Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Akron Beacon Journal Review's "South of Charm" ;)



...courtesy of Barbara McIntyre, Special Correspondence to The Akron Beacon Journal. Enjoy:)

"South of Charm" Family Splinters

..."South of Charm," the debut novel by Holmes County native Elliot Grace, is an affecting drama about a marital breakdown and its effects on children. Set in the early 1980's in the small Holmes County village of Charm, it is especially convincing in its portrayal of its main character, the narrator for most of the book.

Danny Kaufman is a 9-year old boy who lives in a small apartment in Charm with his parents, Wayne and Sheryl, and his 4-year old sister Katie. They're not well off, but content enough, and things start looking up when Danny becomes friends with the boy who was last year's class bully.

The trouble begins when Sheryl believes she has found evidence of Wayne's infidelity and makes an angry accusation. Wayne retaliates with violence, and the couple begins an ongoing battle that terrifies the children.

Sheryl, a devout churchgoer, becomes convinced that she is being advised by a spiritual guide and that she is being spied on by her neighbors. Wayne is away often because of his job as a long-distance truck driver, and as the marriage continues to degrade, Danny finds refuge in sports while he tries to protect his sister.

Many will relate to the book's themes of faith and loyalty, and Danny's frustration that no matter how good he is at baseball, it won't help him save his family.

"South of Charm" (404 pages, softcover) Wooster Book Company




Thanks for reading...EL

21 comments:

Kirby Reed said...

Congrats on receiving such a glowing review! Here's to many more! :)

The Empress said...

Nice review. Your books sounds like a great read!

Emily R. King said...

What an awesome review! Congrats!

Sarah Tokeley said...

What a lovely review, well done!

dolorah said...

Awesome El. Local guy makes big news. I'm hoping to read one of those from my local paper some day.

Congrats.

.......dhole

Christine Danek said...

How cool is that!! Great review. You must be so excited.
Congrats.

Cynthia Lee said...

Congratulations! Very nice review.

Unknown said...

Cool! Congrats!

Golden Eagle said...

Congratulations on the review! :)

Jennifer said...

A very well deserved review. I have passed the book along to a few people....but not many cause I want them to go out and buy their own copy! Congratulations.

Elliot Grace said...

Hey Kirby, thanks for stopping by! This is my first time getting into a paper the size of the Beacon...still trying to swallow the idea of it. Thanks again:)
Hey Empress, thanks for the compliment:)
Hey Emily, thanks for stopping by, and your comments!
Hey Sarah, you called it lovely! Thanks so much:)
Hey Donna, rest assured, it'll be your name I'll be reading about in the papers next!
Hey Christine, yep, it's exciting, but a bit surreal as well. Still grasping the concept of it. Thanks for hopping over!
Hey Cynthia, thanks so much for your thoughts!
Hey Stacey, those are the same words my son used. You are so hip;)
Hey Eagle, hoping to get your review next! Throw me on your list.
Hey Jennifer, thanks so much for passing the book along. Word of mouth is the strongest form of advertisement. Thanks so much!

...off to bed, thanks guys for stopping by!

EL

TIMMYTHEROBOT said...

nice reviews - grats on the positive words

DEZMOND said...

congrats on the great review, El, you sure deserve it!!!

Jesse Crows said...

haha great stuff!

Shannon Lawrence said...

Great review, congratulations!

Misha Gerrick said...

Great review! It really made me want to read the book. :-D

Elliot Grace said...

...have been on hiatus this week, work priorities/baseball playoffs, yada yada, and enjoyed reading everyone's comments upon my return!
Hey Timmy, thanks for stopping by, will be returning the favor!
Hey Dez, your presence is always appreciated, thanks so much:)
Hey Jesse, thanks so much for your support!
Hey Shannon, it came as a surprise, thanks for stopping by!
Hey Misha, so glad I piqued your curiosity. Thanks for stopping by;)

EL

DEZMOND said...

love the new headbanner picture, El!

Nicki Elson said...

Congratulations on the awesome review! And in a real live print paper. Impressive. ;)

Elliot MacLeod-Michael said...

Hello there Elliot, this is Elliot. I would like to congratulate you on your prowess and acumen and invite you to check out my blog sometime. Look forward to following you.

Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré said...

El, what a wonderful review! I'm so proud of you. Your book is the next one I'm buying. Sorry I haven't been around lately, life is infinitely busier these days. All good. But I finally got DSL at home today, so I'll be back!

I've missed you and your blog, that rebel, Olivia