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Summary: Discover Him Now
Review: Silas House can tell a story better than just about anybody writing today. He paints pictures with his words. His characters are real and heartbreaking and full of joy. I said all that when I read his first book, CLAY'S QUILT. But now that I've read his new one, A PARCHMENT OF LEAVES, I am absolutely stunned. It's the best book I've read in FOREVER and I've recommended it to everyone I know (and also bought copies for all my closest friends for Christmas) and everyone just absolutely loves it. So I think I'm safe in recommending it to you, Amazon customer, too. Silas House will be famous someday, but he should be already. I don't understand why this book hasn't been a blockbuster...it should be chosen by one of the talk shows (not because they choose the best books but because it gets some good books some well-deserved attention). READ THIS BOOK. It's beautiful
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Summary: Hauntingly beautiful
Review: Silas House has done more than write a beautiful novel with characters that seem live & breathe - for me, he has brought back to life my great-grandparents. My great-grandmother used to build rag fires to keep the bugs off, my great-grandfather said the locusts were calling, "Pharoh." At times their memories were so strong, I had to lay this book down & shed a few tears of remembrance. Otherwise, you couldn't have pried it from my hands. Simply a SUPERB book.
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Summary: Hauntingly beautiful
Review: Silas House has done more than write a beautiful novel with characters that seem live & breathe - for me, he has brought back to life my great-grandparents. My great-grandmother used to build rag fires to keep the bugs off, my great-grandfather said the locusts were calling, "Pharoh." At times their memories were so strong, I had to lay this book down & shed a few tears of remembrance. Otherwise, you couldn't have pried it from my hands. Simply a SUPERB book.
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Summary: Couldn't catch my breath
Review: The word pictures in A Parchment of Leaves drew me into the story so deeply I could barely breathe. Through the transitions of time and place I became a part of Vine, sharing her life, wanting to be with her. Redbud Camp and God's Creek became my world. I know these people through the heart of Silas House.
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Summary: Another Fine Effort From This Author
Review: There is little to say about this beautifully written gem of a book that has not already been said. Sparse, evocative prose, wonderfully developed characters, and a damn good story. A fine novel all around, equal to or better than his first book Clay's Quilt.
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Summary: Another Fine Effort From This Author
Review: There is little to say about this beautifully written gem of a book that has not already been said. Sparse, evocative prose, wonderfully developed characters, and a damn good story. A fine novel all around, equal to or better than his first book Clay's Quilt.
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Summary: Stunning
Review: This book is beautiful. If this doesn't win House the national awards and wide readership he deserves, then something is very wrong. It's rare that an author is able to not only present a great story but also tell it in a style that is like poetry...STUNNING, INTERESTING poetry. The story is full of twists and turns and the ending will leave you breathless...simply the best, most perfect ending I've ever seen. Usually literary/lyrical books become bogged down in style. But House never bores the reader, never second-guesses the reader. This one goes on the Best Books of My Lifetime shelf.
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Summary: an excellent book
Review: This book is wonderfully written and hard to put down. The characters lives intertwine in such a way that the reader keeps wondering what will happen next. Mr. House is an excellent author and I look forward to reading more of his books. You will not be disappointed in reading this book.
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Summary: Gorgeous, moving story of strength, love, and trials
Review: This was an incredible book. It was so beautifully written that I found myself rereading lines just to enjoy them a second time, and fully grasp the impact of the writing. Vine is a strong character with whom the reader can identify, despite having nothing in common with her, on the surface. It is Vine's humanity and compassion, and the inevitability of her actions in response to events around her, that the reader can identify with and thereby grow to love this character. The other characters, and Vine's relationships with them, are realistic and, in some cases, inspiring (such as her relationship with Esme, her mother-in-law). This is first and foremost a story of family and the difficulties and rewards that come from familial bonds, both through blood and through marriage. It is also a celebration of strong women. I have never read any of Silas House's other books but I definitely plan to do so as soon as possible!
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