Reviews for Chapter 32 (101-200)

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101 review is by Priyab468 on 5/11/20 - (Trinidad and Tobago)

Set in the backdrop of the 70’s, The Embryo Man tells the secret love story of Charles and Harmony.
Mr. Pendelton is our adult version of Lemony Snicket, as he warns us from the beginning about the unfortunate events in this tragic tale.
But even his dire warnings could not stop me from devouring this book.
In terms of the writing, there were a few grammatical issues, but they were few and far between. What I liked about Charlie, is that though he is young, there is such maturity to him. Charlie teaches us so much, and I respect him greatly for this. The theme, though controversial, held strong throughout.
But at the end of it all, to me, what determines a good book, are three simple questions.
Did I enjoy it? Yes.
Would I read it again? Yes.
Would I recommend it to someone? Hell yes.
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102 review is by Vanishree on 5/13/20 - (Uttar Pradesh, India)

I was told that this book was unlike any other.
I was naturally a little uncertain because there wasn’t much that could surprise me, having read so many works from the genre. However, it did surprise me because it was very unlike what I had previously read. The book was more than just reading something, it was something you felt and experienced.
The way Harmony is written made me think about the love I have and the pain hit me with the thought of being without the one I love. The emotions were so raw that it made me feel, love, smile, cry, laugh and cherish the love I have.
It makes me feel almost stupid for being sceptical about the book. I know it might sound repetitive but its the truth; the book made me cherish the one I love because just the thought of experiencing that pain makes me want to do everything in my limits and beyond to not let that happen. I must say that their story is a story worth knowing.
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103 review is by Priyaarg on 5/14/20 - (Sri Lanka)

Charles Pendelton’s “The Embryo Man” is not your average kind of love story.
It is intricate, unconventional and emotional to the core. It’s a bittersweet story of a young boy falling in love with a teenage girl. As I started reading the novel’s “Gratissimum”, I was worried that it would be too controversial for my liking, since the author warns that it could be. However, as every reader, I was swallowed up by the roller coaster that is “The Embryo Man”. The entire story flows with a poetic structure of writing, which is heart-warming, unique and romantic. In this era of unstable relationships and separations, this story stands proud and tall in depicting the purest form of love that we could only ever read about.
The story has little treats of poetic lines for whimsical readers such as myself.
It almost provides a Shakespearean touch to it. “Like pages to an archaic novel no one will ever read for, the wind has blown them away; I rush onward” (pg. 107).
The author does not hide the fact that the protagonist of this story is young; it rather is the crucial element of the novel. He reveals the fact in almost every chapter of his story.
“I came to the conclusion that women were emotional creatures, and a man had to be able to think on their level. Of course, that is impossible for any man, let alone a child struggling to understand the fundamentals of life” (Chapter 4, p.g.112).
However, the boy is exceptional and mature for his age. “Any other kid might not have noticed, but I wasn’t your average kid” (Chapter 4, p.g.115), and this fact is the theme of this story. He is a man in a boy’s body. Society’s expectations aside, this is the reason he feels detached from everything and anything that is suitable for his age. He struggles to adjust with both aspects of his personality. At one point in the story, he says “I feel like an embryo man”. This sets him apart, alone.
Ultimately, this is the factor which will tip his world upside down: “to be a man before you can be a boy will ultimately destroy your soul” (pg. 318).
They say, where love goes first, the madness follows.
Of course, the dreams and certain scenes in the “mushroom experience” is far-fetching, however, we are dragged right into the middle of it. What’s special about this story is that, in most clichéd novels, either the older person leaves/ cheats the younger one; or one grows mature and wants to explore the world, however, all these nonsense are not included in this story.
This is a story of true love between two pure souls, regardless of age, ethnicity or religion.
After finishing this novel, I felt a sense of loss, so deep that I was staring at space for a long time. I felt every emotion that Charles did: the happiness; the anger; the fear; and finally the heart-wrenching anguish, when he says “The most ironic part of it all is that once I was terrified of death. . .Now I'm terrified of life” (pg. 319).
To have experienced love this deep, only to lose it, and to have nobody else who could understand the level/ kind of emotion that was shared between two people, is the saddest part.
Very rarely do I share personal messages sent to me, but this one in particular holds a very special place in my heart. . .
You've destroyed me :( :( :(. That was soooo unique!!! I couldn't stop crying.
To have experienced love like that, and to have lost it, I can't imagine the pain that your character (or you?) would be going through. As a novelist, you've done a great job! Because as a reader, (a romance lover, if I could say so myself), you've completely turned my past few days upside down. And that, my friend, is what makes a novel a successful one. I will send you my review in a while.
I need rest, from all that crying. and chocolates, from all that sadness. Rest assured, you've done a great job! with that book of yours.
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104 review is by Perbat on 5/17/20 - (Pakistan)

Review of ‘The Embryo Man’ by Chas Pen
‘Take what I've given you, my darling, and give it in time to someone new. Make her your world. The world I can no longer give you.’ -Harmony
This is the summary of the whole novel, as controversial as it may seem. These words hit you in the deepest core.
The storyline is intriguing, though it may contradict with the era it’s portrayed in. The author’s feelings have been taken from the depths of his heart and portrayed on the canvas of these sheets. The writing style is commendable and the vividness of the dreams relate to the story. Overwhelming emotions rendered, grasping the reader’s emotional thought.
The character arcs of Charles reflect immense emotional evolving.
Harmony’s character shifted from cynicism to embracing the new relation to her ill fate or destiny as many may call it. The author’s pain and expressions are poignant. I may not have been comfortable with how the story began, but the choice of words, metaphors may have struck a chord.
I would rate it a 4 star!
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105 review is by Sereni_tea on 5/26/20 - (Guwahati, India)

