Authors Books

I am not normally an avid reader of poetry but this book by Renee Bagley has awakened my taste buds..
The book is extremely readable and I commend Ms Bagley for the depth of feeling she manages to infuse into each purposeful piece.
The author seeks to tap into the great depth of feeling that is our human condition as she touches our most sensitive areas with this collection of verse.
I found many of the poems quite sad, but hauntingly beautiful although, at times, I could almost taste the despair in the words.
I must admit to being more drawn to some pieces than others but all the verses were painted with delicate brushstrokes and all were rich in emotion.
My own favourites include `An Angel came down'. The words of this poem formed images that flowed freely through my mind and the last few words held a tremendous resonance.
`The Winding Road' also resonated for me, as it will for so many people, as it is about survival. Rich vivid imagery is packed into its short succinct lines.
Hauntingly simple and vividly recalled is `Remember September 11th'. A truly beautiful tribute to that harrowing time.
The overriding feeling in this work, I think, is one of hope. It is so vividly expressed in the singularly anthem-like poem `Heart of Hope'
My favourite, however is `In the Night' which describes the strange lonely world of night and the scary mind games that darkness can produce.
Finally, I must say that the poem `Tangled Web' easily represents the overall feel of the book. I loved the last two lines especially, as they are a timely reminder to us all of the power of emotion and it's place in all our psyche's.
This book is food for the soul and Ms Bagely has indeed taken us on an emotional ride through great terrains of sadness but also towering mountains of hope and deep pools of love.
I recommend this work to anyone who truly respects the human condition with all it's failings and all it's joy.

Review by
Patricia J Newcombe 11 march 2004
Author of INSIGHT
www.patriciajnewcombe.com

Tangled Web is a collection of poetry that presents the myriad of human emotions that come along with living and loving in an imperfect world.

These poems are thought provoking and easy to read, definitely a
collection to read by the fireplace, huddled up with your significant other. Tangled Web has plenty of poems about love - love sought, love returned, and love lost - making it an excellent Valentine's Day gift.

I highly recommend reading "Darkest Hour". It is a dark melodic poem that is creatively written. I was also touched by "Release" because of my strong faith in God and my views on life. If you like poetry, Tangled Web is a book worth checking out!

Tangled Web
by
Renee Bagley

Book Review by
Ron Shepherd

Tangled Web is a short peek into a secret photograph album of poetry, guarded closely by the author Renee Bagley. She has allowed her readers just a short look into her world of poetry, a world where she unveils her hidden thoughts to just a few close friends.

This book forces its readers to examine closely, their innermost recesses and rewards them with their own memories of times past and loves lost. She has found a way to make us all a little better people, just with her wonderful way of expressing her feelings.

Tangled Web takes the reader on a journey that is written in vivid color, a journey that most of us have already taken. The beauty is that it forces the reader to recall these times. She makes us feel like we are all a significant part of her life, close friends.

We've all had that special friend that, when we walk into the kitchen, she hands us a cup of coffee, the friend who is genuinely interested in how we are. So it is with Renee Bagley. After reading her book, we too become close friends with her.

I highly recommend this book as a significant addition to the world of poetry.

I loved this book! Renee has outdone herself in telling us of the world's woes and sweetnesses. It is a captivting collection of poerty like I have never seen before.

"Tangled Web" is such an apt title for this collection because the poems grab you from the first words you read, and the emotions they stir are complex like the threads of a web. The author's heart is so clearly laid open that I couldn't help but admire her fearless spirit. The beauty of the words at times is so real you feel compelled to close your eyes and envision the picture they sketch. This is truly a collection that will nurture every soul.

I read this book in one sitting, which included the time during my daughter's orchestra concert. I'm ashamed to admit that I was more interested in the book than the concert. After I read it, I immediately xeroxed off several pages to give to my teaching friends who I thought would enjoy the poems as much as I did and I was right, they did! Something about the selections really spoke to my heart. It felt like the poems were meant to nourich me during those days when I was running low on fuel. I highly recommend this book to any teachers out there.

I bought two copies of this book, one for myself and one for my supervisor. The poems are well chosen and the book is well organized into different categories having to do with vocational discernment. What makes this book unique, however, is the personal testimonies from teachers describing the meaning of each poem in their lives. Since I received this book I have used it extensively, not only for my own enrichment but also for the enrichment of the patients I work with,

I bought this book a while back for my oldest daughter who teaches high school English and Art. It was so awesome that I kept it for myself. (I have a naughty habit of reading all the books I buy as gifts before I give them away....does that make them used books?) My copy is quite dog-eared and worn.

If you love poetry, you NEED this book. The poems are varied and inspiring and enlightening. I discovered many new poets whose books I just had to own after reading their poems here. It's an amazing anthology and would make a great gift to give any friend or loved one who enjoys poetry.

