Joseph OlshanResenhas

Many books are written by talented and capable people who have not personally had the experiences about which they write. War stories, for example, are often written by historians, writers of historical fiction and others whose research and imagination combine to create plausible and interesting stories. John Steinbeck had not been a refugee from the Dust Bowl when he wrote The Grapes of Wrath nor had Margaret Mitchell even been a slave holder or participant in the Civil War, yet each wrote powerful novels, conveying wonderful truths and ideas.
In Nightswimmer, I felt a level of authenticity that was subtle but undeniable. Olshan knew what it was like to face the AIDS epidemic, to experience love and yet be betrayed, to feel hurt so deeply that it became difficult to smile, to recover and to be vulnerable to another.
Good writers portray these feelings and portray them well, but writers who are writing from their souls, from their deepest pains or most ecstatic joys are able to tell a story in a way that leaves readers with absolute knowledge that the author bared his soul, shared his pain and created his art not from conjecture but from experience.
Often the reader shares nothing in common with the writer nor even his characters and storyline and yet still experiences something mystical and ethereal that reveals the truth within the fiction. And this is exactly why books need to be written and readers need to read widely, because only from seeing into the journeys of others can we develop the empathy that makes us better human beings.
Nightswimmer is a good book for anyone to read, straight or gay. It’s story is about love, caring, vulnerability, fear, trust, betrayal and other emotions. Are these confined only to those of one orientation or the other? Good books portray universal themes and when those themes are set in non-traditional situations, they help readers gain insights into those themes they would not get otherwise. The gay readers of this book will identify with its theme, perhaps thinking more deeply about their own vulnerabilities or frustrations with those of others. Straight readers with deepen insight, perhaps examining their own vulnerability after a tragic experience. It is a worthwhile read.

I picked this book to read because of the location. It was like reading a diary of well-traveled roads for me. I could visualize each scene. I couldn't put it down. I had to know where the next turn would lead us. A sad, beautiful story filled with love, family, and friendships. The small things we think about that might have made a difference.

Many books are written by talented and capable people who have not personally had the experiences about which they write. War stories, for example, are often written by historians, writers of historical fiction and others whose research and imagination combine to create plausible and interesting stories. John Steinbeck had not been a refugee from the Dust Bowl when he wrote The Grapes of Wrath nor had Margaret Mitchell even been a slave holder or participant in the Civil War, yet each wrote powerful novels, conveying wonderful truths and ideas.
In Nightswimmer, I felt a level of authenticity that was subtle but undeniable. Olshan knew what it was like to face the AIDS epidemic, to experience love and yet be betrayed, to feel hurt so deeply that it became difficult to smile, to recover and to be vulnerable to another.
Good writers portray these feelings and portray them well, but writers who are writing from their souls, from their deepest pains or most ecstatic joys are able to tell a story in a way that leaves readers with absolute knowledge that the author bared his soul, shared his pain and created his art not from conjecture but from experience.
Often the reader shares nothing in common with the writer nor even his characters and storyline and yet still experiences something mystical and ethereal that reveals the truth within the fiction. And this is exactly why books need to be written and readers need to read widely, because only from seeing into the journeys of others can we develop the empathy that makes us better human beings.
Nightswimmer is a good book for anyone to read, straight or gay. It’s story is about love, caring, vulnerability, fear, trust, betrayal and other emotions. Are these confined only to those of one orientation or the other? Good books portray universal themes and when those themes are set in non-traditional situations, they help readers gain insights into those themes they would not get otherwise. The gay readers of this book will identify with its theme, perhaps thinking more deeply about their own vulnerabilities or frustrations with those of others. Straight readers with deepen insight, perhaps examining their own vulnerability after a tragic experience. It is a worthwhile read.