It's tough to review a story without a hint of spoiler but I would try my best.
As the story begins to unwind itself with the words of the writer, as a reader you might feel a dilemma. But eventually you would get in the shoes of the writer. The epigraph and gratissimum pave a way for the reader to the storyline without revealing much but comforting the readers before jumping into one of the "not so typical" love story one has ever read.
The love story could be termed as a controversial one though, but as you walk with the writer through the story, you would be able to feel the love and respect with which the whole story has been narrated. Every feeling that the protagonist of the story might have felt through the entire storyline has been expressed by the writer beautifully and aptly with his arrangements of words. Anyone who has felt a love larger than his life can understand the position of the protagonist in the most judicable situations too.
Some of the dream sequences which have been mentioned in the story are too descriptive at times but again, it would be worth mentioning that those dreams make us, as readers, be more aware of the stand of the protagonist towards his beloved.
Regarding the sexual and erotic moments, those have been explained by the writer in a very tasteful way, not in anyway filthy or disrespectful. I would probably mark those moments as the "conjunction of lust and love".
It could be felt that the writer has opened up his heart towards his audience being vulnerable with the risk of being judged. As a reader you would feel for the writer despite of the fact that his story could be termed as one of the most controversial love story.
One should definitely give this book a read to experience the atypical love story delivering a perfect feel of love, respect and belongingness which dodged the accepted ideas of time, age and social norms.
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106 review is by Antimortem on 5/26/20 - (Mumbai, India)

Few books make one set it down, only to grip their thoughts together.
The Embryo Man is brilliantly written with a great literary sense and a greater knowledge of human complexity. It takes only the first chapter to drown you in the protagonist’s life and become him, and it takes effort to break the surface again once the book ends.
While the prospect of a relationship between a nineteen-year old and a minor is uneasy (and illegal), is also subject to a nuanced sense of human perception. This book gets one thing right: it displays the varieties of the subtleties of mind, and provides a life-like depth to the characters.
They are not to be judged for they do not try to appeal to the reader’s sense of righteousness. The characters are to be observed and unraveled with all their flaws, and the book is to be experienced.
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107 review is by Solange on 5/26/20 - (Cameroon)

Reading the Epigraph and Gratissimum of this novel I could not help but want to dive more in to find out what was in store for the young author and the mystery girl that moved in next door. Yes I know it might seem like “the Girl next Door” is a little bit cliché, but it was refreshing to see as I dived more into the book that this was far from being your classic and cliché type of novel where boy meets girl, they fall in love and end up happily ever after. The novel goes more into a controversial type of ending with the author mostly recounting what he experiences with his lover in his dreams.
It is clear to see from the author’s words that he is coming from a place of honesty and little bit of “sadness” where he is still in the darkness of how the story between himself and his mystery girl “Harmony” ended. Also, the novel goes into a lot of in-depth about their relationship (more than sexual but spiritual connection) and I like the fact that this was not meant to be a published novel but just journals the author collected for himself, makes it all the more authentic and unique. The novel takes you on a journey (emotional rollercoaster) rather than to a quick and fast destination something I both like and dislike at the same time. If you have a taste of the “out of the ordinary”, this book is for you.
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108 review is by Nehask99 on 5/28/20 - (Pakistan)

The Embryo Man is not your typical love story. It explores a forbidden land, land beyond mainstream concepts and ideas. It takes great courage to put forth an account of ones life which does not conform with our traditionalism but this is the beauty of literature; it is endless.
Charles Pendleton exposes his vulnerability is intricately woven sentences that enable the reader to feel like a part of the entire setting.
To be very honest, I was very disturbed in the beginning but as the story proceeded, there was more and more to look forward to. The turn of events are enough to keep the reader hooked because there is always something interesting churning up.
To think that someone turned a controversial topic into a piece of art in itself is laudable.
The abundance of emotions carefully curated by the author enable the reader to relate and to some extent, explore.
An overall good read that will leave your head reeling.
Harmony is lucky because through the author, she still lives among everyone who dares to venture through this literary piece.
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109 review is by Jawaria on 5/28/20 - (Pakistan)

The Embryo man without any doubt reflects the intelligentsia of the writer who has outdone himself in innovating a narrative that could easily have been a simple love story.
The epic tale of two lovers separated by the constraints of years could have been a book read once an tossed away but the embryo man touches on the issue of a boy’s infatuation turning into an obsession with giving us a new perspective that love at a young age can be true contrary to commonly held belief. Harmony was aged, way more old than young Charles who was only six however the narrative breaks the stereotype that when it comes to true love age is a mere number.
The writer Charles Pendleton is one of the very few writers who gave direction to his readers allowing them to see what he saw in this story. It almost reminded me of when Henry Fielding wrote a preface to his famous Joseph Andrews. While reading this novel many questions arose in my head like where is he going with the story, why are some parts strangely bold? But every time these questions came to me I was reminded of the author’s notes that this story was not written to be read by the world. The gratissimum truly describes the obsession that the writer had for it describes Harmony as a heavenly being.
The story gets disturbing when it comes to the sexual parts because believe it or not unconventional does not mean writing about something illegal in a sugarcoated manner and then labelling it as a novelty in literature. To readers it still would remain difficult to digest because they are the same group of society.
It somehow shows psychological problems on part of both Harmony and Charles. Even though Harmony was old she acted out on her strong feelings for Charles exhibiting that love has no boundaries but at the same time the fact cannot be denied that what she did scarred Charles.
The childhood trauma has been reflected in Charles’s behavior when he goes through and rewrites his journals. His obsession appears scary but at the same time very thrilling. What Harmony did shows her in a negative light for she had to be more responsible if I am to talk from the perspective of the society.
But if I am to see things as a human I only see two humans so in love with each other that they are willing to risk everything.
Pendleton has fulfilled his promise of an unconventional tour of the 70s and his description of scenes and characters also reflect that he is at epitome of his observational diction however one might wonder why could it not be two adults or two children in love? That would have brought in more readership for the conventional is cherished by the society. I cannot help but think why would a writer with such fantastic approach towards literature wishes not to write any further than this story. For if he wishes he can pocket the attention of many avid readers.
Lastly I would like to say that this is a very brave writer who has truly bared his soul for the world to see.
Most basic emotions of a human maybe repressed by the superego but it cannot be denied. Society may frown upon it but deep down we all know that love cannot be contained so a big thanks to Charles Pendleton for showing us the hard truth.
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110 review is by Rushda_sheikh1 on 6/9/20 - (Karachi, Pakistan)

