Reviewed by Donna Meredith A science fiction and thriller hybrid, Mark Canter’s Orchard of My Eye offers a fast-paced and engaging read. Canter teaches comparative religion at Florida State University. This background is reflected in the philosophical underpinnings of this novel. The main character, Nat Colt, is a research scientist dying of brain cancer. Nat imagines […]
Donna Meredith Interviews George Weinstein
January 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
DM: I read this novel right after finishing The Whistling Season, by Ivan Doig. A struggling rural family and community stand at the center of Doig’s novel and yours. Yet they couldn’t be more different. The adults in Hardscrabble Road have a severe deficiency of parenting skills. Many types of abuse occur in this novel, from […]
“Hardscrabble Road,” by George Weinstein
January 2, 2013 by 1 Comment
Reviewed by Donna Meredith Hardscrabble Road, by George Weinstein, is a hard novel to read—not because it is poorly written, but because the MacLeod family at the heart of the story is so dysfunctional that at times it makes you want to cry. The tale is set in South Georgia during the Depression. Yet it […]
“Sea Change,” by Karen White
September 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Review by Donna Meredith Though the back of the book hails Karen White as “the ultimate voice of women’s fiction,” Sea Change is more of a paranormal romance than women’s fiction. What’s the difference? While women’s fiction may have romantic elements, other issues of women’s lives take precedence, such as female empowerment or relationships […]
Donna Meredith Interviews Pat MacEnulty
August 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
DM: Though you’ve written novels, short stories, plays, and poetry, Wait Until Tomorrow is your first memoir. How did the writing process differ for you? PM: I’ve written a lot of personal essays and poetry, and in many ways this was an extension of those. In fact, I’d had a personal essay published in The Sun Magazine […]
“Wait Until Tomorrow,” by Pat MacEnulty
July 25, 2012 by 1 Comment
Review by Donna Meredith In Wait Until Tomorrow, Pat MacEnulty drifts back and forth in time to reveal a full, sometimes troubled, and ultimately rewarding relationship with her mother. Just as Rosalind MacEnulty’s love remains steadfast through Pat’s teenage drug addictions and stint in prison, Pat cares for her mother through years of declining health. […]