At first glance you might think it's just another "teacher book" but it is so fullfilling. As a teacher who loves poetry, literacy, and teaching children to love the written word this book touched me deeply. The poems can be read in the classroom, the narratives are rich and moving and they made me realize I was not alone in feeling I was called to the teaching profession. This book was a Christmas gift to me, one I have deeply cherished. The book gets to the core; it brought tears to my eyes.....tears of joy.

I absolutely treasure this book! For several years now, everywhere I give talks or do workshops on service-learning and civic education in higher education, I find an excuse to read a poem or two from this compelling collection of poetry. I think educators are yearning for renewal, and the combination of each poem along with a teacher's note on the meaning of the poem, strikes a chord. I know this, not only from audience reactions to my reading from the book, but also because I always get asked for the citation! I am always happy to recommend the book--(no one in higher ed has said to me they were not interested in the book, when I tell them the poems were selected by K-12 teachers). Suggestion for gift-giving: whenever it fits the occasion, it is a great present. It is also perfect for end-of-year giving for groups (appreciation gift for graduating seniors, recognition of teachers, thank you to participants in service-learning and community involvement programs, etc.).

when I read this book, back in the 70s, I was blown away. I LOVED IT. I wrote to Herman Raucher and he wrote me to thank me and say it wasn't a critical success but he was glad I liked it. Liked it? I LOVED IT!!! I lost my book after lending it out too many times, but have just found a few copies.

Upon reading the 8 reviews that were as endearing as I felt about the book that was one of my first internet purchases, it occurs to me that it would have been a charming, warm, wonderful love story. Does anyone have any ideas on who should play the two main characters? Better yet, maybe some Hollywood producer or his wife will read our tribute and make it into a movie.

This novel a wonderfully inspiring love story between two compelling characters. It is also one of the most frequently read novels in my bookcase,. If 'Castles' was to be re-released today, it would become a best seller overnight. Not only is it my favorite novel, it also started my love affair with New York... Its an evocative period piece, funny & romantic. Its Herman Rauchers masterpiece & should be recognised as such. Find a copy in your nearest secondhand book store!

I read this book in the early 80's and like another reviewer stated, I've read it periodically over the years. I am sad to hear that it is out of print and i am glad that I hung on to my copy, cover intact. I will pull it out for old times sake. This is one of my top ten favorite books. I wish there was a sequel and someone should make a movie.

This is the book that started me reading, once my kids were old enough to not need every waking minute of my time. It is a laugh-out-loud, genuinely funny book. I'm sorry I lent my copy out - they must have liked it too!

Such an enjoyable example of Miss Marple- a keen brain hiding behind a fluffy exterior! Using village parallels and her unique outlook on life, Miss Marple solves a series of mysteries that have stumped more sophisticated guests at various dinner parties in St. Mary's Mead. I love Agatha Christie's novels, and this book is an old favorite that I pull off the shelf when I need a quick hit. If you've never read it, I highly recommend the Tuesday Club Murders.

In my mind, Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is as good as it gets in the mystery genre. Miss Marple, however, is excellent, too. This volume presents thirteen short mysteries. Most are presented as tales recounted by dinner guests while sitting around the evening fire. The challenge is to see who can tell the most baffling story and who, if anyone, can solve each one. Miss Marple, of course, astounds the others by seeing through each to the solution. Along the way, the reader is treated to a selection of fascinating and enjoyable tales. Some are easy enough for the experienced mystery fan to see through, but all are fun to read nevertheless. THE THIRTEEN PROBLEMS is Agatha Christie at the top of her game and should be a great pleasure for anyone who enjoys a good mystery. I loved it. Highly recommended.

Picture yourself with a group of friends that include Miss Jane Marple. Sitting around the fire, someone brings up the idea of presenting mysteries that only you know the answer, and the other friends must solve. Guess who wins hands down every time? Yes, that little lady with lace mitts who is knitting little fluffy things.

This is a fine book of short stories and, as usual, Dame Agatha outfoxed me every time. Though Miss Jane publicly disdains outlandish plots ("undetectable poison from an African village"), her creator is sometimes guilty of just that. The very few that left me less than impressed involved entirely too much running around, an outlandish premise, and an overabundance of purple prose.

My hands down favorite was "Death By Drowning" when Dame Agatha shows her superb ability to misdirect. Even with broad hints, I didn't come near the answer. And never be certain that the villain will be punished, at least right away. "The Tuesday Night Club" and "A Christmas Tragedy" each have her particular brand of cleverness stamped clearly throughout.

This would be a wonderful book to have in the guest bedroom, but be sure to read it first!

This 1932 collection was also published as THE TUESDAY CLUB MURDERS. Many of the stories have also appeared separately in other collections.