The plot is not limited to home drawing rooms only. I enjoyed every scene of it. The places and scenarios.
Harmony's character delineation and the way author portrayed her physical existence stunned me.
I was lost in this epic.
Romance was balanced and tragedy upright. I love romantic novels but this story was more than romance. It was life I think.
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111 review is by Toobaghouri on 6/11/20 - (Pakistan)

As a bookworm, I’ve read a lot of books from fiction to non-fiction but this book has its own uniqueness since I haven’t read this kind of book. I was so shocked at first knowing that I would be reading a story about a young boy will fall in love with grown woman. This book is a challenge for me as it narrates a love story between a kid and a grown woman, which brings me a whole new perspective that love also can happen even in such young age.
As we all should know, reading and enjoying a book is largely about interpretation.
People are not the same and we all view things differently; one individual might see a relationship in a book as "passionate" while another could see it as "damaging". When characters make bad decisions, some will view it as stupidity and others will view it as an accurate representation of humanity's imperfections.
Not only that, but time often changes the way one person sees things.
A child does not usually have the same outlook on life and relationships that someone of twenty does and neither of them have the same outlook as someone of fifty does. Charles has written a brilliant and disturbing novel. I found it surprisingly easy to read and became absorbed quickly.
On a technical level, this deserves 4 stars
the language, the wit, the world play! I don't think I've ever read anything like this before.
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112 review is by Anushaa_ on 6/12/20 - (Pakistan)

I have honestly run short of words to describe how beautiful this journey was.
What a raw, marvelous, and candid depiction of what love really is. What a rollercoaster ride full of emotions this book takes you to - you’d be bawling your eyes out in one moment, and feeling all giddy in the other. The plot is decent and unembellished, making it even more relatable and engaging because the truth is harsh, and sometimes contains so much romance than any made-up story could ever.
The epigraph had immediately caught my attention and I couldn’t help myself but literally stay up all night just to finish this book. Sure, it’s unorthodox, but that is exactly what makes this story unique and beautiful in its own way.
The way this writer expresses his thoughts during the intimate scenes, I was honestly overwhelmed while reading them myself. The way Harmony changed his life - I’ve always longed for a partner like that, and I loved to imagine one while reading this story.
The Embryo Man is an embodiment of perfect literature, something that I wouldn’t mind reading over and over again.
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113 review is by Candygirl384 on 6/16/20 - (India)

As an Indian, I would firstly love to appreciate the way Charles describes the Indian culture in his novel ‘The Embryo Man’ .
The description of certain food items or attire whilst using the Indian vocabulary was really impressive to me. I could literally feel every emotion he had gone through, be it blissful romantic or traumatic despair, while I read. The way he structured instances and events with his beloved made me anticipate for more of what’s to come for the couple but sadly, sometimes not all stories have an happy ending.
The novel did a really good job in depicting how true love need not be the stereotyped ones.
As a man, to stand by his feelings and emotions against all odds since the day he saw her is most powerful form of love to be honest. The journey of how their love blossomed did give me hopes on a better end. Also reciprocation of his love seemed to have played out very well. Reading this book definitely changed my perspectives on how love and relationships change and how if we really want it we do all that we can to keep it safe. Forbidding feelings really doesn’t lead us a better place but expressing them while we still have the chance does.
I highly recommend Charles’ novel to allow yourself to expand your view on live, love and cultural bounds we all secretly try to suppress. The struggles/bliss the couple faces is only felt for them to cherish to which I’ve completely felt while I read.
“The Embryo Man” deserves recognition for the masterpiece it is.
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114 review is by Manalfazil on 6/16/20 - (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

