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.
September 14, 2011 at 4:59 PM
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
September 16, 2011 at 4:12 AM
LisaAnn said…
I just wandered over Goodreads, and I'm very excited to explore your blog. Nice to meet you!
September 17, 2011 at 7:54 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Connect those Connections

Taken from a talk I gave on Sunday at the Writers' Mill. This is a very low-level approach to getting connected, from one beginner to another... Internet Writing, Marketing and Networking If you’ve got an email address you’re on the internet. If you’ve got a book out or an article in a magazine, you’re into marketing. If you’ve got friends, you’re networking. And if you use Google, you can do almost anything. Google Google is your friend. Google “how to join facebook” “How to join goodreads” “How to join Twitter” etc… Google “facebook badges” “blogger widgets” etc… to spice up your pages. Anything you want to know, a nice simple question to google will almost certainly tell you. But keep safe . Don’t just click on the first link you see. Make sure it looks vaguely genuine. “F*@!book.com/badges” might take you somewhere you don’t want your computer to go. “Facebook.com/badges” tells you all about badges. Why would you want to join all these interne...
Read more

Eternal curse might hide a blessing too.

Image
Today is the official launch day for Toi Thomas's paranormal romance, Eternal Curse, and I was lucky enough to be offered a free preview copy some while ago. The novel creates an intriguing mythology of angelic beings and the Fall, binding it nicely to modern day characters in search of meaning for their lives. There's an interesting blend of the paranormal, faith and science, and the story has a nicely old-fashioned feel with separate underlying tales taking center stage on the way to resolution. So... here's the cover, the blurb, and my review: ABOUT THE BOOK 'You have plenty of time to change your mind. You have not yet seen the monster I can be.' Giovanni has been waiting his whole life to meet someone like Mira, someone from the outside world who might be able to help him. He wonders if there really is help for him as he continues to hold tightly onto dark secrets and even darker memories. Giovanni wants to be hopeful and he wants to accept Mira...
Read more

Author or transcriber, reader or visitor, greatest or least? Meet Kathryn Elizabeth Jones

Image
 Today I'm delighted to welcome Kathryn Elizabeth Jones, author of " I walked with Jesus ," to my blog. I very much enjoyed her short stories retelling miracles from the life of Christ - we clearly have faith and short fiction in common with each other.  I loved how historical, real, and relevant Kathryn's stories felt. You can find my review here:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4904771188 . I'd love to meet the author and chat in person, but inviting her to my blog is the next best thing, so I asked her to let me and you how she finds her audience. Here's what she told me. Why I think my audience is beginning to find me by  Kathryn Elizabeth Jones One of the hardest things to do as an author, other than writing or marketing a book, is to find that often illusive audience. It’s easier with mysteries or children’s picture books, probably because you know who reads them; adults and teens who love sleuthing and children and their parents who love reading....
Read more