Like THE LABORS OF HERCULES and PARTNERS IN CRIME it is a series of short stories bridged together in an arc. The opening setting is a gathering in St. Mary Mead at Jane Marple's cottage, attended by her nephew writer Raymond West, artist Joyce Lempriere, Sir Henry Clithering - retired Scotlandyard commissioner, Dr. Pender - the local clergyman, and solicitor Mr. Petherick. The group decides to entertain themselves by describing puzzling crimes they have experienced and to challenge the rest of the group to arrive at the solution. The group at first does not plan to include Miss Marple in their game but condescend to do so when she objects. Naturally Aunt Jane arrives at all the answers.

The following year Sir Henry Clithering was visiting his friends the Bantrys (THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY), and mentioned his previous trip to St. Mary Mead and Miss Marple. After dinner that evening another evening of curious problems took place. This time the group included Col. and Mrs. Bantry, Dr. Lloyd, actress Jane Helier as well as Sir Henry and Miss Marple. Again Miss Marple had all the answers, including one to a crime that hadn't happened yet.

The final problem was presented sometime later when Sir Henry was again visiting his friends, the Bantrys. A village girl, the daughter of the local pub owner, had killed herself the night before, sad but of no particular interest to Sir Henry. No interest that is, until Miss Marple arrived to request that Sir Henry investigate the murder, not suicide, of the girl. She even gave Sir Henry the name of the murderer! Sir Henry agreed to look into matter and.....well, read the story

The mysteries are all perfect little Christie gems, challenging the reader (with all the clues tucked in among the red herrings) to solve the crime before Miss Marple. The device of linking the stories in post dinner party conversation is charming. It is wonderful to meet characters that will return in other Miss Marple stories: Raymond West and Joyce Lempriere; Col. and Dolly Bantry; and Sir Henry Clithering.

Originally published as "The Tuesday Club Murders", "The Thirteen Problems" is a collection of Miss Marple stories, mini-mysteries that readers and characters alike are meant to solve. As always, Agatha Christie has a great knack at crafting mysteries that are both ingenious and simple, once solved or explained. "The Thirteen Problems" is a quick read, each story nicely paced and readily solved.

The setup to the collection is a get-together of friends and family for an evening of fun and games. When one guest proposes that each person present a 'problem' for the others to solve, the game is underway. When each little problem is presented, only Miss Marple can see her way through to the solution. These mysteries run the gamut of typical mystery stories, with murder and intrigue at the center of each.

Yet several of the stories in "The Thirteen Problems" are extremely predictable - anyone who has read a fair number of mysteries can spot the answer from the getgo, although there are several that are a bit more puzzling. And at times, the characterization of several key players is stereotypical and rather one-dimensional, an acceptable failing in a short story, but when several stories are collected in one space, it can become rather tiresome. Overall, "The Thirteen Problems" is a delightful read for any Christie fan.

If you're facing a tough challenge in your life, this is a good way to start down the road to facing it. It doesn't have all the answers, but it makes some good points along the way. It also let's you know that you're not the only one facing difficult times.

No wonder Rober Schuller with his inner wisdom shares his thoughts to show you how to build a self image with positive thoughts and know the truth that after every storm, there is a calm! Every problem has a solution. Tough times never last..is a Gift giver to self and others. It's the attitude to get going when the going gets tough as you face the challenges in life and struggle to face obstacles that rob your mental or physical peace. I gave this book to my hubby during his worst trial period of life in his career and he came out with positive influence to be a sane and wise decision maker to start a business on his own and reach to heights of success today! There is always a twist n sharp turns in life and Rob's book with his dynamic principles in life makes you build positive self image and turn out to be a success. Life isn't a tempest nor a midsummer night's dream, But a comedy of erros, Take it As you Like it!!! A Spiritual Motivation - another bedside shelf book to peek-a-boo to boost your spirits. After all, tough times never last, tough people do!

This is a book full of time tested techniques for dealing with adversity.

If he had written the book today, I think that he would have focused more on the development of resilience. That concept was in its infancy when he was writing, but in fact many of the practical methods in the book form basic biulding blocks of this important personal attribute.

Not just a book for people in trouble: it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark!

Great book! Very inspiring! If you use the book's bottom line, to never give up, and repeat it to yourself so you eventually believe it, the book will work miracles! It is a must read!

"Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!" and the "Be Happy Attitudes" are the best of Robert Schuller. I give out the Tough Times book to friends in tough times. It was a real help to me, and the folks I talk to find it helpful. Easy to read, easy to remember, and easy to apply. This book has the 'how tos' that are needed in the real world -- not high sounding theory.

Not only is this second novel a poignant, heartfelt tale; it is great fun to read. Living in the SC Lowcountry it "spoke to me" in many respects. But, for those living elsewhere it serves as an enticement to visit our beautiful shores and marshes and learn more about the Gullah. The author did a splendid job in portraying love between sisters, love between friends, illness, and the fact that no woman is an island.

