New York Editor Praises "American Sycamore"

 

American Sycamore

By Karen Fielding

Paperback

Publisher: Seren
ISBN-10: 1781721173
ISBN-13: 978-1781721179
Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
Available for purchase on Amazon com and Amazon UK

 

Reviewed by Dana Micheli, New York Editor, Writers in the Sky
A Goodreads five-star review

 "Fielding captures America's unique physical landscape -- and dysfunction -- in a truly palpable way.  Not since reading Joyce Carol Oates could I so easily step into a book." Dana Micheli

Her longer review is as follows: 

It is a rare pleasure to be completely  immersed in a book-when a writer is able to engage all five senses so the reader feels like they are truly there. That's what Karen Fielding did when she created the beautiful, tragic world of American Sycamore. It is the story of Alice Sycamore, a young girl coming of age in the rural Pennsylvania of the 1970s, as well as the turmoil of dealing with her mentally ill brother.

Fielding's prose is achingly beautiful, with descriptions of nature so vivid it reminded me of Alice Hoffman. With every page of American Sycamore, I could smell the brackish odor of the Susquehanna  River, feel the desolation of walking along it on an icy winter day, and the insects landing on my skin during a hot, sticky summer.

But what I loved most about Fielding's writing is its subtlety. Humor in the face of emotional agony  and matter-of-fact statements must be used by only the most skilled writers, and even then very carefully, lest they downplay the drama of the story. In Fielding's hands, they give this drama yet another layer of realism. We see the ignorance of these times through the eyes (and funny, cryptic statements) of Joseph Lightfoot, a Native American who is trivialized by white society but gains wisdom from the ghosts of his ancestors. This also serves as a bit of irony, for Alice's brother, Billy-a manic depressive- also sees things that others cannot. Is Billy completely crazy, or does he also possess a particular brand of supernatural wisdom? While it is most likely the former, it did give me pause. I would be hard-pressed to name many authors--Joyce Carol Oates being one of them--that conveys human emotions and family dysfunctions so simply and so honestly.

 

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Coming of Age Story Impresses Reviewer

The Lady

By Judy Higgins

http://www.judyhigginsbooks.com

https://www.facebook.com/judyhigginsauthor

http://judyhigginsauthor.blogspot.com

Genre: coming of age/mystery (prize winning novel)

ISBN 978-0615878089

 

Reviewed by Jesse Sisken, author of Cavanila's Choices originally for Amazon

 

        "The Lady" tells the story of Quincy Bruce, a plucky, talented 16-year old girl who, in rural Georgia in the 1950's, dreams of becoming a concert pianist. But her fundamentalist parents and Aunt Mildred are more concerned about her soul than her aspirations. Quincy's salvation comes when her parents go to Africa as missionaries and leave her with her Aunt Addy who fosters her dreams and opens her eyes to a whole new world. But Addy has a mysterious past that, out of love, Quincy feels she needs to get to the bottom of. But what she finds is more than she bargained for.

       Higgins does an outstanding job of putting the reader into her scenes, capturing the speech and attitudes of the time and place. Her characters are well-rounded and believable. She writes well and has a nice voice. Once into the book, it's hard to put it down. And once finished, it's hard to get Quincy's story out of one's mind. I recommend this book very highly.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Coming-of-Age Novel Suited for All Ages--Even the Young

Isosceles
By: Scott R. Caseley
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
eBook ISBN: 978-1-77127-239-1
Publication Date: January 2013
Genre of Book: Young Adult- Coming Of Age, Mystery/Romance
Places where available for sale: MuseItUpPublishing.com, Amazon.com, Bookstrand, Omnilit, Kobo, Smashwords and B&N

Isosceles by Scott R. Caseley takes the reader on a journey through the thirteen-year friendship between Sean McIntyre and Trey Goodsby and up to the tragic end of Trey's life, then goes into what effect his death has on Sean and those closest to the two boys.

When he finds his best friend Trey Goodsby dead and almost completely submerged in a bathtub filled with bloody water, Sean McIntyre is determined to find out if it was an accident or suicide. Did his death accidental or intentional have anything to do with Madeline Edwards, the woman who came between them constantly through their thirteen-year friendship? The tale begins with the death of Trey Goodsby, and explores his relationships with family, friends, his romances, and which of the circumstances he found himself in that led to the tragic event, and the repercussions for those he left behind.

If you have that feeling that you're coming up short...what will it take to feel equal?

Overall Thoughts: We feel Isosceles is a contemporary novel for anyone who loves literature. It's beautifully written, the characters are deep, it engages the reader and causes us to think and reflect upon our lives, fears, regrets and success.


What Others are Saying:

"Isosceles hits a lot of difficult issues many teens face, bullying, social awkwardness, divorce, death of loved ones, drinking, stealing and sexual involvement. Each topic is handled in a way that is appropriate and doesn’t go into unnecessary detail for drama or mass effect. Kudos to the author! The foul language is used in dialogue just as a teen (when no parent or adult is in ear shot) would use it. The voice of each character is authentic and each scene is something many of us as adults have been in ourselves. A truly well done coming of age story with a bit of mystery and romance to top it all off." ~Families Matter (http://familiesmatter2us.blogspot.com)

"Good characters have either changing characteristics or changing motivations. Great characters have both. In "isosceles", the coming of age YA novel by Scott R. Caseley, The author has developed not just one but three great characters through the use of shanging motivations and characteristics.
This triangle of friendship takes the kids from a time in their lives when they have everything in common through points of their development that mold them into not only distinct personalities, but vital roles  in the friendship." ~Traci McDonald (Writing Blind http://tracimcdonald.blogspot.com/)
"The friendship and family dynamics were amazing. The families all intertwined with each other. You have mothers passing away, parents divorcing, and adults having to face those who wronged them as their kids try to stay friends throughout it all. Sean, Trey and Maddie, in the middle of it all, have their own issues. It’s a lover’s triangle between them as well as a friendship that shouldn’t be. You have Maddie the rich girl, Sean the average Joe and Trey, the kid who’s from the wrong side of the tracks. Can it even work between them or does this all having something to do with Trey’s death?" ~Virginia S Grenier (http://thewritingmama.blogspot.com)




About the Author:  While this is his first novel, he wrote and directed a dramatic feature, co-wrote and directed a documentary and wrote for an online magazine. He’s also a trained voice, stage, and screen actor. In addition to his creative pursuits, he is passionate about healthy living. He follows a mostly self-directed fitness quest consisting of weight training, walking, swimming, yoga, and hula hooping. When not working out, he also enjoys cooking healthy gourmet meals as well as playing board games with family and friends with plenty of coffee brewing to keep the fun going until the wee hours of the morning.



You can find out more about Scott R. Caseley, his novel and World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/c85xoz4



Follow Scott R. Caseley at

Blog Address: www.scottrcaseleyauthor.com

Twitter URL: twitter.com/scottrcaseley

Facebook Fan Page URL: https://www.facebook.com/ScottRCaseleyWriter

Publisher Website: http://museituppublishing.com



To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com   

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using this little green retweet widget :