I was honored to find that SEPTEMBER WIND was on author Nik Morton’s best books of 2013: http://nik-writealot.blogspot.com.es/2013/12/my-top-12-books-read-in-2013.html
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I have what you might call an obsession with reviews. Some are so far out and crazy you have to wonder if the reviewer isn’t trying to audition for a writing gig; some are from those who just have to say something about a book either because they loved it, or were somehow moved by it. And then there are some from those who just love to hate: Nevertheless, all of them combined make for some interesting reads. If they’re bad you take them with a grain of salt and if they’re good you leap for joy. Either way, they are one person’s opinion.
Take the review below for September WInd which I found so interesting I just couldn’t let it sit there and not say something. For one reason he (Scott) complimented me the most on sections no one has ever done. That was cool. And, the parts he says could’ve been left out altogether are the chapters I’ve received the most compliments on-and the chapters I love the most. As I read his book The Four Kings (which isn’t like it sounds) I found it highly unusual and entertaining, and since there are many paths one could take I won’t discredit his opinion, but label it as that, just one opinion. Read on:
Review by
Future Boy
http://www.scottspotson.com/author/
Boy, the author knows how to spin a yarn. It is a long book, yes, but it’s enjoyable. No matter what she is writing about – it could be a scene in a kitchen of cooking in a farmhouse with relatives, or a picnic with children in the back of a mansion, even the mundane is fascinating to read. And there are a lot of quiet scenes in this book, in order to build up character.
So why not five stars? I think, as for me as a reader, it has to do with pacing. The first 20% of the book, while well written, up to the point where Emily leaves the farm, was probably not so necessary that it couldn’t be compressed as a backstory and then as series of strategically placed flashbacks, like the author did so effectively in later chapters.
I love Emily as a character, and yet I felt at times misfortune followed her so much that I wondered why so much was written about such scenes. For example, the oppressive times at the farm, the Palace “ladies entertainment,” and Mr. Schillings’ claustrophobia-inducing mansion. These all seem to take about the first 80% of the book. The last 20% of the book, Emily finally finds freedom, and I did love the trial. I was able to take a breath of relief, finally, when Emily is able to tell her side of the story.
Yet, I can’t deny the author’s story-weaving is so addictive. She writes well. Maybe there’s a method to her madness!
2 replies on “September Wind on list for 12 best books of 2013 & Most interesting review of 2014, so far @SummerSolstice6”
Congratulations Kathleen! I like to see September Wind in a movie. You wrote a very captivating story line. Hopefully someone from the movie production company can pick up your book and make the movie version of it.
Thank you Jocelyn, so kind of you to stop by.
Having a book made into a movie is a dream for every author, I’d think. Might be a long wait, though, and I’m not holding my breath. But I’m hoping to have an audio. Jenna Lamia is one of the best. She did the audio for The Secret Life of Bees, and Tell me a Secret. You can hear samples on Amazon.
Kathleen