I look forward to her next book.

In her sophomore stand-alone novel, TROUBLE THE WATER, Nicole Seitz takes on the grim themes of terminal illness, divorce, alcoholism, suicide and sexual abuse, but leavens them with quirky characters in a story that will engage faith fiction fans.

Like her debut novel, THE SPIRIT OF SWEETGRASS, Seitz sets TROUBLE THE WATER in the South Carolina low country --- this time, St. Anne's Isle. The book jumps back and forth in time, mostly between June and December of 2006 and includes several first-person points of view. It's an ambitious undertaking and can become confusing until you get used to it. But the characters are interesting enough to hook you.

Honor Maddox is an amateur painter in the grip of despair, trailing a string of broken relationships behind her. When her attempt to end her life is foiled by some Gullah nannies, she ends up bunking in a crumbling pink mansion with "Duchess," an elderly white woman who has problems of her own. (Gullah, for those unfamiliar with the term, refers to African-Americans of the low country of South Carolina and Georgia).

Duchess is a hilarious character. She has a passion for running around naked or donning only one or two pieces of apparel (a fur stole, for example). Honor wonders how she ended up with a crazy woman whose mansion is as filthy as she's ever seen. However, Honor finds purpose in cleaning it from top to bottom, symbolic perhaps for her own need to be free of a past full of shame and disappointment. For Duchess, Honor is "like a floating lifesaver sent from above to haul my flabby white rear back up on shore again." She has her own "dirty secrets" from the past and "stink might can be covered up, but it doesn't ever go away unless it's aired out proper."

Both the Duchess and Honor are mourning their pasts in different ways; together, they help each other heal. Soon, Honor is painting up a storm and discovering her natural talent. By helping Honor, Duchess pulls herself somewhat together (she still likes running around in the buff) and begins to socialize again.

Honor's beloved sister Alice wrecks her car, and it sets in motion a chain of events that spark a new realization of Honor's past and the tremendous load of guilt and shame Honor carries. Reading Honor's journals also causes Alice to face her own problems, especially an alcoholic, abusive husband, and determine what she wants to make of the rest of her life.

The frequent point of view shifts, as well as the aforementioned time jumps, are challenging for the reader. The characters are the strength of the novel, and keep things cooking. The storyline relies on the rather often-used breast cancer theme (a favorite of faith-fiction novelists) although of course, the issue of breast cancer is no less important for being used so much. I was disappointed, however, in the way Seitz tied up Duchess's storyline. It seems contrived and less believable than the rest of the plot. And the plethora of problems --- cancer, suicide, sexual abuse, alcoholism --- seemed excessive.

However, what works well is the relationship between Dutchess and Honor, and the portrayal of how the best emotional healing sometimes comes through helping someone else. As Honor reflects, "I knew for a fact that Duchess wasn't playing with a full deck, but this was my task...Like her or leave her." And as Duchess says, "...When you meet a true angel, you're never the same."

Seitz is an excellent writer, and her portrayals of the Gullah culture in the low country of South Carolina will engage readers unfamiliar with the area. I especially enjoyed how she wove healing techniques and traditions into the narrative. Painting your house blue, for example, helps keep the "haigs" (ghosts) out of your house. Propping brooms outside your doors mean that a "hag" (an old woman who can shed her skin at night) will have to stop and count every piece of straw before coming inside. Otherwise, a hag might ride on someone's chest all night "till they can't breathe anymore."

It's these sort of fascinating tidbits that enrich the story, and make TROUBLE THE WATER an interesting read.

--- Reviewed by Cindy Crosby

This was one of those stories where you just wanted to be there and talk to the characters! I began reading on a weekend morning (when I was supposed to be doing my chores) and ended up reading all day. Read a chapter (or two or three), do a chore, read a chapter..... Really excellent read all the way through!

I found this book to be very well-written women's literature. And you'll notice that I used the term "women's literature" rather than "women's fiction." That's because this book is definitely character-driven; that is, the characters are more important than the plot. And I've had the privilege to meet Nicole Seitz, a woman with a gracious and humble spirit.

When you play a stringed instrument, there are certain types of chords called harmonics. When this type of chord is played - although it is actually several notes - it sounds like a single note. It actually sounds as if it played itself - almost otherworldly.

In literature, you may call the same concept resonance: when characters in a book come alive to produce a prolonged response in the reader. TROUBLE THE WATER is that type of book. As you are reading, you realize that the characters have struck a chord in your soul - a chord that resonates long after you've finished reading.

Nicole Seitz is an artist. Literary fiction lovers might want to check into her further.