The Embryo Man is an unusual novel which clearly states that love hasn't known any boundaries. It is not an ordinary love story which you can read any day sitting on your lazy couch as it takes you out of your comfort zone and leaves you uneasy to breath at various occasions.
Charles Pendelton have kept his word that this isn’t a story we have read so far.
His daring attempt to bring out a controversial escapade of his life with such subtlety deserves huge round of applause. The author takes us to the 70's with every detailing which makes this novel a perfect time traveller. This is the real life story of Charlie and Harmony, a girl of Indian descent, who both struggled with the odds of their love.
This is a strong concoction of raw emotions which blends in innocence, jealousy, romance, love and I can’t think of better words to explain it.
Let’s just say that it’s exotic as a strong Turkish coffee.
Unfortunately Charlie and Harmony doesn't have a happily ever after like fairy tales, which makes us join with Charlie in his sorrow. In this novel the author have made a successful attempt in bringing in a new element "Gratissimum" instead of usual prologues and prefaces. The only drawback that I found was it is a little bit too lengthy that sometimes one might lose tracks while reading. A little more grip to it would've solved this issue.
But I am not here to judge because as he mentioned in the very beginning this was written for the author first before it was for the audience. And I must say Harmony was given justice for her short life, a girl who deserved to live her life to fullest and to be loved to eternity.
At the end the author leaves us thinking about how cruel life can get.
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115 review is by Najifa_ahona on 6/16/20 - (Bangladesh)

To be honest, I am not a LOVE STORY type of person.
Every love story seems to be the same to me. Before I started reading this book, I was almost sure, this was no different. But after I read the Gratissimum , I was intrigued to give this book a read.
Every successful story has one thing in common, INCREDIBLE STORY TELLING. And I think CHARLES PENDELTON has done a spectacular job in it. The author's use of words with delicacy and impactful expression of human emotions is really praiseworthy.
This book is a flash back of the writer's own life that had a remarkable impact on his life. A 6 year old young boy who fell in love with a mature teen age girl named Harmony. Charles's desperate attempt to show how much he loved Harmony was simply pure ,heart touching and adorable. At such a young age, he wrote a journal called " THE HARMONY'S JOURNAL " where he noted his observations of life in the 1970's.
As his parents were having an unhappy marriage ,his mental state was very vulnerable. The very thought of harmony kept him occupied in hard times like that.
How a young child builds up a beautiful relationship with a mature teen age girl, who had a bad experience before , and slowly taking up space in her heart is very adorable. Through some unexpected events, Charles's fear of losing Harmony was so strong that it haunted him in his dreams . The unfortunate event where Harmony dies and Charles's remorseful regret brought tears in my eyes. What added to the tragedy is his incapability to bade a proper good bye to his beloved angel.
Despite slight mistakes in spelling; where the author referred to God as he rather than He and a little monotony in some part of the novel, this book is a good read for quarantine times. The author's attempt to rediscover his long gone past to show his gratitude and respect to his childhood sweetheart in order to keep her memories as fresh as it can get, is truly amazing.
This book inspires you to think beyond the norms and indulge in the purest form of human emotions. It takes you out of the black and white world and introduces you to the realm of grey, where unpredictable beauty meets indubitable feelings.
I don't want to spoil this incredible book for you, so I will draw the line of my review right here.
Overall,as a non-romantic reader, I really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend you guys to give this book a try, I guarantee, you won't regret whatsoever.
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116 review is by Shankeetha on 6/16/20 - (Gainsborough, UK)

This is a very unique love story based on real life events.
It draws you in from the beginning and is a very intriguing read. It makes you questions things and challenges your way of thinking as it is based on a young boy and a lady who is older than him.
It is written well, easy to read and the emotions are felt through the words. It is not your typical love story and if you are willing to read this with open mind, you will definitely love it as it is based on real life events and takes you out of your comfort zone for sure.
Worth the read!
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117 review is by Sifat01nawshin on 7/10/20 - (Bangladesh)

If you believe LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES The Embryo Man is the book for you
In ‘The Embryo Man’ writer and narrator Charles Pendelton has captured an event of his past when he met a beautiful woman at a very young age and fell in love. It’s avant-garde, it’s controversial and it’s tragic.
The story is well paced and pleasantly simplistic. It speaks to the inner writer in all of us and inspires us to preserve our memories in personal journals and look back at them one day as our narrator has done and has taken us along with him. The book only has a handful of characters and no other mentionable side story. This keeps the entire focus on the main plot and considering the unique nature of it, just another side story might be unfitting. We know from the very beginning what becomes of the characters and reminded of that throughout the book.
This is a perfect narrative device for a story such as this. A writer may consider shocking the reader with a tragic ending but it runs the risk of coming off as a deux ex machina, as if the writer wanted to anyhow manage a dramatic ending to a story that was for the most part simplistic. The main event took place in the glorious era of the 70s. The book reminisced just enough about the technology-free simpler times. We get a little hint of the political situation and the rebellious nature of 70s progressive youth reflected through the young adult heroine of the story, Harmony. One of the things that sticked with me after closing the book is Harmony’s monologue where she expressed her strong disappointment towards grown men and their lack of understanding of woman and love and how true it is for many men even in today's generation contrary to what I feel the character Harmony would expect from the much progressed society in 2020.
The novel chose to tell an intimate love story between two people who are not accepted as lovers in modern society. It doesn’t just question the society’s moral standards, it fully disagrees with them. If readers are looking for relatable characters, this book may not provide that for many. Young Charles is a boy trying to fit in a men’s shoe but in this story that’s not always pleasing. Then there’s Harmony. Her independent spirit is inspiring and how she wants to be treated respectfully by her male counterparts is agreeable but the choices she made are not going to be satisfying to many readers.
This is a story about love, yes. But whether it will strike as romantic or concerning, depends very much on the reader.
However there’s a difference between controversial and problematic. The reason the book is not the later one is because the characters speak their own truth without imposing their beliefs on others. It’s a story about two characters happen to be such people who don’t share the same moral ground as the society. And should a piece of art confine itself only to what is universally accepted ? I think not.
In the era of cancel culture this book stands out as a bold approach in literature. If you are dismayed by unconventional love, this is not the story for you. To the rest I’d say, in order to find bold and challenging stories we need to be able to see through someone else’s vision regardless of the vision not being in accordance with our beliefs.
The Embryo Man IS such story and it holds its own place in the vast sea of literature.
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118 review is by Shaluofficial on 7/11/20 - (India)

