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PREMIER BOOK AWARDS
2008 General Fiction award winner
What some readers say about Settling:
Beautiful
and beautifully written story!!!
...Sounds proverbial, almost formulaic?
Hang onto your seats, for this beautiful story evolves realistically, potently and meaningfully into an unforgettable love
story worth the wait of every page to that point. In a culture rife with trite endings, how refreshing to meet a talented
author who knows how to craft a special story that is poignant without being sickening, intelligent without imitation or condescension
and deeply spiritual without being religious!
Ruth and Alex could be any woman or man in
America,
even if it's just a part or more. Getting to know Ruth and enjoying the poetry in this novel are experiences that soon begin
to feel like a gift we want to share and experience ourselves.
Settling starts slowly but winds
up packing an unforgettable zap mid-way to the very last page!
Very nicely done, Ms. Cannon!
Reviewed
by Viviane Crystal on August 28, 2007
CRYSTAL REVIEWS
www.crystalreviews.com
e-mail to: literarymuse@hotmail.com
...Settling is a wonderful novel; reading about how Ruth successfully resolves the problems
she encounters in her life was very uplifting. I'm looking for more novels from Mrs. Cannon!
Rebecca Henderson, ALLBOOKS REVIEWS
...Mrs.
Cannon shows us a true picture of love in today's world...This is a beautifully written story. I could not wait to find
out how it ended.
Krista Braaten, COFFEE TIME BOOKS
Susan Kelly,
author of How Close We Come, Even Now,The Last of Something and Now
We Know says:
"Employing both nuance and detail, Mrs. Cannon authentically portrays the struggles of a marriage--romance, adultery, violence,
and forgiveness--between two vastly different people, and in so doing treats her topic and her characters with realism and
respect."
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Joyce C. Ware, author of romances, mysteries, non-fiction: |
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"Settling is a story of love, betrayal, tragedy and the search for reconciliation experienced by fully realized characters in
settings described so vividly--the Maine seacoast; Greenwich Village; an old Connecticut farmhouse--the reader can see, smell
and even hear them...Blessedly
free from exhausting sexual acrobatics and techno/crypto complications, Settling is the real thing: a beautifully
written quiet read best enjoyed during a long winter evening with a cup or two of tea by your side."
Alice Loebel, author: "Well written...a page turner."
Anne Buttrick, reader:
"Well, this was my
long awaited storm--I have been anticipating a good one--the
kind to settle down with a cuddling dog and finally open the pages of "Settling". I LOVED IT!...I
loved the writing, the story, the characters, all the wonderful descriptions--all your marvelous attention to detail.
The dialogue was so true to the characters and reinforced their personalities just beautifully.
"You truly made Ruth
and all the characters come alive--I kept thinking, Oh, yes, I know exactly how she (or he) feels--I've felt that way,
too! I got to know Ruth so very well--reading the last page was like saying good-bye to a well loved friend--one I was
so sure to miss--I was truly sorry to come to the end."
E-book ISBN: 1-59431-502-7
Paperback ISBN:1-59431-493-4
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MAIDEN
RUN
"...a parable
for our times."
There are times in the history of a family when everything changes. The Adams family has lived and worked Maiden Run since time out of mind, but the world is changing
and everyone must struggle to keep up. Spanning thirty years, but focusing particularly on the summer of 1935, Maiden
Run is the chronicle of the lives, loves, and challenges of the three Adams siblings.
Maiden Run is a fairly simple story that recounts some critical points in the lives of a family. There are no paradigm
shifts, and very few “events” to speak of, but Cannon’s skill leads the reader to care about the characters,
to the point where you may feel saddened when the story draws to a close. Cannon knows her topic, setting, and place inside
and out, and expertly draws you in and shows you around. The Adams family actually acts like a family, with tensions and unspoken
rules and, in spite of everything, an overall affection that runs deeper than any trouble. [In spite of technical errors in
production] Cannon’s talent shines through, and these flaws become little more than annoying ticks in the face of her
sweeping thirty-year saga. Cannon is truly a diamond in the rough, and I hope she is discovered by larger presses, soon.
Joan L. Cannon has already been discovered by magazines like Pulpsmith, Seacoast
Life, Grit, and Thema, and she currently writes for the online magazine Senior Women Web. She lives
in North Carolina.
Maiden Run is a parable for our times, taking us back to another
era that was under heavy economic hardship, and reminding us of the value of family and heritage. I Recommend this
book to anyone looking for a good, meaty bit of fiction.
March, 2009
J. Blackmore, ALLBOOKS REVIEWS
Mary Wallace, reader:
"Joan L. Cannon describes scenes and characters in her novel in ways that many writers of today’s
fiction will envy. Although her novel, Maiden Run is set in later times, it is reminiscent of days when a man...sat
beside the fire instead of in front of the TV set, with a pipe in one hand and a novel in the other. One can almost picture
his wife sitting across from him, doing intricate needlepoint, looking up at him now and again and anxiously willing him to
finish the novel so that she will be able to read it. Maiden Run would be that novel.
She moves her story forward in cunning ways, pulling you in and making you feel right at home...the
people you meet being much like the family and friends you wish you had. Her gorgeous prose stays with you long afterward.
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Maiden Run is a finely-written, poignant story that develops slowly, interlaced with artisitic
depictions of the landscape that one can appreciate with all five senses...a story of a bygone era, where family connections
rule the day and immersion into one's environment is an all-powerful, symbolic part of one's maturation process. It's
more about character and evolution than it is for empty, fast-paced action loaded with sex...A charming read, Ms. Cannon!
July, 2009
Vivian Crystal, Crystal Reviews
e-mail to: literarymuse@hotmail.com
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ISBN: 978-1-59431-345-6
PERIPHERAL VISION, Stories
ISBN 1-59661-157
Scott Owens, Poet
The pleasure of reading
comes as much from what is withheld as from what is given. Despite their
lyricism and beautiful attention to essential, evocative detail, these stories
seem, like all of life's most important moments, heavily, tragically incomplete,
resonant, leaving you deliciously wanting and imagining more.
www.scottowenspoet.com
www.wildgoosepoetryreview.com
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