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Tom Winton
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The Last American Martyr Kindle Edition

by Tom Winton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 294 ratings
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It doesn’t happen often but every now and then one small soul rises from the crowded depths of obscurity and causes the earth to wobble on its axis. This last happened in 2008 when an unemployed doorman stepped onto the worldwide stage in Stockholm and accepted The Nobel Prize for Literature.

In this me-me Twenty-First Century, fifty-nine-year-old Thomas Soles may very well be the last American martyr. A self-described “simple man,” he wrote a book that resuscitated the all-but-dead international labor movement. The response to his thoughts and perceptions were astounding. All around the world, from America to Zimbabwe, the marching footsteps of workers began to tremor the earth.

But not everyone is pleased. There’s a tightly-knit elitist clique that is absolutely livid over the thoughts and ideals that fill the pages of Tom’s book. And that profit-hungry mob doesn’t play around. When Tom and his wife return home from Sweden with the coveted prize, they find threats scrawled on the walls of their New York apartment—death threats, written in blood.

Left with very few choices, the peace-loving couple decides to buy a motorhome and flee across America. They hope to find a safe place somewhere but soon find out that’s not going to be easy. Everywhere they go it seems Tom sees trouble closing in on them in the RV’s rearview mirror or it’s waiting for them around the next bend in the road.
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  1. Print length
    195 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    August 7, 2011
  5. File size
    575 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Book Review: "The Last American Martyr"
When I reviewed the authors first book "Beyond Nostalgia" I said that `Tom Winton writes with a pen dipped in his soul'. I wasn't wrong or overtly throwing compliments away; I meant it.

This his second book only serves to enhance that point in my opinion.

Tom Winton's writing is a delicious, complex, parcel of ordinary folks in extraordinary situations.

You are teased into smiling at the insights into his characters motivations, horrified by the lengths that others will go to relieve him of his freedom; and warmed by his ability to care enough about his fellow man to have expressed his remarkable insights so well.

Author Tom Winton has created such a marvelous character in Thomas Soles. A simple man an everyman, a man who wrote a book that motivated and activated an enormous response from the buying public.

A book that garnered him the Nobel Prize for literature.

A book that turned his life upside down and his heart inside out.

The character of Thomas Soles reminds me of another character I came to treasure...Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's wonderful `To Kill A Mockingbird".

Tom Winton writes in a way that invites you in to the warmth of his fire, then holds you a willing captive to the comfort you find there, along the way you experience the wrenching pain of watching the fire die.

I am moved by this book. I am in awe of the authors marvelous insights into our strengths, our weaknesses and our ability to survive.

I now have two books by this Author sitting proudly on my shelf. I have made space for all those that will follow.

About the Author

Said to be a man who writes with his pen dipped in his soul, bestselling author Tom Winton has been listed as one of Amazon's Top 100 "Most Popular Authors" in both Literary Fiction and Mystery,Thrillers & Suspense. 

Tom's novels have been likened to classics such as Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, and 1984. His titles are Beyond Nostalgia, The Last American Martyr, Four Days with Hemingway's Ghost, Within a Man's Heart, A Second Chance in Paradise, and a short story collection The Voice of Willie Morgan.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005GFM764
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tom Winton; 1st edition (August 7, 2011)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 7, 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 575 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 195 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 294 ratings

About the author

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Tom Winton

Tom Winton

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Tom Winton was born and raised in New York City. During his working career he did everything from working on a rowdy railroad gang in the Colorado Rockies to driving a taxicab in some of New York's most dangerous neighborhoods. He's also been a mailman, a salesman, an entrepreneur and more. The longtime Florida resident lives with his wife Blanche and their frisky pup Solace. Said to be a man who writes with his pen dipped in his soul, Tom has been listed as one of Amazon's top 100 "Most Popular Authors" in both Literary Fiction and in Mystery/Thrillers/Suspense.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
294 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

G. Polley
5.0 out of 5 stars A poignant, can't-put-it-down thriller that has everything I look for in a good read
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2011
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If you enjoy a well-told story that sucks you in, grabs you by the heart strings and has you holding your breath and gripping the armrests of the chair you're sitting on, The Last American Martyrs give you all of that and more as the protagonist flees across America trying to evade people who want to kill him. In one particularly hair-raising scene, he drives into a huge Texas tornado hoping to hide under an overpass that was so real I could almost hear the roaring of the storm.

How did he get himself into such a mess? Here, he tells you:

"Had I, an unemployed doorman, never written that book, my life wouldn't have taken such a harrowing turn. Had it not sold so well I wouldn't have needed to be on the lam like I have for so many months now. But I did write my book, and I'll pay for that until the last shovel of cold dirt is dumped over my grave. ... On the other side of the coin, the words I strung together did have at least one positive effect. They seem to have broadened the ... world's perception of selfishness and greed." And enraged those who felt threatened by it and set out to kill him.

The story begins with a hermit named Darius McClure which, it turns out, isn't his real name. His real name is Thomas Soles, Vietnam veteran and the author of the book in question. What was his crime? Telling his readers why their jobs have vanished and their dreams dashed, and who is responsible.

When Tom and his wife return to New York City from Oslo, Norway where he's received a Nobel Prize in Literature, then find a grisly mess in their apartment. It gets worse from there as they set out across country trying to evade the posse, and Tom ends up as a hermit named Darius McClure living in a trailer home outside of tiny White Pine, Maine. Or does he? The answer to that question still has me smiling.