Through a group of Gullah women, Seitz reveals the fascinating spirit, superstitions and cultural richness as she revisits the Low Country once again. Though Trouble the Water is not a sequel to Spirit of Sweetgrass Seitz revisits settings that are obviously as fascinating to her as to her readers.

This is the type of novel I love to curl up with and savor. Seitz brought three first-person point of view characters to life as they relived sorrow and shame, choices and consequences. Honor, Alice, Duchess and The Nannies live and breath through Seitz's words. And what stories they tell.

This is not an easy read. Christian fiction, yes, traditional, no. Seitz writes with realism including sin and consequences, hypocrisy and the damage done through it. There is no salvation prayer at the end and very subtle gospel sharing, so those who expect a strong gospel message within their Christian fiction may be disappointed. In addition, the superstitions and beliefs of the characters may stomp on some toes.

However, those who are hungry for honest, transparent stories about tragedy and sorrow, and hope and restoration need to look further into Seitz's novels.

The eleven stories collected here range in setting from Chicago's south side to small towns in southern Illinois, but are all thematically linked in their exploration of confused and often angry lower-class white males. The stories are also generationally linked, in that their characters all appear to have come of age in the early to mid-'70s. Indeed, the three best stories are set in the '70s and follow the same junior high boys through a trio of episodes ("The Vomitorium,'' "Smoke'' and "The Grand Illusion''), which include a trunk full of stolen Tootsie Rolls, and the forming of an "air band", and a homosexual advance. These three stories share much of the humor and angst of Chris Furhman's excellent novel The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, and Tom Perrotta's collection Bad Haircut.

In "The New Year", "The Greatest Goddamn Thing" and "Torture", the narrators are teenage boys, whose primary role in each is as sidekick or witness to another person's pain. In the first story, a cuckolded and abandoned father takes an axe to a deer. In the second, a brother just out of jail leads him into an all night bar party complete with gun, fire, and sex. And in the third, a neighbor is stranded on his roof by an irate wife, and no one calls for help. In each case, there's a kind of sad desperation to it all. Desperation is also present in two stories ("The End of Romance" and "Roger's New Life") that follow a UPS driver with a flaccid marriage, two kids, and a shaky grip on sanity. These are the most distant of the collection, as the protagonist is clearly cracking up and it becomes harder and harder to identify with his tenuous grip on reality. A rather similar character is the focus of the longest story, "Limbs," sharing a troubled marriage, kid, and in this case, friends of dubious character.

Two Chicago-set stories stick out: "The Politics of Correctness" abandons the world of the unemployed and lower-class for the world of academia and a struggling young English professor who must contend with the drug dealer who menaces his home, and the uber-PC people in his department. One sense this is a very personal story from McNally, and while it's not bad, it's not particularly original or noteworthy either. My own favorite is "The First of Your Last Chances," which stands out if only because it has a happy ending. Both funny and tender, it's a welcome respite from the heaviness of the other ten stories. The collection as a whole reveals a great new talent, I'll look forward to his next work.

The cover photo on this book (cuffed hands) isn't quite right. This is not gritty realism or "Cops"-like docudrama. Instead, author McNally's sensibility lies somewhere between the blue-collar melancholy of Raymond Carver and the outrageous humor of Hunter Thompson. His characters (all males in their early teens to their thirties) are comically pathetic, living lives that barely hang together. Teenagers Hank and Ralph appear in three stories set on the Southside of Chicago, obsessed with girls (who are all repelled by the two boys) and spending their aimless days and nights on the ragged boundary line between adolescent angst and Big Trouble. Roger, a UPS driver, moves blankly through empty days haunted darkly by thoughts of Squeaky Fromme and Charles Manson, while a fellow worker runs a personal ad and discovers the liberating mysteries of "raw carnality." Meanwhile, romantic relationships and marriages languish and sour.

Far from being bleak, the wonky dialogue and cock-eyed situations in these stories had me laughing out loud. In my favorite story, a debt-ridden young English instructor is beleaguered at work by witless students and an annoying, politically-correct faculty and then harassed at his new home by a neighborhood bully. All comes unglued for him at a faculty party where he gets entirely too drunk. Only the last longer story, "Limbs," shows McNally stretching himself into something more novel-like, as he explores the disintegrating impact of a murder on the lives of several small-town people, and here there are few laughs, just a dizzying descent into confusion and rage.

I love this book. It is both disturbing and fiercely entertaining.

Eleven stories make up this solid collection, and three of them are related ("The Vomitorium," "Smoke," and "The Grand Illusion"), starring a kid in the eight grade named Hank and his sometimes goofy, always strange adventures with Ralph, his dangerous deliquent of a friend. All three are excellent, and they make a logical progression, offering nice closure at the end of the third story.