Many books are written by talented and capable people who have not personally had the experiences about which they write. War stories, for example, are often written by historians, writers of historical fiction and others whose research and imagination combine to create plausible and interesting stories. John Steinbeck had not been a refugee from the Dust Bowl when he wrote The Grapes of Wrath nor had Margaret Mitchell even been a slave holder or participant in the Civil War, yet each wrote powerful novels, conveying wonderful truths and ideas.
In Nightswimmer, I felt a level of authenticity that was subtle but undeniable. Olshan knew what it was like to face the AIDS epidemic, to experience love and yet be betrayed, to feel hurt so deeply that it became difficult to smile, to recover and to be vulnerable to another.
Good writers portray these feelings and portray them well, but writers who are writing from their souls, from their deepest pains or most ecstatic joys are able to tell a story in a way that leaves readers with absolute knowledge that the author bared his soul, shared his pain and created his art not from conjecture but from experience.
Often the reader shares nothing in common with the writer nor even his characters and storyline and yet still experiences something mystical and ethereal that reveals the truth within the fiction. And this is exactly why books need to be written and readers need to read widely, because only from seeing into the journeys of others can we develop the empathy that makes us better human beings.
Nightswimmer is a good book for anyone to read, straight or gay. It’s story is about love, caring, vulnerability, fear, trust, betrayal and other emotions. Are these confined only to those of one orientation or the other? Good books portray universal themes and when those themes are set in non-traditional situations, they help readers gain insights into those themes they would not get otherwise. The gay readers of this book will identify with its theme, perhaps thinking more deeply about their own vulnerabilities or frustrations with those of others. Straight readers with deepen insight, perhaps examining their own vulnerability after a tragic experience. It is a worthwhile read.

A page turning mystery that examines social issues of homophobia, ageism, and societal expectations.

Superbly crafted almost poetic novel with expertly fleshed out characters and a great third act twist. A slow burn novel of suspense that doesn't disappoint. Definitely recommended.

This is a book that I received from NetGalley to read on my Kindle. It was originally published in 1985. It has been re-released as an e-book by Open Road Integrated Media 0n July 9th, 2013. This was made into a movie starring Whoopi Goldberg back in 1988. Whoopi played Clara and Neil Patrick Harris played the part of David. I am not a big movie watcher. I’ve never seen this movie. It wasn’t a box office smash. Olshan has written other novels and articles for magazines and newspapers. Clara’s Heart was his first novel and it won the Times/Jonathan Cape Young Writers’ Competition.
David is a young boy who is growing up in a family that is experiencing difficulties. David’s parents go to Jamaica after his baby sister’s death to try to salvage their relationship. His mother, Leona, strikes up a friendship with Clara a Jamaican woman. Leona knows that Clara has some secrets. She has heard some rumors. Leona brings Clara back to the states with her to help take care of the house and David.

David is unsure how to react to Clara’s sudden appearance in his life, but they quickly form a strong bond. David is your typical ornery boy and Clara doesn’t put up with his shenanigans. David is also very curious about Clara’s past after hearing things from her friends.

The novel comes to a climax at the end. David must decide whether to live with his mother or father when his parents decide to divorce. What will happen to Clara? What happened in her mysterious past? Will her secrets be exposed?

I really liked this book. I thought that it was well written. It is packed full of emotion and drama. I thought that the characters were realistic. This was a quick read for me. It only took a couple days. It’s too bad the movie didn’t do better. It is a really good story. I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.

“Fresh Meat” by Leigh Neely for Criminal Element

When a walk during the spring thaw reveals a frozen body, remote Cloudland becomes the focus of a murder investigation with Catherine Winslow in the middle of it. A former investigative journalist, Catherine is now a recluse who writes a syndicated column with recipes, household hints, and folk remedies. Her simple life becomes complicated when she realizes the body of the young woman resting against a tree in her field is a missing nurse suspected to be a serial killer’s victim.

Catherine’s neighbors soon become suspects in the case and she feels guilty because the murderer brought his taint to her neighborhood. Her investigative instincts kick in when her neighbor, a forensic psychiatrist who has been hired as a consultant, asks her to be a sounding board for his findings. While all this is going on, she’s trying to reconnect with her estranged daughter whose battle with anorexia almost killed them both, and trying to avoid a former student who was her much-younger lover and the reason she lost her job at a nearby college.

This is a beautifully written, well-crafted novel. I couldn’t believe I’d reached the last page and I desperately wanted to see what happened in Catherine’s life once the murder was solved. This is both a literate and suspenseful book that gives you all kinds of clues and answers but still surprises in the end.

Read the rest at: http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2012/03/cloudland-by-joseph-olshan-literary...

It's the 1990s and Will, a writer and journalist, meets Sean through a friend and there are sparks in the air from the start, but both of them are still rather overwhelmed by the memories of past great loves, no one around them thinks it can lead to anywhere, and the two of them don't really give themselves a chance. This was an easy and quick read that I will probably forget very soon.

Catherine Winslow discovers a body frozen in the snow, and so begins what is a "crime novel" roughly based on an unsolved series of murders in the Connecticut River Valley reported Phillip Ginsberg in Shadow of Death 1993, and reformulated by Olshan into this novel. Slow reading and the characters are mostly unlikeable. Not a bad ending.

