James Gould-Bourn

A heartwarming, poignant, and charming debut novel for fans of Nick Hornby and The Rosie Project, about a father and son overcoming their grief in surprisingly inventive ways. Danny’s life is falling apart. He’s become a single father to eleven-year-old Will—who hasn’t spoken since the death of his mother in a car crash a year earlier—and Danny has just been fired from his construction job. To make matters worse, he’s behind on the rent and his nasty landlord is threatening to break his legs if he doesn’t pay soon. Danny needs money, and fast. After observing local street performers in a nearby park, Danny spends his last few dollars on a tattered panda costume, impulsively deciding to become a dancing bear. While performing one day, Danny spots his son in the park, and chases off the older boys who are taunting him. Will opens up for the first time since his mother’s death, unaware that the man in the panda costume is his father. Afraid of disclosing his true identity, Danny comforts his son. But will Danny lose Will’s trust once he reveals who he is? And will he be able to dance his way out of debt, or be beaten up before he has a chance? Filled with a colorful cast of characters, Bear Necessity is a refreshingly unpretentious and ultimately uplifting story of a father and son reconnecting in the most unlikely of circumstances.

A Novel

Bear Necessity

Roman

Pandatage

'Touching and often hilarious... A truly joyful read' Press & Journal ********** Danny Malooley's life is falling apart. He's a single parent with an eleven-year-old son, Will, who hasn't spoken since the death of his mother in a car crash fourteen months ago. He's being pursued by a dodgy landlord for unpaid rent and he's just lost his job. Struggling to find work, and desperate for money, Danny decides to do what anyone in his position would do. He becomes a dancing panda. After seeing street performers in his local park raking it in, he spends his last fiver on a costume... but the humiliation is worth it when Will finally speaks to him for the first time since his mother's death. The problem is Will doesn't know that the panda is in fact his father, and Danny doesn't want to reveal his true identity in case Will stops talking again. But Danny can't keep up the ruse forever... ********** 'Uplifting' Woman & Home A surprising, laugh-out-loud and uplifting story of a father and son reconnecting in the most unlikely of circumstances. For fans of Nick Hornby, Mike Gayle and Jojo Moyes.

A life-affirming funny and feel-good story about fathers and sons

Keeping Mum

'Heartwarming and life affirming! A rare gem of a read!' Heidi Swain 'Hits that sweet spot between being properly funny and gut-punchingly emotional' - Sun 'Reading it made me want to dance. An absolute gem of a book' - Katie Marsh Ronnie has resigned himself to a life of loneliness. His life in the crumbling seaside town of Bingham-on-Sea never seemed that bad, but since the loss of his father, the highlights of Ronnie's solitary days include manning the lost property office at the bus station where he works, and plaguing his local GP with increasingly outlandish ailments. Forgotten or underestimated by all those around him, Ronnie is lost, and he's not expecting to be found. But when a chance encounter leads Ronnie to reluctantly foster Hamlet, an unwanted stray dog, his empty days begin to fill with all manner of new responsibilities and experiences. Can these two lost souls help each other to find a new lease of life? Praise for James Gould-Bourn: 'Uplifting' WOMAN & HOME 'Touching and often hilarious... A truly joyful read' PRESS & JOURNAL 'Fresh and very, very funny. An absolute gem of a book' KATIE MARSH

When everything is falling apart, sometimes all you need is a friend

Lost & Found

A “refreshing,” (Kirkus Reviews) unpretentious, and uplifting story about a father and son reconnecting and finding happiness in the most unlikely circumstances—for fans of Nick Hornby and The Rosie Project. Danny’s life is falling apart. His eleven-year-old son, Will, hasn’t spoken since the death of his mother in a car crash a year earlier, and Danny has just been fired from his construction job. He’s behind on the rent and his nasty landlord is threatening to break his legs if he doesn’t pay soon. Danny needs money, and fast. After observing street performers in a local park, Danny spends his last few dollars on a tattered panda costume, impulsively deciding to become a dancing bear. While performing one day, Danny spots his son being taunted by a group of older boys. Danny chases them off, and Will opens up for the first time since his mom died, unaware that the man in the panda costume is his father. Afraid of disclosing his true identity, Danny comforts his son. But will Danny lose Will’s trust once he reveals who he is? And will he be able to dance his way out of despair? Filled with a delightful cast of characters, Bear Necessity is “a moving, sensitive story that is also very funny, and a perfect literary antidote to anxious, troubled times” (Shelf Awareness).

Komedie o zármutku a tančících medvědech Danny Malooley to v životě nemá lehké. Před rokem při autonehodě ztratil milovanou ženu, jejich syn Will sotva vyvázl životem a od té doby nepromluvil ani slovo. Na krk Dannymu dýchá domácí kvůli dluhům na nájemném a v práci právě dostal padáka. O nekvalifikovaného otce samoživitele nemají zaměstnavatelé zájem, takže Dannymu nezbývá než se pokusit získat potřebné peníze méně konvenčním způsobem. Začne se živit jako tančící panda v parku. Co na tom, že jeho vypelichaný kostým páchne zvratky, lidé si ho pletou s fretkou a tanec mu jde jako psovi pastva? Potom se však Dannymu začne blýskat na lepší časy, protože se dozví o soutěži talentů s pěkně tučnou odměnou. Snad se mu podaří přesvědčit tanečnici u tyče Krystal, aby si ho vzala do parády. Jenže datum soutěže se blíží a ukáže se, že Will přece jen mluví — jen si místo táty raději povídá se smradlavou pandou v parku. Podaří se Dannymu vyhrát hlavní cenu a získat zpět důvěru jediného syna, než mu zlotřilý domácí nechá zpřerážet kosti? ––– Svižné, neotřelé a velice, převelice vtipné. Tento román s lehkostí poletuje mezi humorem a dojemností. Je to příběh o radosti, sounáležitosti a neuvěřitelné odolnosti lidského ducha. Při čtení jsem měla chuť tančit. Tahle kniha je úplný poklad. — Katie Marshová, spisovatelka Hluboce povzbudivý příběh… okouzlující zápletku doplňují procítěná témata, vtip a plejáda svérázných vedlejších postav, které dokazují, že přátelství přináší hluboké porozumění a naději. […] Když panda tančí je skvělým literárním protilékem na časy smutku a úzkosti. — Shelf Awareness Osvěžující… skvěle napsaný, svižný román, který se soustředí na lásku mezi otcem a synem a na to, jak z ní může vzniknout přátelství. — Kirkus Reviews

James Gould-Bourn

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