The remaining eight are a mixed bag. "The New Year" is fantastic, but "The End of Romance" is not. "The First of Your Last Chances" seemed a bit too crafty, but I ultimately loved the story, which features a hilarious S&M vignette and a real cute ending. "The Politics of Correctness" was a wonderful story all the way through, my favorite in the collection. "The Greatest Goddamn Thing" didn't do it for me -- it all seemed too forced, and I didn't buy the narrator's voice. "Roger's New Life" just never seemed to go anywhere (a detached 3rd person pov, reminiscent of Raymond Carver), while "Torture" was strong from start to finish, though I'm not sure if it's a story that has a real direction. And the last and the longest, "Limbs," is a winner.

I wouldn't consider any of these stories as bad -- they are all finely written, and McNally's got a very nice, easy style. Many of the stories were very funny and thoroughly enjoyable.

I was a lucky person to have had John McNally as an instructor in college. He taught at my college for a short time and I still feel that college (which will remain anonymous) did not know what they lost when they lost this brilliant writer. He taught a creative writing class which was based fully on the power of the written word and how the simplest and most realistic language often tells the best story. McNally's own work completely upholds this belief. I unfortunately have lost touch with John, but when I found out via the web that he had published this collection of short stories, I knew I had to find it. I had him for one semester, yet I remember him better than any other teacher I have ever had.

As a fan of the writing of Richard Yates and Raymond Carver (who John introduced me to), I can tell you that he learned his craft from the writings of these masters. His characters are believable, the dialogue is simple but powerful and the settings are described in the most minimal detail, but yet you have a feel of exactly where you are and who these people are. McNally's characters exist through their dialogue and that is what makes his stories powerful.

I highly recommend this collection of stories. Some are disturbing, others are more lighthearted. However, the writing is tremendous and you get inside these characters almost immediately. The art of the written word is not lost. People like John McNally are keeping it alive.

John McNally's Troublemakers sparkles with electric language and moves the heart with touching scenes faithfully depicted. Often these days, one must look widely and patiently to find contemporary fiction that rises above the level of workshop attempts to that of true literary art. McNally has shown his work to be sensitive, laugh-out-loud funny, and true to the spirit of what it means to be human. For all familiar with the plight of the college adjunct, I especially recommend "The Politics of Correct", a tale of a young man oppressed, financially and culturally, to such an extreme that radical decisions and actions are called for, and it resonates with a veracity nearly impossible to find in other works dealing with this subject. This collection is a fine example that good literary work is out there, if one looks patiently for it.

Some of the stories are only four star, and that says a lot about the standard to which I hold Tim Winton. "Only four star." I've been writing for years and publish three-star work sometimes. This collection, meanwhile, is five stars overall.

This is a collection of thought-provoking stories which are loosely linked, always excellent, always natural, never showy or forced, always observant, and a pure pleasure to read. He's such a gifted author that you're actually not always aware of how gifted he is.

If you are looking for writing that takes your breath away and stories that make you look deeply into yourself and your life and the lives of others, then read this book. You will not be disappointed.

Sometimes Mr Winton seems to be straining to be profound riddling his books with impressive literary devices - or maybe I'm too dumb to recognise great art. But with THE TURNING he seems completely at ease and as a consequence the stories ring with a truth - an emotional and spiritual truth firmly set in a believable landscape. The title story about Raelene's physical and spiritual journey, is in the patois of we Australians - a ripper! Mr Winton's great contribution to world literature may indeed be the way in which he is liberating the Australian language and bringing the voice and stories of our caravan dwellers, fishermen, and other inhabitants of small town Australia - working and otherwise - to the fore.
The Lockie Leonard trilogy and THE TURNING I expect have joined or will be joining our collective memories much as Blinky Bill, Ginger Meggs and Voss already have.

Tim Winton has created a Western Australia community, which remote as it is, portrays a commonality of human spirit instantly recognizeable. The scruffy town of Port Angelus, whose whale-processing history is laid out in his book THE SHALLOWS, is as original a concept as the communities of Faulkner or Louise Erdrich or T. R. Pearson, and with each book, Winton continues to expand the community of Port Angelus while limning out the human condition. The people in these stories could live anywhere, but are still ineffably Australian. In this latest book, each story is complete within itself yet linked to one another. Each story could be a springboard for an entire novel of its own. And each story makes you care about its characters and wish you could know what happens long after you've closed the book.

There's a special appeal to the "linked" short story collection. Although the same names and places appear, each is new with the next story. The desperate men, the battered wives, the confused and bewildered children. They interact in their own ways, coming together and breaking apart over the years. In the hands of a master storyteller like Winton, each tale is a spark of reality. Every individual comes almost startlingly alive in but a few pages. As the sequence unfolds through the view of the protagonist, you gain fresh insights on circumstances. Absolute values have no place here, a lesson most of us would do well to remember.