Great book!
My fiancé said this was the best gift I've ever given him. This book has the best love story I ever read on ebook. Role of Harmony made me realize my first love with my girl friend.
Author has explained the story in such a great way that it will keep every reader engaged. I would love to read more love stories of this couple and recommending each reader to read it.
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119 review is by Amnnahh on 8/2/20 - (Pakistan)

As the name suggests the story is about an unhatched man at an early age. He met an Indian girl and couldn’t resist falling in love with her every day he meets her. The gratissimum (the reason behind writing the story and a short intro about the story) is written so beautifully that it encourages the reader to go with it. Every day he was falling in love with Harmony and he has beautifully noted and written what he observed about that Indian girl, how he sometimes acted foolishly before her, and regret it later. This was a beautiful piece of art written, wrapped with amazing words that continuously grasp your attention.
The story might make you sometimes uncomfortable and makes you think that how such a thing could happen but as the writer had claimed in the very start that if the reader couldn’t imagine something in this story that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t happened.
A story about love, romantic comedy, attention, happy moments, and life experiences. The writer has truly depicted how the first sight love could be beautifully portrayed in words. Charles has beautifully given those random notes and journals the shape of the book ‘The Embryo Man’. Charles was truly in love with Harmony, with her beauty, with her fashion sense, with the way she walks and talks, and with the way she was treating her. Every little detail about Harmony and the beautiful time they spent together was adorable. When it was Harmony’s birthday and he asked his cousins to recommend him something to make his woman happy was another beautiful love gesture of a young boy.
Harmony was kind, generous and the most importantly beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life. He wanted to have her love as he was enjoying her company. The writer has beautifully written that how he used to behave insanely whenever she is with her that once she asked him that how he finds her and his answer was that she is like an elder sister to him. She explained to her that men should be more understanding towards their women in their cycle and described the problem that men get abusive in a relationship when they get too familiar with women. Harmony was mature and was fighting with her health which she did not reveal in front of Charles.
The writer has also mentioned some unusual and strange dreams which he kept on dreaming throughout the whole story. One day he saw Harmony with another man and saw that they both were laughing at him. Whenever Chares tried to talk to her about the relationship she was always in a bad mood and one day she kissed her and told him that now he can tell all his little friends about the kiss. The reason behind her annoying behaviour was a bad experience of her ex-relationship and that is the reason she was mature than her age.
One day they both expressed their feelings for each other and Charles promised Harmony that he will not tell anyone about this. The writer beautifully mentions how the bond between the two becomes stronger day by day. We have heard many love stories in many books but this book is beyond the expected ending and it tells us that not all endings are happy endings.
All love stories claim that it is special and different that someone would ever read and I must say that this a story beyond imagination.
The writer than talked about the Dark Monday when he has to leave for Ontario as it was the wish of his parents and he couldn’t resist. On his return, he found a letter from Harmony which revealed the saddest part of the story that Harmony was suffering from cancer for a year and she is waiting in heaven for him.
The most beautiful part of this book was a young, not wholly grown-up child who treats a grown-up woman so nicely and all he wanted was to have her love. It is an unconventional story where the writer got the courage to write something for the readers that love could be beautiful and could end like a bad dream in just one glance.
The writer has the ability to choose right and captivating words to grab the attention of the reader. I would highly recommend it and would suggest you all read it as in this period of quarantine it is a perfect delight.
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120 review is by Asqaawriter on 9/26/20 - (Pakistan)

The Embryo Man by Charles Pendelton portraits the boyhood of every man who once has a strong feeling in his life for someone. Usually, a man in his boyhood had not the perception of love that Charles do when he was just six. Not only this, but most of us even lacked the courage and words to express what’s going inside us when we fell in love with someone. Even though most of us experienced love in our early years of life, solid feelings and hearty expressions of Charles as a boy are exceptional.
The collection of words to describe the beauty of his love, Harmony, is so outstanding that you can hold yourself to read this book again and again. I do appreciate the writer for filling the words with his emotions and passions so well. The choice of words and the writer’s emotions in the heart of those is so heartwarming that you started feeling a strong connection with the key characters of this love story, Charles and Harmony.
The best part of this book is when Charles raised a desire of kissing his love. You can also feel the writer’s agitation of one-sided love at that point. After all these long nights of his dreams, his first kiss with Harmony shines like a new day on the planet of his relationship.
The strangest thing about this love story is that both of its key characters belong to two different cultures with a little bit of age gap. This unconventional love has many twists and phases that start with a kissing desire and sexual moments afterward. Before you start judging the writer and assume all this a lust, I must mention that Charles learned about love and women's emotions with Harmony.
This love story is so pure that it will make you memorize your love life with tears in your eyes. The plot is so much smooth and sleek that you can’t say that this book summons the fifty precious years of Charles with and without Harmony. In the end, I would say love never remains gracious that’s why the writer has to mention that he is terrified of life.
319 pages of this book will literally make you feel the actual pain in the words of book titles that are “When love, at first sight, becomes more than an obsession.”
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121 review is by Airassyeda on 10/30/20 - (Pakistan)

