RaveThe New York Journal of BooksHarris’s characters are multifaceted, absorbing, and extraordinarily well-developed. They transport the reader into a difficult time of complex social problems, with situations that elevate the tension with each turn of the page. As more layers of the story unfold, Harris’s captivating and shrewd prose dissects individual motives, revealing vulnerabilities and thereby exposing the characters for who they are, and what they have become ... Harris creates a fascinating and compelling look into the Civil War era by taking a well-known aspect of the period, the Emancipation Proclamation, and candidly depicts the confusion in the aftermath of the new law on slave owners, and the slaves themselves. In a tumultuous time of instability and uncertainty, Nathan Harris brings to the foreground humanity’s aptitude for survival, compassion, and goodwill even in their darkest hour.
Tiffany McDaniel
RaveNew York Journal of BooksTiffany McDaniel deftly writes of her mother’s coming of age in the rural Appalachian hills of southeastern Ohio ... Tiffany McDaniel writes of her mother Betty’s life, as it was, in a harsh and oftentimes brutal world. Despite this, McDaniel shows that her story is not without beauty, from the descriptive prose revealing the lovely landscape, hills and backwoods of Ohio, to the emotional and oftentimes heartwarming and inspiring events between Betty’s parents and siblings ... For all of the unkindness and sorrows shared within these pages, Betty is truly a story not to be missed.
Dana Czapnik
RaveNew York Journal of Books\"Readers will enjoy the vivid rendering of 1993 New York and this unique coming-of-age story told through the fresh and likeable voice of Lucy (Loose) Adler ... Lucy is a remarkable character, filled not only with knowledge about her favorite sport, basketball, but with an innate and earnest curiosity about the differences between herself and the girls she views as pretty, surmising how vastly different they are compared to her and her way of thinking ... This is a rare coming-of-age story so richly told and wholly captivating that Czapnik may in time find herself held up and used as the example of what fine literary writing is all about.\
Delia Owens
RaveThe New York Journal of Books... outstanding ... Readers should set aside daily tasks, turn off cell phones, forget about laundry and possibly even eating once they start this story ... Owens’ writing is tight, yet sumptuous. It is abundant with descriptive prose and brings the reader straight to the edges of the briny marsh waters, and directly into the mind of the Marsh Girl. Reading this story is at once a study in the ecological environment as much as it is an exquisite virtual experience to a unique place in our natural world. The conclusion is haunting and unexpected, yet leaves a sense of fulfillment as all well-told stories do.
