<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: There is a Wideness
Review: Mark McAllister uses a tragedy in East Texas to create a passionate story about two men who struggle against their private demons. I was seized by the depth of the writing and the pain of the characters as they work through their incredible anguish.
Rating:
Summary: Huh, men have feelings too?
Review: This beautifully written novel is told from a male point of view, something I found to be very refreshing. The lives of two broken, emotionally bankrupt men accidentally collide. Initially wary of one another, but perhaps sensing a kindred sprit, the two men gradually share one another's story and in doing so, facilitate a healing and growth which had eluded them for many years. The plot evolves around a terrible, true tragedy that occurred in East Texas in 1937, the New London school explosion, where 300 people, mostly children, were killed. The horror of such tremendous human loss evokes thoughts of recent public tragedies in America and led me to consider how the lives of these two men might have been different had a tragedy of that scale occurred in the present day. It gave me an appreciation of just how much the support system and legal environment of our society has changed. In addition to the school explosion, the author interweaves other historical events from the twenties, thirties, and forties, thereby creating a wonderful sense of time and place. This book enthralls the reader from the very start. Besides the fascinating historical elements of the story, you will witness redemption and spiritual healing, all achieved in a non-preachy manner. This is the kind of book that stays with you for a long while. I find myself recommending it to every discriminating reader I know.
Rating:
Summary: Huh, men have feelings too?
Review: This beautifully written novel is told from a male point of view, something I found to be very refreshing. The lives of two broken, emotionally bankrupt men accidentally collide. Initially wary of one another, but perhaps sensing a kindred sprit, the two men gradually share one another's story and in doing so, facilitate a healing and growth which had eluded them for many years. The plot evolves around a terrible, true tragedy that occurred in East Texas in 1937, the New London school explosion, where 300 people, mostly children, were killed. The horror of such tremendous human loss evokes thoughts of recent public tragedies in America and led me to consider how the lives of these two men might have been different had a tragedy of that scale occurred in the present day. It gave me an appreciation of just how much the support system and legal environment of our society has changed. In addition to the school explosion, the author interweaves other historical events from the twenties, thirties, and forties, thereby creating a wonderful sense of time and place. This book enthralls the reader from the very start. Besides the fascinating historical elements of the story, you will witness redemption and spiritual healing, all achieved in a non-preachy manner. This is the kind of book that stays with you for a long while. I find myself recommending it to every discriminating reader I know.
Rating: 
Summary: A though provoking, satisfying first novel.
Review: This is a story about two men. One suffers a severe physical trauma while the other is crippled by a shattering emotional blow. The men meet several years later and little by little they, aided by townsfolk who shared in a tragedy, recover from their wounds. The author handles the redemption and healing in a slow easy manner wrapping the story in true events that begin and end in a Texas oil field community during the late 1930's and early 1940's. My thoughts while reading: "Would I react as either of these men had. Would the great pains they suffered leave me a shattered soul, or could I rise above the hurt to become a better person."
<< 1 >>
| 