Charles Pendelton, in the book “The Embryo Man”, narrates his own love story. This book profoundly involves the readers by telling story of a young boy who falls in love with a matured teenage girl, Harmony. Charles, during 1970s, and for peculiarity of readers, at age of 6, had his first ever experience of several tender human emotions like love, infatuation, jealousy, erotic feelings etc. This love story is so out of norms of society as Charles himself mentions in the book, “It is a story of a young boy desperately struggling to win the affections of a very mature teenage girl he cannot stop thinking of”.
(Kindle edition Location 92 of 4106).
The uniqueness of this book is deliberated substantially through the age factors of the lovers, the experience of tender emotions in such young age and of course, the ending, which sadly, is not “happily ever after”.
The author begins the book with the motive behind writing this story, which is to portray the feelings of love arising in the heart of young innocent boy for a mature teenage girl. Especially the years spend with his girlfriend Harmony, which taught him so many learnings, lessons, feelings and living the way of life. He noted all these things in “The Harmony Journal” and then compiled and formed in a book as a symbol of gratitude towards his girlfriend. The subtle narrative and vivid depiction of emotions make this love story exceptionally touching and heartwarming. The beautiful inflection of storyline draws the sketch of underlying reason of Charles’ attraction towards Harmony.
Charles’ parents had troubled marriage and in the midst of his family circumstances, the care, affection, generosity and open-hearted friendship of attracts him and he anticipates spending as much time with Harmony. His devotion and yearning for affection and get her attention in every possible way can be felt through careful selection of words.
As the story unfolds, readers interest is enhanced with the growing likeness of Harmony for young boy and his pure efforts. At first, the scars of past keep her to fully accept and again step on to the roads of love again, but Charles efforts and passion make her give in and she also starts loving him. Excellent selection of words to describe erotic feelings between the lovers, a young boy and a teenage girl, works as icing on the cake. Author also writes few incidents and efforts for his girlfriend which seems like dragging the story, but he has efficiently kept the readers connected to the storyline.
The ending, however, is not as anticipated by us generally. Harmony gets sick and cruel reality of life hits the innocent, pure hearted boy. Death of his girlfriend leaves him devastated and alone. I think this book is a daring effort of Charles to write about his everlasting scars, endearing moments of a child’s mind and present them in front of the world in the form of such unique love story.
The compilation of book, indeed, had proofread errors. Like I found just a minor mistake on page 33, where in the very first paragraph, the third line where “he” should be “He” which I assumed that the author is referring to God. Normally, the climax comes in the middle of the story but in this case, death of Harmony was the climax and twist which reached by the end of this story. Besides that, the true depiction of his emotions and experience of an unusual love story leave the readers deeply touched as having a mature mind at such young age is really beyond reality.
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122 review is by Sam_sarfraz6 on 11/29/20 - (Pakistan)

The Embryo Man” is an extraordinary emotional love story writing by Charles Pendelton.
The story begins with a young boy falling in love with a teenage girl; however, the unique poetic and romantic writing style of the author captured my heart. The story represents the purest form of love, devotion, and sincerity to all the readers. The novel has spectacular poetry lines for the readers. I admire the fact that fundamental characters of the novel were exclusively highlighted and Charles talked about the controversial nature of the story in the beginning. The emotions and love story coming from a young boy might seem controversial to some readers, but they are purer. His parents were irrationally in love with each other before; however, their relationship was struggling because of busy working schedules and heated arguments every single day. Charles got attracted to Harmony because of her loving and honest nature. Spending time with Harmony was an escape from the fights of his parents.
He was always excited about spending time and learning more about her and leaving an electrifying influence on her. He narrates her marvelous beauty and wisdom along with the exceptional maturity of this young boy. The young boy struggling with the aspect of becoming a man, even before being a young boy brings a feeling of detachment that could have been suitable for his age otherwise. This story differs from others because of being purest in its nature without getting affected by the difference in age and religion.
The author has wisely selected appropriate words to connect with the emotions for the readers. His original writing style along with poetic and traditional sentences leaves a lasting impression.
The lewd experiences are not immoral, but have been long-drawn-out in certain places.
I started feeling at a loss after completing this novel. The story is a masterpiece in the history of romantic novels. The delicacy and simplicity of the characters make a profound relationship with the reader, making it harder for anyone to read it without getting emotional or dropping some tears.
After going through serious notes in life, Harmony’s death was the greatest loss for him. I was crying at the ending. Being one of the most magnificent novels that I have ever read in life, Charles is opening his heart in front of the audience without thinking about the judgment of other people. Charles love story delivers a perfect interpretation of love, devotion, care, and affection. I will highly recommend everyone to read and experience this brilliant love story.
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123 review is by Tanyagaur on 12/6/20 - (Pakistan)

My goodness...what a Unique, Unforgettable & Unputdownable book!!
A magical story that reveals the essence of pure love and affection between a charming young boy and a mature teenage girl. This book is so detailed that it tickles your vivid imagination and without even trying, the scenes from 70’s will play out in front of your eyes. This book is a tale of a young boy and his love that engulfed his entire being at a very tender age of 6. The relationship which is so beautifully portrayed in the novel might come out as controversial, but I really like how Charles tried to show the clear picture of the journey the reader is about to embark on through his own creation, Gratissimum, a “welcome mat” with cited passages from the novel itself.
The whole book is permeated with love and if you dive into this book with open heart, I tell you for sure that you are going to love every bit of “The Embryo Man”.
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124 review is by Promilahasija on 12/19/20 - (Pakistan)

