Excellent novel. The subject could not be more appropriate ...
919945
Excellent novel. The subject could not be more appropriate for the times we are living. Very original...Schrder becomes part of you; you know him inside and out.  IRMA DICKINSON
1909727
*I received this book from NetGalley/Lone Wolf Books in exchange for an honest review.*
 This was a truly excellent novel. In the most basic of terms, the plot of the novel follows the adult life of Harold Hardscrabble, a man who is deeply unsatisfied with the capitalist society around him and who wishes to find his place in a world that constantly seems to mock him and deny him even the most basic happiness. Even though the novel is not told through Harolds point-of-view, it is told through a very omniscient third-person narrative that nonetheless allow the reader to get inside Harolds head, where all of his seemingly odd actions and thoughts all make perfect sense.
 The storytelling method that Dess utilized for this novel was especially brilliant. It is pretty obvious, even from the first 50-100 pages of Harold Hardscrabble, that the novel has a very expositional tone to it. Years can pass by within the span of a few pages, and only the most important details are mentioned in-depth. But this is not necessarily a bad thing at all; it is what kept me interested throughout the course of the story in everything that was going on. Harolds day-to-day life, while fantastical within his own mind, is really very average. He opens mail, he works out, he goes to work But Harold also weighs his mail to analyze how much of it he gets, he joins a community of cyclists that gives him a purpose in life, and his work serves as a formation ground for existential, liberal ideas that are profound and profoundly entertaining to read about.
 I won't give away any spoilers for the ending, but this storys conclusion is a very thought-provoking one. I found it very fitting, considering Harolds relationship with the world around him and how they view one another in conflicting terms. The story had been paced very well up until that point, and even through its ending this story did not disappoint in its fantastic storytelling.
 I read this book after reading Desss other book, His Vision of Her, which will be republished soon by the same publisher of this book. I liked Harold Hardscrabble just a little bit more than His Vision of Her; nonetheless, I do highly recommend both books.
1089034
I am absolutely delighted with this novel.  Rarely do I come across a novel that fully engages me on so many levels. Even more rare that such a novel would be set in 1200 France, as my tolerance for historical fiction in general is pretty low. Yet this novel captivated me. From the first paragraph I was hooked and wanted to know more. In the midst of a very busy work and life schedule, I found myself stealing time to read a page here, a chapter there.  Excited about getting to the end but not wanting to really finish the book.  "The Treasure of Montsegur" is written in the tradition of a tragic love story, yet its historical relevance is not diminished.  The author provides a well-researched background on the Catholic Crusades in France that tortured and killed thousands of people during the 1200s.  The novel is framed in the axiom that history repeats itself and is richly layered with historical, religious, spiritual, and tragic elements of the period.
Burnham tells the story in voices as layered as the storyline. The novel centers on the life of a woman named Jeanne.  Found in a field by Cathers after the Crusaders raid her village. Jeanne is raised in the Cather faith and eventually becomes a revolutionary in the struggle to maintain the faith despite the Catholic Inquisitions.  Jeanne is a fully realized character who loves, sins, betrays, falls, rises, heals. Using both narrative and first person (Jeanne), the author educates the reader on the horrors of the Cather annihilation while at the same time inviting the reader on a spiritual journey of love.
Burnham's writing is absolutely superb.  The rhythm of the language and choice of words creates a reading space that provides immediate access to the period and the conditions under which people lived and tried to navigate their way through religious domination and spiritual fulfillment.  On many occasions I had to research words and go beyond the first definition to find an archaic definition that would provide greater meaning to the sentence.  At times, the reading experience was very much like piecing together a puzzle.  The satisfaction of completing a puzzle comparable to the delight experienced each time I found a definition that fit.  The story further motivated me to research the actual massacre at Montsegur, leaving me much better informed on the subject than I was prior to reading the novel.
I certainly hope that this novel finds its way into the classroom.  What a wonderful way to initiate discussion on the Catholic Inquisitions.  After having found an advanced reader's copy of the novel at a thrift shop, I consider this to be one of my greatest reading treasures.  Highly recommended!
1209435
An absolutely wonderful novel.  The author is very erudite but communicates in a very clear fashion, especially to a reader with sufficient knowledge to relate to the material.

Not for everyone.
213439
If ever there was a novel which could be seen as a case of cultural appropriation, this is it= but it's also so much more and so much more important.  Hicks, who acknowledges the incongruity,  has written a beautiful, painful novel of love and loss during Reconstruction. There are some terrific scenes in here, so carefully done and poignant.  HIGHLY RECOMMEND>
563567
TERRIFIC NOVEL, AND EVEN MORE IMPORTANT GIVENM THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE IN THE US.
2853435
I enjoyed the novel very much. Felt it could well had been non-fiction with the various descriptions of locations with the time lines.  I look forward to reading their other novels by Gary Williams and  Vicky Knerly !!!