The tales are set in a coastal town in Western Australia. Angelus is a fishing community - often under stress from unemployment, it is a contained locale. Children grow up as neighbours, move through school together, and interact in almost wildly varying ways as they mature. There are mysteries - why was a boy left broken and battered on a beach? Who was the girl found dead in a school loo and how did she die? Who escaped the almost desolate town and how bound do they remain to it in later years? These are common situations and questions in a small town, and the economic pressures add intensity to the expected conditions we all endured in adolescence. It is a credit to Winton's outstanding prose skills that beauty emerges within this forlorn community. A coastal location always provides a sense of expanded view lacking in inland towns. Yet here, as almost everywhere in Australia, the desert looms as an ever-present menace, poorly understood and a block to escape even mountains fail to match.

Vic Lang, the character around whom these stories weave, emerges first as a young child at a beach party. His life is complex. While in school, a girl with a facial birthmark fascinates him, but that's not the girl he marries. His attachments are intense and sometimes offbeat. He takes up with "Boner" McPharlin [the term comes from his job in an abattoir], the Huckleberry Finn of his time and place. Totally without ambition, Boner's presence gives Vic a basis for comparison with his own life. It's a shaky foundation to launch into adulthood. Vic symbolises the small-town outlook with his sense of being under constant scrutiny. In "The Long, Clear View", Vic reflects on his life and how the town imposed so much of itself on his later life.

North American readers often balk at the "culture shock" of Australian conditions and language. Winton's deft touch softens the shock to what might be deemed a "culture tickle". His character portrayals and the manner in which he deals with the passage of time among what become familiar people, guide the reader effortlessly through some unfamiliar terms and conditions. What does "shoot through" mean? It has nothing to do with weapons. It means "escape" or "desertion" depending on the protagonist's viewpoint. A "jacaranda" turns out to be a tree, ugly when not blooming, but a stunning array of colour in the proper season. If a blossom falls on while walking underneath, it is said to be a sign of good luck. Does that happen in Angelus?

Winton's realistic view of people and events is at odds with much of today's literature. His voice, while grim and sometimes even bleak, doesn't overwhelm the reader with despair. His people aren't crushed by events, they remain battlers even in the most seemingly desperate circumstances. You must, however, traverse the entire sequence to understand how they accomplish that feat. While each story stands entirely on its own, like a brick-built building, they must all be taken together to perceive the entire stunning edifice. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

I can't wait for the author to crack out something new...this is by far, the best novel I've read in a VERY long time.

Make the points without the negativity. Other writing in this genre seems so sour, and depressing...Bachelder gets it done without the hate.

I don't know what else to say, besides, it's great...check it out. Funny and fun.

Wow, what a pleasant surprise - a funny, intelligent, ambitious, playful, political novel that avoids both cynicism and pretense. And a great ending too.

Though I don't have much against Bachelder's previous effort, Bear v. Shark, I don't have much to say in favor of it either. This is not the case for "U.S.!", which is one of the best books I've read this year.

As a writer who cares a good deal about politics and the way the world is going, I found this book an inspiration. What Bachelder is trying to do here, it seems to me, is find a way to engage with the world and American society without sounding pedantic or preachy, and also to highlight how difficult a task that is. The fact that he uses Upton Sinclair, one of the most pedantic and preachy writers ever, as his protagonist is genius.

While movie makers can be ham-fisted in their messages and get away with it (see "Crash" or "Fahrenheit 911"), with writers it's far trickier. They don't have the music, the camera effects, and all that other stuff to spice up or soften the blow of their messages -- only words. This makes most message-oriented novels feel almost embarrassing as you go through them, at least for me. At the very least, it becomes extremely difficult to connect with them once you realize they're out to convince you of something specific. U.S.! is a rare success in this respect. The arguments it offers both for and against ambivalence feel fair and natural--like the debates you might have in your head-- and its observations on American culture are dead-on without seeming snarky. Furthermore, Bachelder doesn't cheat and fall back on the deus ex machinas George Saunders seems so dependent on these days.

It's good to see a writer who, rather than finding an artsy, pretty way to turn his back on the world, is attempting to face it. I'm looking forward to Bachelder's future work. This is a writer who has exponentially improved since his debut.

Take this into consideration what if a bear and a shark and Upton Sinclair fight it out in a tank of water deep enough for the shark to maneuver efficiently, shallow enough to give the bear an even chance to hold its own, and large enough to hold Sinclairs inflated socialist ideals. Who would win?

Chris Bachelder returns to the ring after his debut novel, Bear v Shark, found its way into the hands of readers not too long ago. That novel was a wonderful mix of humor, poignancy, and Chris' style of what I like to call "chapter concepts" He takes your basic novel structure but instead of just telling the story in a straight forward manner he will use various different storytelling concepts in each chapter. In one chapter you may get a poem, or a television interview, and in another chapter you could simply get a listing of ebay auctions. Its a brilliant way to view his themes and characters from different points of view.