The unforgettable and mesmerizing novel, the Embryo Man by Charles Pendleton, is achingly beautiful, lyrical and intensely heartbreaking. It’s a portrayal of emotional heady feelings of first love. It is not mere a love story, but it also teaches a huge lesson of life, that is ‘recovering to normal life after losing a loved one.’
This beautiful story, while possessing a very unique and emotional plot, describes a heart-touching love story between two souls, Charles and harmony who were neighbors. Unlike other typical love tales, it displays the bitter reality of life. Charles is a six year old American kid whereas harmony belongs to an Indian and Columbian lineage and was a living Indian goddess in the eyes of Charles. By every means, this story has the ability to possess your mind through its unique style of storyline, narration and verdict. Though the author has narrated the real story of his life and has also tried to escape from typical filmy feeling, he could not isolate them to the fullest. Even the erotic part of the book is so unbelievable as far as the ages of the characters are concerned.
The way Charles describes her beauty is so unreal for a boy of such a young age that compels us to doubt on the veracity of the narrative. However, that feeling is kept persistently down by the pacing narration. I would say that if you love reading the mere expressions and the thoughts that one may get when deeply in love with someone; the love that stays beyond life then one must surely read this book.
The storyline is both touching and at the same time confusing! After reading this, I was left pondering in my head, “Can this actually happen?” The novel has a great quality in it, that is, it leaves you confused and focuses to contemplate the story. It is for those who love to think and go beyond the actual “literal meanings”. I found the book a bit boring in the initial part, probably because I was somehow unable to follow the track of the novel, but narration pace covered it well.
This story is about love in its purest form! It depicts the divinity and serenity of love!
Believe it or not, this book literally changed my perspective of love.
The story teaches that love is all about wait, patience, endurance, sacrifice, eternity and much more rather that a hormonal rush in the bodies.
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125 review is by Monarjmn on 12/19/20 - (India)

“The Embryo Man” gives a different view to a love story.
Charles Pendelton expresses his love for Harmony in each and every page of the book. This book is truly written for the author himself. It is an unusual love story. The love story of a young boy and a grown woman isn’t something one can stumble upon easily. The plot is unique and we are warned about the absence of a happy ending. The story did start off well, but it did become slow in the middle. It felt draggy and I lost context a few times. This story isn’t for everyone, only a few can feel the emotions of the narrator while reading it.
The writing was amazing and it hooks a reader to read the story.
Since it is a real-life experience of the author himself, it made an impact on me. Personally, I wasn’t hooked to the book during the mid parts, but the writing really made me want to complete reading the book.
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126 review is by Khishar on 12/31/20 - (Pakistan)

The Embryo man is a very unconventional and controversial tragic love story of Charles and Harmony.
The story is narrated by 42 years old Charles who had written it from the fragmented pieces of his childhood journals. As the story is compilation of narrator’s disjointed entries of journal it is not written in a linear order. Flashbacks and fragmented pieces of his memories pop up in the story on various instances. Its narrating style is unique in a way that you get to read the story from the perspective of a young kid as well as an adult. The Narrator in this story is not only narrating the story but also jumps in as an adult commentator to explain his point of view about certain ideas and incidents. He also writes about his feelings that he is able to understand now as an adult but wasn’t able to comprehend as a child. The frequent appearance of narrator as commentator gives an insight to the characters and their feelings.
Writing style is very descriptive. Writer has used vivid imagery while describing the detail of characters, their personalities, surroundings and setting of the novel. The writing style becomes poetic at times as Charles describes his feelings for Harmony or when he shares the details of their intimacy. The major theme in this novel is love. The whole story revolves around Charles’s love for Harmony. As a seven- year-old kid Charles had no idea what love is or how one feels when in love but he could only comprehend his feelings in a way he saw people showing their affection to their loved ones.
“I had no idea what love was all about, but I knew it had something to do with the way two people kissed. First, I needed to get that special kiss from her, but how?”
For Charles lover is not only showing physical affection but a beautiful feeling and bond that you share with someone. For him love was intricately woven in subtle moments they share together or the ordinary things Harmony did for him.
“Harmony was always singing for me as she played her acoustic guitar, and that made me feel good, but what I really wanted was for her to sing to me. To feel that bond of togetherness. That heartfelt cloying of over-exaggerated needs. I think it’s called love”.
The story is very controversial as it discusses a kind of tabooed topic.
The love between a 16-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy. The characters not only transcend the ethnical, racial and societal boundaries but the age as well. It is really disturbing to read the kind of relationship Charles and Harmony shared. They broke all the norms of society and sometimes it seems disgusting and unbelievable that a mature girl is sexually involved with a young boy of only nine or ten years old.
The intimate details of their relationship can dismantle you.
Sometimes you find difficult to comprehend the kind of intimacy they both shared but it is not entirely fiction. These kind of things happen and we find the traces of them in other pieces of postmodern literature as in “The Reader” by Bernhard Schlink as well.
As Charles falls in love a girl 10 years older than her we constantly see a conflict in Charles’ personality. He is torn between being a child and wanting to be a man and acting like an adult throughout the story.
“I honestly believed I had the mind of a fully-grown adult. An adult who stood firm in curiously piecing together the puzzle known as life”.
He wants to be mature and older so that he could show and announce his love for Harmony publically and he won’t have to feel ashamed about their relationship. And in his constant fight always considered him an adult.
“A child I may very well have been indeed, but around Harmony, I felt more like a man trapped inside a boy’s body”.
Towards the end of the story we see that like all other things Harmony is ultimately the one who helps him overcome this conflict.
“You have to choose one, and that is what you will become. Do you choose to be an embryo, or do you choose to be a man?”
Harmony’s character is shown to be very delicate and sweet from the beginning of the story. She has deep rooted cultural values.
“The one thing that really fascinated me about Harmony was she had never become Americanized. This country had not changed her. She knew who she was, and wasn’t afraid to show it”.
Their relationship ends with a really tragic incident that shatters your heart into pieces.
The ending is so heart wrenching that you cannot hold your tears back. I do not want to give any spoilers but be aware when I say it this novel will leave you heartbroken as it left Charles.
“If I have to wait a lifetime for the pain to subside, then so be it”.
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126 review is by Aasmii on 12/31/20 - (Nepal)

