Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

I think this is a book that you either love or hate, and when you look at the reviews on line, you will see that it strikes hard but it is not always well received. I really enjoyed this, although I sympathize with those who do not. Theo is an elderly man who is quietly and smartly friendly, who notices things around him, and is prone to random acts of kindness in the town of Golden. He pretty quickly finds himself with a close group of friends who are as excentric as they are likable. He has an eye for art, and one of the things he sets about doing is buying portraits that have been drawn by a local artist and currently hang in a high quality coffee shop in town. He decides to buy them, a few at a time, and gift them to the subjects, who he feels should rightfully own them. They are modestly priced, and he starts with just a few, inviting the person to a mysterious but entirely public meeting to bestow them. Throughout the story we catch glimpses of who Theo was before he moved to Golden, but less about why he is there. All is revealed in the end, and I found the whole package to be enjoyable. I listened to the book, which is perhaps part of why it held my attention, but overall, I found it uplifting despite the sometimes very sad things that happen.