There are still places of reflection and wonderment. Places that existed in their natural form for centuries upon centuries. Capturing these jewels, expressing their significance, is a noble charge commanded by few. “The Cypress Hills, an Island by Itself “ represents one of these jewels. The history of this isolated region is surprisingly long, fraught with characters, misdeeds, government greed, and failed promises. Affected most throughout these trials were the First Nations peoples.
Cheating Fate by Audrey Pfitzenmaier Published by Thistledown Press Review by Judith Silverthorne $12.95 ISBN 978-1-897235-41-6 Gripping from the outset, Cheating Fate is a young adult novel that will be remembered long after it’s read. Audrey Pfitzenmaier skilfully weaves together the intertwining stories of the four main characters, who have been best friends since early childhood. Now teenagers, they remain closely bound, but a serious accident and the resulting shared near death experience shakes their lives. They come to believe that their destinies are tied and that they will die together at some unknown time. Their solution is to separate into pairs in the hopes of cheating fate. Through an intriguing premise and great character development, we come to know these four teens as if they were people we knew. Each has a distinctive background and each handles their reluctance to tempt fate in a different way and on their own terms, as they struggle with everyday problems of growing up. Over time, the three boys come to believe they are invincible. The only girl in the group worries about the way their recklessness increases. The flaws of their decision to split become glaringly apparent as all their lives seem…
When reading radiant, dialogue-rich stories like the title story, I felt I was at the table sharing a bottle of wine with the French and English couples in the 400 year old village of Cipières, France. What a gift to be able to travel like this. What I did not expect was the dramatic plot shifts. I often finished a story and could only marvel at the directions in which the plot turned.