Personally, so far, this is one of my favorites read with a brilliant love story, a perfect interpretation of love, care, deviance, and affection. Actually, it is more than a whisper. Charles unlocks his heart to the readers without thinking about the moral judgment they would have on him.
The novel has phenomenal lines of poetry. I admire the fact that the novel's main characters were exclusively highlighted and that Charles spoke at the outset of the controversial nature of the story. Feelings and love coming from a young boy seem somewhat controversial to some readers, but they're denser and pure for sure.
Time spent with Harmony was an escape from the fights of his parents.
This story differs from the others because it is pure in nature without being affected by the age difference and religious dogma. This love story is so out of the norms of society that Charles himself says in the novel, "It is a story of a young boy desperately struggling to win the affections of a very mature teenage girl he cannot stop thinking of."
The dramatic plot and vivid portrayal of emotions make this love story incredibly touching. I must say that the excellent choice of words to describe erotic thoughts between a young boy and a teenage girl made us all overwhelmed at some point.
The story is a masterpiece of mature and intricate plotlines taking you to the roller coaster of emotions, leaving you tearful eyes to parts of it. Harmony's death was the greatest tragedy to him. So basically, you're going to read about the life of two people and how heartbreakingly their story ended. The love story left me deeply touched as having a mature mind able to love at such a young age is really beyond my imagination.
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127 review is by Dikshasharma24 on 1/3/21 - (India)

"The Embryo Man" by Charles Pendelton is a journey of how a young boy fell in love with a young girl. This story is a roller coaster ride of emotions, a story that depicts true and pure love.
A very unconventional and unorthodox love story which will surely not disappoint you.
This novel is a romantic non-fiction taking place in the early 70's which narrates the innocence, passion, fondness, warmth, attachment and intimacy of young love. A crush that grew into something that is precious and beautiful. It surely must be magical to experience love so deep and a connection so strong.
The climax will break your heart, leave you crying.
I would highly recommend reading this tragic and heart-rendering love story composed by Charles Pendelton.
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128 review is by Secretraaz on 1/12/21 - (Pakistan)

The Embryo Man by Charles Pendelton is not your average romantic story. It’s not a book you pick up when you want to do some lighthearted reading.
It starts with cautionary remarks about how unconventional this story is and anyone who reads it should proceed at their own risk. That caution was absolute necessity because not everyone can be open-minded about these situations.
It is the story of young boy, a child in fact, who falls in love with a young girl of nineteen.
It is a very controversial book but it shows love in its purest form. The book has an amazing feel of olden times. We are often reminded of how much times have changed. The writing is lengthy at some points but very beautifully written. The thought of such feelings coming from a boy of 7-9 years is incomprehensible but everything is explained in such details that you can’t deny the truth of his feelings.
Spoilers ahead: Charles was instantly attracted to Harmony the first time he saw her. This is the story of how through his undying affection, he finally drew out the truth from her as well that she loves him, too. Being an adult, she was trying to be sensible about it but couldn’t hold her feelings anymore in face of his true love. Nowhere you get the feeling that what Charles is feeling is just infatuation or crush.
The love he feels, they both feel is very real. They pass all stages of their love together and in complete accordance. But this is not a happy story. It’s a tragedy whose end will leave you feeling very sorry for both of them. The only thing I didn’t like about this story was that it seemed to miss some elements of continuity. I would have preferred if the ages were mentioned at most of the points so it became easier to see the situation.
Overall, an out of the box book that summarizes love. It also has such profound thoughts scattered all over that anyone who reads it will end up learning something.
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129 review is by abeera_3kay on 1/12/21 - (Pakistan)

Charlie I read your entire story and now, below, I'll write my complete unbiased feedback to your book, "The Embryo Man".
Firstly, I am tremendously sorry for your loss, and the trauma you had to go through as such a beautiful childhood. But, I'm not here to offer pity, but power to you. In the beginning of the novel, the author mentioned a word 'intricately', the author is a man of his word, indeed each of his emotions that he passed through counting 46 years ago was sewn with such precision, GOD! Indeed, each of his words, sentiments, everything made sense to me when I finished the novel.
I am a human, and yes I did judge Charlie. Even Harmony, while I read the novel, at various occasions.
The bond Charlie and Harmony had, the love, the affection, those moments, the love making, the dreams they held, the future they wanted together, the wait, the time limit, everything and so many more big and small things, they had something to cherish, something really different, and most of it, IT WAS PURE. His parents didn't had that but as a child he had a man within himself to protect the woman he loved. That was something that held me spellbounded.
I don't know how to pay my tribute to the author for dwelling into his most painful moments and write all of them, relive the sweet and salty moments and I know it must've taken great courage and CHARLIE PENDLETON YOU DID IT.
Yes you've indeed opened a door of your memories that you can't even lock ever again, how it must have affected you and your entire life, but honestly, this wasn't just any 'novel', it was a 'part of you, part of your life'. And you must hold it with happiness.
Yes, it wasn't a fairytale, at all. But, it was REAL.
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