GBA reviews of multicultural fiction

It must be something to do with being an English American, Catholic Protestant, mathematician writer, and all that, but I read four quite long novels in the multicultural fiction section of the Dan Poynter Global eBook Awards. And here are my reviews:

Soda Springs, by Terry Marshall, made the winners' circle but sadly didn't win. Telling a story of racial issues in the sixties, set in Colorado, and matching black-white tensions with local distrust of "lettuce pickers," this young-adult novel tells a large story on a small stage and does it well. Drink a 3-star balanced coffee with a tale as well-balanced as this.

When Love isn't enough, by Stephanie Casher, is another to make the winners' circle. A long novel set in Southern California where beautiful seascape backdrops contrast with college parties, drink and drugs. A cross-cultural love brings questions of duty, affection and soul-mates to the fore and ends with questions for reader discussion. Drink a 2-star easy-drinking coffee while reading this one.


Three Part Invention, by Judith Laura, is a novel constructed like a piece of music, centering on a musical Jewish family on the East Coast from WWII to the present day. Looking at prejudice from many different directions, it's certainly an interesting tale, with the immediate and detailed feel of a long memoir. Drink a 4-star complex coffee to complement the complex relationships.

Dancing in the Shadows of Love, by Judy Croome, has a feel of magical realism and feels self-consciously untethered from recognized culture or place, though the symbols carry many reminders. Wounded women tread the path of love in all its malformed guises and a mysterious stranger offers to guide them. You'll need a 4-star rich elegant complex coffee to drink with this complex tale.

Comments

Judith Mercado said…
Having read and reviewed Judy Croome's book, I can affirm that yours is a fitting review of Dancing in the Shadows of Loves.
grins said…
I was living in CO. in the 60's lots of local heroes born. If I remember right, and I do, the national center for KKK was in canyon city
LisaAnn said…
I just wandered over Goodreads, and I'm very excited to explore your blog. Nice to meet you!

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