Tom Winton is one of the finest new writers of popular fiction on the market. His debut novel, Beyond Nostalgia, is one of my favorite novels. In my opinion, he's one of the best.
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Sean P. Endress
4.0 out of 5 stars A Powerful Page-Turner
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2012
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Winton's "The Last American Martyr" takes on a powerfully difficult task from the get-go. A first person narrative, wrapped up in another first person narrative, can leave some audiences lost, especially when the first person voice is often notoriously tricky to write in. Indeed, when switching from one perspective to another, formatting problems within the ebook initially left me confused, but I quickly grew accustomed, especially since there wasn't much switching around.

The story itself is an enticing one - being chased around never gets old, and Winton creates a very human, relatable character. This is even more important here than in other works, because the main character spends a large portion of the novel in relative isolation - most other characters don't stick around for very long. This is unfortunate because some of them seemed highly interesting, and I would have loved to get to know them better.

Plotwise, there was only one major twist, which, while relatively predictable, created a satisfying ending that gave the story both a natural and rewarding conclusion - though I won't go into details, for spoilers' sake! The plot moved quickly as the protagonist moved from place to place, though it faced the occasional break when Winton stopped to insert a few paragraphs of socioeconomic discussion - while these pieces of dialogue are highly relevant to the novel, they seem out of place and forced, as if Winton interrupted his work to place a PSA. These, however, are few and far between, so they create only minor interruptions in an otherwise breathtaking piece.

And certainly, it is breathtaking - Winton can be wordy at times, but often to the reader's benefit - his description of the American landscape recalls the origins of the American Dream, but when he turns his hand to its darker side, well, he wrote one of the most intense storm scenes I have ever had the privilege to read.

All told, this thriller suffers from a few hiccups, but is definitely worth a read. I would definitely check out the description first, however - the story is highly political, and if its views aren't your cup of tea, you'll have a hard time enjoying the book.
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Top reviews from other countries

G. McCullough
5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, enthralling, enlightening
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2011
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When I first read Beyond Nostalgia, I knew I'd found not only a great book but an excellent, outstanding writer who deserved to be up there at the top. The success of Beyond Nostalgia confirmed my belief - Tom Winton's book rocketed up the rankings on Amazon.com Kindle sales, and stayed there. So when I heard that his second book, The Last American Martyr, was out, I rushed to buy it. Sometimes a second book disappoints by not being quite up to the high standard of the first. But with Tom Winton, the opposite is true. I've been gripped, excited, and enlightened by this book. Tom Soles' views on the greedy American (and world-wide) economy, which fictionally stirred millions to respond, are so exactly true that one wonders if this book will have a similar effect to its fictional counterpart - and wouldn't that be great?
I'm particularly interested in this subject because my husband Raymond McCullough has just published a non-fiction book on some of the same ideas, The Whore and her Mother (also on Amazon.)
Tom Winton's book provides us with striking characters, page-turning action, and a twisting turning plot, just as we might expect from this author; but he also goes deep into the reality of our current world, and for this he is especially to be praised.
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David
4.0 out of 5 stars A well written read… an a strong recommend
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2014
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I think this is a wonderful book, and my biggest problem writing this review is not to give away too much of the plot.

A postman helps save the life of an older man, a recluse, living deep in the forests of New England. But all is not as it seems and as the postman recognizes who he has saved he is allowed to read a memoire written by this hermit.

Once a Nobel Prize winner for a book that has shaken not only the USA but most of the Western world the rescued man is now on the run.

Any more would give the plot away, and I would not take from any reader this might encourage the intense pleasure I got from reading this.

Winton writes in a style that I can only describe as North American Vernacular. That is simple, straight forward, English with speech patterns accurately reflected. It goes well with the story that weaves across North America as the chief protagonist strives to escape.

What is he trying to escape? Well, that is both the surprise and the reason.

At the moment, there are other books, not novels but genuine and interesting attempts to explain intellectually what is happening to our world, and the likely consequences.

This book does the same in an absorbing and timely fashion.

You have to read this book to understand, and I urge you to do so.

A strong recommend from me.
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tom elder
5.0 out of 5 stars WOW
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2014
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Tom Winton. WOW.
The Last American Martyr.
This story will have you riveted to your seat, Tom Soles was unemployed when he wrote Enough is Enough and this book took the world by storm. He went on to win the Nobel Prize, but this was just the start of a journey that will have you screaming at your kindle. Tom goes on the run or lam as it's called in the USA. Follow his desperate flee for peace for himself and his wife. Tom Winton is fast becoming an author whom you must read, I certainly am looking forward to another book. Highly recommended book.
5 stars. 29 May 2014.
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Leslie Gardner
4.0 out of 5 stars impressive and gripping people and story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 6, 2014
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the only reason i give this less than al 5 stars is that in order to properly appreciate this, i have to bracket the possibility that a Nobel prize winner with one book in his bibliography would be deemed to have enough influence to scare people to the levels that the entire story rests on - but, once i bracket that issue - i'm on board. because the only reason it sometimes feels long is because i don't believe in the high stakes. the central voice and character is appealing (I only skimmed through the extracts from his books - pretty anodyne stuff after all), and his relationship to women and his dog, and his belief in a certain kind of friendship and trust is utterly captivating - and i surely wanted to know if he succeeds in surviving, i.e. going on the run. there is a shape to the overall novel too - his plight becomes endemic to him whereas to start with, it seemed unbelievable to him that this all would be happening - really impressive, and i hope more people get onto Winton's work.
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Paul T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read and well worth reading!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2013
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Tom Winton's smooth style of writing drew me into this story right from the start. The main character, Thomas Soles, is on the run, under threat of his life because he's upset too many of the rich and powerful by writing uncomfortable truths. In his 2 year odyssey across America, he goes through tragedy and heartbreak, and meets the best and worst of humanity. And although the book touches on some serious issues concerning the nature of society, it's the human interactions that make this a deep and moving story.
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