Amorous Story” reads like an early draft of a novel.

Far from beginning the story 'in media res', the novel doesn’t really begin until almost one third of the way in. The initial scenes, and the characters they contain, are mostly extraneous.

They say that stories should have at least one character that you could cheer for. That’s not easy to do in "Strangers in Another Country" when the protagonist objectifies every woman he meets, viewing them as potential sexual conquests. Still, I read on with the expectation that this was what the story was about – this character was going to face hurdles, grow and develop, either for good of for ill. There were scenes, day to day events, that were interesting, but they were akin to a reality-show camera following one man's daily life, rather than scenes carefully selected and crafted to show character development and plot. At the end we are told the character had changed. We just did not get to see it.

Though I think this book hit the shelves far too soon, there is something about Taylor’s writing and voice I find compelling in much the same way I read Junot Diaz and cringe at his male characters, yet can’t stop reading.

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Amazon Customer

Entertaining and funny. I enjoyed the references to the seventies music. The author descriptions are very clear and detailed

Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2017

Verified Purchase

Entertaining and funny! I enjoyed the references to the seventies music. The author's descriptions were clear and detailed. Good light-hearted reading.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

A reflecting love story, a must read!

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

Very interesting and capturing characters in this short well written love story. The author is very successful in describing the state of mind of each character (both male and female perspective) allowing the reader to really empathize and "feel" for the situation at hand. It's interesting to read how the main character James handles his thoughts, struggles and encounters with the opposite sex.
Soul searching and finding the perfect fit for love is and will always be a struggle and adventure indeed - the author's insight of the characters gives the reader feelings that one really can relate to.
A must read!

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Amazon Customer

The Blossoming of a Relationship

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2017

Verified Purchase

I chose to give this book 5 stars because I enjoyed how it took me through life in the 1970s in London and Sweden. The main character James had a love for jazz music. I read each chapter with great anticipation to reach the next chapter to follow James in his daily life. And I was not dissapointed!

Helpful

Maria

The writing is good, though and it's clear that the author put ...

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2018

First and foremost a big thank you to the BookTasters for suggesting to read and review The Eternal Struggle, and to the generous author Lawrence G. Taylor for providing me with a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

And being honest, I couldn't finish it. I gave it three tried but couldn't immerse in the story, which is a big deal for me when reading.
I got a hard time keeping up with scene change and dialogs. I couldn't find anything incommon with the main character and was not interested enough to continue the story.
The writing is good, though and it's clear that the author put a lot of work into the book. But it seems it's just not my cup of tea.

Judging from all the reviews a lot of people really liked it, so my rate would be 3 stars .

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Top reviews from other countries

S. Tyagi

Another masterpiece from Lawrence G. Taylor. Highly recommended!

Reviewed in India on February 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

“The Eternal Struggle: An Amorous Story" is another masterpiece from Lawrence G. Taylor. I enjoyed reading his earlier novel “Strangers in another country”. His fiction writings are intellectually stimulating and wonderfully written. These characteristics are rare to find in present day Kindle novels where authors often write a story ignoring facts about the time frame in which the story is set. Taylor does a perfect job in this regard. Although the story of “The Eternal Struggle” is set in Sweden of 1970s but it talks about the problems, situations, and challenges which are still present in today’s world.
This beautiful love story revolves around two central characters: James and Maud. Both are extremely opposite and different from the other. James has an image of Casanova and playboy while Maud is a feminist and full of life. The story of their love is not a sugar coated one but full of twists. Taylor has taken care of presenting the character of James as a real man which has both positive and negative attributes.
This novel is highly recommended for all those who like light-hearted but intellectually stimulating stories.

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