Amazon The Advent of Lena UK Edition Category:  Romance Publisher: Neil M Campbell ISBN-10:  1451509251 Type: Fiction Pages: 320 ISBN-13: 9781451509250 Beast pursues the shining soul of Beauty in searing contemporary romance. Beauty: Chloe Lambert is used to men looking at her twice, but for all the wrong reasons - they cannot believe how ugly she is. Her first encounter with Park Delafield leaves her with no grounds to suspect he is any different; his first words in her presence constitute a slur on her appearance. Beast: For Park, spiritual bankrupt with the perfect looks, only beautiful women count until he insults Chloe, a stranger and the most ill favoured female he has ever seen. At once, he is struck down by one of her companions. On his knees, Park perceives in an epiphany that solely with the help of the woman he has outraged can he find deliverance from the bonds of nihilism and self-regard. The chase: He sets out to involve Chloe in his spiritual rebirth but she, bewildered by his attentions and repelled by his egotism, wants no part in his quest; until his persistence and her own curiosity about his motives ease her distrust of his sincerity. The reckoning: Warily, all to conscious of the risks incurred in getting involved with a man whose vulnerability and isolation echo her own - and whose looks and nature make him so liable to stray - she allows him into her life. Thereby initiating trajectories of self-discovery, betrayal, and commitment along which both hazard toward nemesis ...... or redemption.

... unforgettable ...
What an utterly brilliant novel- an unique take on the Beauty and the Beast fable. In the hands of the immensely talented Neil Campbell,the story and the characters resonate with readers in a very personal and intense manner. "Park perceives in an epiphany, that solely with the help of the woman he has offended can he find deliverance from the bonds of nihilism and self-regard" Complex..yes..absorbing...totally..rewarding- YES!!!
Park is a man self-absorbed who undergoes a psychic change as the result of an emotional incident..Chloe is the vital subject of that incident. To be more specific robs the prospective reader of the enormous impact each stage of this novel delivers. Needless to say, Mr Campbell has created a novel so unforgetable, so full of finely drawn characters and sparkling dialogue, that THE ADVENT OF LENA must earn a place on all lovers of truly great writing and stories must read list! *****

Rick Friedman


In search of Beauty
If we are to believe that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", then The Advent of Lena is not a tale about Beauty and the Beast, but the tale about beauty and one man's attempt at realizing it, within himself and in others.

The Advent of Lena is a wonderfully written novel, with charm, character and wit. It's not just a Disney fairy tale - it is an honest take on a man searching for redemption, after an epiphany that the only path to his salvation goes through a woman he finds most repulsive.

As a character, Park is a difficult one to like, let alone love. At the beginning of a novel, he is a cocky, self-centered man who treats the women in his life quite badly - something which he continues doing throughout the majority of the novel. It was nearly impossible to have any respect for him, not because he made bad choices but because of his continuing to make such choices even at the stake of losing a woman who is most assuredly too good for him.

Which brings us to Chloe who is a wonderfully believable character - although at times, almost so sweet she gives you cavities. But the best thing about her character is that regardless of how she may be perceived by the world, this is a character who is content with herself. The beauty of it is that the calm and contentment that resides in Chloe's character is in direct contrast to the turbulence in Park's soul. She is good for him, and you can see how (instead of it being a fantasy about how this "player" fell instantaneously in love with a women he found ugly) she wins Park over by providing him with some of that calm, and enables him to realize that he can be a better person.

As aforementioned, coming to tolerate Park was a difficult journey - but somewhere on that journey, I came to a dizzying realization myself. Here I was, judging Park for all his misgivings, yet I was no different than him for being so judgmental of him in the first place! I think the book is really about finding the beauty within yourself to be able to see people for what they are - fragile, uncertain, unknowing and ever-evolving souls. For loving them, despite their handicaps, be they moral or physical. And "The Advent of Lena" really touched my heart with that point. I also loved that the ending was so subtle. The author has done an excellent job at not trying to push you or steer you in a certain direction about any characters, and that his writing allows for you to create your own perspective, and levels of connection, with each character. The Advent of Lena is a character-study, a book about love, a book about life...but above all, a book about the character of man! *****

Hira Hasnain