In his sophomore effort Chris Bachelder refines his techniques and tightens his themes for a novel that somehow manages to surpass the simple yet wonderful Bear V Shark. Again he comes in with a concept that seems rather absurd, muck raker Upton Sinclair continues to live on through an unexplained method of resurrection. Used as a tool for the left he lives on to spread his beliefs in socialism and the evils of capitalism. Bachelder never shows bias he simply portrays the man as he was and how he would adjust to this day and age.

I am ashamed to admit I knew very little about Mr. Sinclair going into the novel and trust me this is not a dull protagonist. He's akward, ambitious, and has the drive of a young man despite his frail dying body. The novel makes me wonder what would happen to Michael Moore if he found a way to live on. What happens to ones causes over a long period of time? Does change ever truly happen? Must we lose hope if the answer to that question is no? You won't get an answer after reading U.S.! but you will certainly get a little closer to forming one of your own.

A gem that has just happened to take the form of a book.

Hopes and shovels forever.

Definitely one of the stranger books I've read this year, but also one of the best. To a certain degree the book is limited by it's central gimmick -- real-life Socialist muckraking writer Upton Sinclair (about whom the reader need know nothing) keeps returning from the dead to spread the good word about the working man's struggle for a decent life. He "keeps" returning from the dead because every time he comes back, there are glory-seekers determined to put him back under in order to protect America from godless Socialism. If this sounds like some piece of strange science-fiction, well, it kind of is. But it's mainly a satire of the contemporary American political scene, with Sinclair standing in for the far left. But even more than that, it's a very clever and funny piece of satire -- which is rare indeed.

Bachelder wisely recognizes the limitations of his premise, and thus engages it in a very loose manner by riffing on it in lots of different formats. There is a running storyline concerning this iteration of the undead Sinclair, as he moves around the country aided by his secretary/personal assistant, holing up in remote cabins to write, and making clandestine visits to underground meetings. However, sprinkled into this are letters from Sinclair to his son, Amazon.com reviews of some of Sinclair's 90 books (most of which bear the dreaded "Be the first to review this item."), transcripts from a 1-800 "I Saw Sinclair" hotline, hilarious memos (including one from Sinclair to NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabule about the need for instant replay), a reading list and syllabus for a writing course taught by Sinclair, newspaper editorials, interviews, an eBay auction listing (for a bullet that killed Sinclair), song lyrics, and other such artifacts of popular culture.

As we learn more about Sinclair, we also learn more about the cult of celebrity that has arisen around his killers. Indeed, the main story thread leads Sinclair toward a small town celebration (he thinks it's to honor him, but it's actually to burn his books), where the country's top Sinclair hunters (many of whom have been hired by corporate interests) hope to bag him. There's a great little subplot about the grizzled old veteran killer vs. the brash young upstart. There's another subplot involving Sinclair's folk singer son which suffers a bit from underdevelopment.

But beneath all this, there's a clear message -- the bumbling, almost unbearably earnest, permanently outraged, ever-pedantic Sinclair is a symbol of all that's wrong with the American left and yet paradoxically, also what's right. Although Sinclair's neverending sub-mediocre writing is mercilessly skewered throughout the book, his dogged dedication to (and faith in) an ideal is both touching and ultimately inspiring. This is another major theme of the book, the intersection of art and politics, and the difficulty faced by the artist who dares to mix the two. Bachelder's book manages the tricky task of both doing this and commenting on it at the same time, while shifting ably between slapstick comedy, family pathos, blind zealotry, pop culture riffing, and even moments of quiet reflection. This is both an entertaining and excellent novel.

Jacobus'characters are lost in paradise. As natives or tourists in the Islands of Hawaii, they seek to find themselves in a place of amazing beauty and compelling challenges.
His short stories are both entertaining and poignant.

Jacobus has given us a sensitive and evocative portrayal of stories in the Islands as he paints wonderful pictures of each individual we see facing life changing situations.

Clear,clean writing reminiscent of Hemingway's best.A must read for those who admire short stories with bite and sensitivity.

VOLCANIC JESUS by Lee Jacobus is a series of short stories set in Hawaii that seems to be the next best thing to a trip to the islands. Jacobus is at his best when he profiles the lives of native Hawaiians, one of the least explored of the "annexed American" groups. He catches and captures a floating culture whose traditions have been undermined with nothing to show for it but shopping malls and other American perks.
Indeed, their redeeming quality is resiliance in the face of anonymity.

I love to read. A friend sent me a gift of Volcanic Jesus. I found the book engaging and that the author is a master storyteller who can write about sex, faith, family, suffering and joy, and the human condition. I have visited Hawaii, but this was my first introduction to the decendents of the "first families" as the author tells of their "joys and woes". If you like to read, you will love the book.