Thank you,
John H. Kuhl
79877
INNOCENCE begins with the murder of a boy in a movie theater. But that is not the crime central to this excellent novel. It is used as a vehicle to delve into the lives of those who work in this Prague theater and to bring the reader into life under a Communist regime where people inform on one another and are arrested and imprisoned for no reason at all. The central figure is Helena Novakova, whose husband Karel is the victim of such an arrest on trumped-up charges. Helena becomes a tragic figure who, by attempting to save her husband, commits acts that lead to his suicide.

The murder mystery which takes place in the second part of the book seems almost incidental to the author's in-depth exploration and description of the horrors of life in Communist Czechoslovakia of the early 1950s.  Kovaly, a Holocaust survivor, lost her first husband when the Stalinists invented charges against him, convicted him, and hanged him. She writes from her own horrific experiences. Her intimate knowledge, coupled with her wonderful writing style, makes INNOCENCE such a terrific read.

Readers of fiction often skip over Prefaces and Introductions. Don't do that in this case! Kovaly's son, Ivan, provides valuable background information, as well as a touching tribute to his late mother.
2825663
Alice McDermott is an excellent writer.  She definitely writes about what she knows, i.e. there is not a line of dialogue that does not ring absolutely true.  I grew up in the exact area of eastern Long Island that she describes with such accuracy and fondness, so that in itself gave me great pleasure.  However, what makes this novel wonderful is its understated way of provoking the reader to think about profound topics and beliefs.  The narrative deliberately comforts and disturbs at the same time.
794260
This is a great novel. Clearly well above the average novel. I found myself hooked until the end and wanting even more of it. The author made an incredible job writing this. I've been looking for a book about this topic on amazon for quite a while and im very satisfied that i found this piece of art. Well done.
4107092
Excellent novel dealing wit the Holocaust.  lively paced with well developed characters.  i was pleasantly surprised because I knew the author prior to retirement when he was an orthopedic surgeon.
132736
Great novel and kept me interested throughtout the entire book.  Strongly recommended.  Lots of details about the area and the subjects involved.
2316604
Edwards' first novel, The Memory Keeper's Daughter, explores a taboo subject during a controversial and conservative time in America. Though most novelists would shy away from a premise such as this in their first time out, Edwards does it in a way that shows such connection with the story and appreciation for its craft that you are drawn in without hesitation.

David Henry believed he had it all: a successful medical practice, a beautiful new wife, and the promise of a child on the way. His idyllic life is thrown into disarray the on the night of his children's birth. A terrific snowstorm cripples sleepy Lexington, Kentucky and he resorts to delivering his children with the help of his daily nurse. Miracles turn quickly to sorrow for him as the birth of his daughter with Down's Syndrome overwhelms him. Rather than dealing with the joy of two children, he instructs his nurse, Caroline Gill, to take the girl to an institution. Henry is of the opinion that doing so would rid his life of complications when, as we find out through the progression of the novel, it is only a catalyst.

Caroline is absolutely distraught with the idea of leaving the cherubic baby at an unidentifiable institution. Mustering a courage that she was unaware of, she took this little girl, Phoebe, and cared for her as her own. Life was certainly not easy for them as they fled on the snowy night but through it all, Caroline found her strength in Phoebe's unfaltering love.

Edwards takes care to explore deeper into her characters to allow readers a chance to give depth to the story. The stark symbolism of David Henry's complicated photographs to Caroline Gill's amateur polaroids leave a resounding imprint in your mind after reading this novel. Just as Paul's guitar mastery accompanies Phoebe's light and melodic voice at the end of the novel.

I recommend this to readers of fiction who are looking for a realistic story with a compelling narrative. The human condition is always a touching theme and Edwards adds a quality to it unlike any other.
2250624
A great novel. I strongly believe that this novel is one the Mario V. LLosa's best novels. Excellent narrative full of literary imagery.
3209634
Absolutely terrific novel. So well written, such detailed descriptions, it was if a movie were running in my head. The plot held my interest and several times I had solved the mystery, only to change my mind a few pages later. Until the very end, I was not certain. An excellent novel that I can highly recommend.
681225
Excellent novel. Written in such a way that the reader gets invested and is engaged form beginning to end. It brings forth social problems we turn a blind eye to in such a way you can't help but feel compassion for all the characters involved in this interwoven web of life.

Simply put, easy to pick up and hard to put down, it is a very easy novel to read and eloquently written. I am looking forward to Andrea Raine's next novel!
2650859
this is actually the best novel I have read on the subject of an economic disaster.  I particularly liked the authors' use of documentation that prefaced each chapter.