THE ESSENCE OF NATHAN BIDDLE by J. William Lewis Awarded Silver Medal in 2022 Feathered Quill Book Awards

The Essence of Nathan Biddle the debut novel by Alabama native J. William Lewis has been named among the winners of this year's Feathered Quill Book Awards. A national book awards program that celebrates excellence in book publishing, The Feathered Quill Book Awards is sponsored by Feathered Quill Book Reviews, a preeminent online book review. Recognizing books from both large and independent presses, the Feathered Quill Book Awards honor the best books in numerous categories. This prestigious awards program, now in its ninth year, features a judging panel comprised of editors, writers, critics and other literary professionals.

The Essence of Nathan Biddle was awarded the Silver Medal in the Adult Fiction category of the 2022 Feathered Quill Book Awards.

A timeless, sweeping tale that unfolds on the Alabama coast in the 1950s, The Essence of Nathan Biddle has been met with high praise from critics and readers alike, including:

"A mesmerizing book"-San Francisco Book Review

"Compelling....The Essence of Nathan Biddle is a classic."-Readers' Favorite Reviews

"A fantastically-written book" -Manhattan Book Review

"A brilliant coming-of-age tale"-Reader Views

"Beautifully written and profoundly moving." -BookTrib

"This novel is the real deal."-ForeWord Reviews

"A coming-of-age story that will resonate"-Portland Book Review

A sweeping, moving, mesmerizing tale, The Essence of Nathan Biddle features protagonist Kit Biddle, a rising prep school senior who finds himself tangled in a web of spiritual quandaries and intellectual absurdities. Kit's angst is compounded by a unique psychological burden he is forced to carry: his intelligent but unstable Uncle Nat has committed an unspeakable act on what, according to the Uncle's deranged account, were direct orders from God. The tragedy follows Kit like a dark and foreboding cloud, exacerbating his already compulsive struggle with existential questions about the meaning of his life. But when he spirals into self-destruction and makes a snap, irrational decision that causes a horrific accident, Kit is forced to examine his perceptions of reality. A beautifully written, marvelously told tale about coming to terms with the necessity of engagement with life's pain, pleasure . . . and absurdity, The Essence of Nathan is intelligent, clever, captivating-and utterly unforgettable.

According to Ellen Feld, editor of Feathered Quill, "it is a great honor to announce The Essence of Nathan Biddle by J. William Lewis as the Silver Medalist in the Adult Fiction category of our awards program. Adult fiction is one of the most popular categories for entries and this year was no exception. We were nothing short of humbled by the volume of-and the exemplary quality of-this year's entrants. Our judges were faced with the challenging task of combing through so many worthy contenders. Even amongst such a fine list of books, there were titles that rose above. The Essence of Nathan Biddle was one of those. The Essence of Nathan Biddle is an extraordinary book: beautifully written and tremendously powerful. This is the type of book a reader won't forget, and a book that begs to be read and reread. We commend Mr. Lewis on an exquisite debut novel and we are proud to name The Essence of Nathan Biddle our Silver Medalist, Adult Fiction in our 2022 awards program."

The Essence of Nathan Biddle (Greenleaf) is available in hardcover (6 x 9, 400 pages-approx., ISBN: 978-1-62634-846-2, $27.95) and eBook (ISBN: 978-1-62634-847-9) editions and now available where fine books are sold.

Novelist J. William Lewis lives in Shoal Creek, a suburb of Birmingham. Alabama. For more information, visit www.jwilliamlewis.com

For a complete list of winners: Congratulations 2022 Feathered Quill Book Award Winners!

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