Theo of Golden by Allen Levi Book Review

 The debut novel of Allen Levi was given the number 1 book position for 2025. With that announcement does that really mean it is fact or just a bought position by a publisher to the New York Times Best Seller’s list? The book was originally self published by Levi in 2023. It was later acquired by Atria books and released November 2025. You read that correctly…. Late release in 2025 so is it the best for the whole year?  The short answer is yes. There are many who are still giving this book praise for their book lists from celebrities to neighborhood small group book clubs.

I had been made aware of this book by several friends and really needed to read this novel, not just read it but allow it to imprint my mind, heart and soul. Wow! If Theo of Golden is that powerful, then I did need to read it.

When I first started this book, I felt it was not grabbing my attention. It was slow getting out of the gate. I was not sure where this was going to go because the Prologue, I thought, was a good introduction and timeline of the length of this story about a mysterious man named Mr. Theo. The description was just mysterious enough that it intrigued me. Unfortunately in the first few chapters, I felt Mr. Levi lacked pacing and getting to the points he was trying to make. I generally have a rule that if a book doesn’t grab me by 30 to 50 pages in, I will not read it or at least put it down and try it again later if my friends and family want my honest review of a book. So with the desire to keep giving it a chance for friends, I am happy to report that I am glad I stayed with the book and believe it will go down as one of my favorite nostalgic and southern story novels ever. There are only a few other books that I can say Theo of Golden is in company or comparison with since it is set in the south. The first is The Shack by William P. Young and another one is Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg. Why you might ask? Setting for the story in Georgia, type of characters used in The Shack is similar in Theo of Golden and finally the dry sense of humor found in all three books and definitely in Fried Green Tomatoes.

While the town of Golden is fictional, all the information seems real and even uses places that you can definitely find around the world. Mr. Levi, I realized, was writing this debut novel like you cook Gumbo or put BBQ meat on a smoker for dinner. It was slow at first but as he introduced the various main characters you realize he has made an interesting set of ingredients like a Gumbo for his story.

You see the main character, Mr. Theo, is an old 86 year old mystery man that only goes by his first name. Some of the other main characters we introduced to are Mr. Ponder, Mrs. Gidley, Asher Glissen, and Minnette. Theo of Golden is full of mystery, suspense, spider-webbed stories taking you the reader through a wide array of emotions with humor and southern charm that even had me laughing, shocked and also crying a few tears at times. Mr. Levi unveiled his layers of the Gumbo of a story that definitely didn’t have me thinking of the way the story ends in the last 40 or so pages.  

I really am glad that I read Theo of Golden and recommend it for your TBR (to be read) list. Do I think it is the #1 book for 2025? That is for each individual opinion but it has to be in the top 5 of the year for sure. I am hard pressed to think of a better fiction book like this as I write this review. My rating for the book is 4.5 out of 5 stars. I will be looking with hope for any future book by Allen Levi and have added him to my follow list on Goodreads. You can find this book on Amazon or at your local bookstore. Please leave comment or a question on what you think of my review and if you have read it.