= Excellent
= Good/Very Good
= Okay read
= Not recommended
= Ugh! Don't waste your time.
Archive for April 21st, 2008
Monday, April 21st, 2008Jackfish Review Published at Piker Press
My review of Sarah Felix Burns’ novel: Jackfish the Vanishing Village is being published on line this week at the ezine Piker Press. Why not drop in and read the rest of this week’s edition which is loaded with great short fiction, serialized fiction, photography and more. The Piker Press has a group of talented writers and has been offering up some of the best writing on the Internet for several years now.
Lost and Found - Book Review
His life is ocean, stick, ball, sand, grass, ride in the truck, sleep by the bed, look deep into the eyes of humans, lure them outdoors, greet them with a burst of joy when they come home, love them. Fill this brief life with more. And more. -From Lost and Found-
When Rocky’s husband Bob dies suddenly at the age of forty-two, Rocky’s life is blown apart. Faced with the dark force of grief and unable to cope with her life as a psychologist, she flees from her home in Massachusetts to the isolated, wind-blown beaches of Peak’s Island, Maine. Rocky quickly finds a part-time job working as an Animal Control Warden, filling her long days with cat rescues and trapping skunks. Her wish is to bury her painful losses, but it is not long before she meets Tess (a retired physical therapist who views the world in a rainbow of colors), Isaiah (her boss who is a former minister), Melissa (a teenager hiding an eating disorder), and Hill (an archery instructor whose life may not be all it seems). These characters become part of Rocky’s everyday life on the island, gently prying her loose from her heartache. But it is her encounter with a stray black lab who has been shot with an arrow which will change her life forever.
Jacqueline Sheehan has crafted a novel which explores the depths of grief and loss, and the slow process of recovery. She weaves a story filled with mystery and suspense, but more importantly one which tenderly reveals the magical bond between human and animal. Sheehan’s characters create an authentic presence in the story, making the reader believe in the complex situations of their lives. She successfully gives the dog, Lloyd, a point of view which is at once touching and all too real.
Lost and Found is a book which will resonate with anyone who has suffered a loss or struggled with difficult issues; but it will especially touch the hearts of dog lovers. I gulped down this book in two sittings in less than a 24 hour period. I was simply tugged into the story and unable to let it go.
Highly recommended; 