Nurse Angela Parker vanished during a January Vermont blizzard on her way home from a ski trip. She had called her husband from a rest stop on the interstate to say she would be home soon. She never arrived. Months later in rural Vermont newspaper columnist Catherine Winslow, out for a walk on a March afternoon, found her body posed in the melting snow near a fallen tree. Angela had been strangled, stabbed, then buried in the fresh snow, probably shortly after she spoke to her husband. Like several similar recent victims in the Connecticut Valley, she had some disturbing religious tracts stuffed in her pocket.

Catherine had been an investigative journalist in New York until she left after a disagreement with an editor. She moved to Vermont with her teenage daughter and taught literature in a local college, a job she lost after the administration received several anonymous letters documenting her affair with a student. She finally found her calling as the author of a nationally syndicated Household Hints columnist.

Her daughter has moved out, so Catherine now lives alone with a pair of dogs and her bad-tempered house pig, Henrietta. There are only three occupied houses up on Cloudland, and her neighbor Anthony, a psychiatrist, is called in to consult on the apparent serial murders. When Catherine notes the similarity of the staged victims with the religious tracts to those in a very obscure unfinished novel by Wilkie Collins, both the detective and Anthony involve her directly in the investigation. Huh? While Catherine owns one of the very few copies of the Collins novel, she has lent it out to a number of different people over the years.

It took me three tries to finally finish this book. Catherine as first person narrator annoyed me terrifically; despite her extensive back story she never came alive for me. She remains a narcissistic middle-aged woman who lies to herself and others and makes unfortunate life choices. The willingness of the police investigator to involve her in the investigation of the case didn't make sense for most of the book. And, unusually for me, I had figured out the killer well before the book ended. While the author's descriptions of the setting were lovely, living inside Catherine's head for the length of this rather disorganized book was not a pleasant thing.
Note: I received a free review copy of this book.

I'm not normally a huge fan of mysteries or thrillers. Occasionally one will come along that I really enjoy so I give them a try every now and then. This one sounded interesting on Goodreads, I entered to win it and......I did! When it arrived I settled down to read it.

Within the first few pages I began to wonder if this was going to be a book I had to force myself to read. There was something about the writing style which was putting me off. Luckily whatever it was either resolved itself soon after or I became too involved in the story to notice. After getting over that first hurdle I continued to have the problem that I just didn't like Catherine, the main character. She was inconsistent, and I often felt annoyed by her during her assessments of the investigation and of the other characters. Unfortunately a lot of the other characters weren't developed enough for me to put a lot of stock into their part in the story. The third problem was that the ending seemed a bit abrupt to me.

So after all that you may wonder why I gave it an "OK" or one smiley instead the unhappy face. It was because at the end, no matter how I felt about the rest of the story I was on the edge of my seat, I was tense and anticipatory. The author obviously accomplished the lead-up well and the writing was enough to have me involved. I wouldn't read it again but I do not feel that my time was wasted with this book.

Cloudland is a hard to put down literary thriller that kept me up late for several evenings. The characters were well developed and relateable. Not only were the main characters well formed but ancillary characters such as Henrietta the pot bellied pig had their own personalities.

The mystery itself kept you guessing until the very end. It did feel a bit rushed in the end, but was still a surprise ending.

This is a great read for thriller and mystery fans

Reader received a complimentary copy from Good Reads First Reads½

This book was interesting in regards to the characters, but for me, it lacked the feeling of a crime novel. I enjoyed the characters, but I really had a hard time sticking with the story. Perhaps it was just my mind set at the time. I am going to shelve the book and try again later.

Interesting character based mystery, set in Vermont, a body is found down the road on Cloudland, a street with only three residents. The reader becomes acquainted with a narrow group of suspects, one of which is Catherine, who had been a journalist and teacher. Facts are disclosed about her life and she is a very interesting character, as is her life and the lives of the other characters. They all have great back stories, this is not a wild ride of a mystery but rather a slow unveiling of the people involved. Liked it though and liked the Vermont area it was set in.½

In rural Vermont, Catherine, a 41-year old ex-newswoman recovering from a haunting relationship, comes across a dead woman, apparently the most recent victim of a serial killer. She gets drawn into the investigation because one of her neighbors, a forensic psychiatrist, wants to use her and her investigative skills as a sounding board. Along the way we meet various other locals, including an elderly world-renowned artist and his adopted son, who is the town tax collector and an early suspect. Gradually, Catherine’s past lover, as well as Catherine’s Wilkie Collins expertise, get drawn into the investigation, bringing back memories she was hoping to escape and putting her in increased danger. Fans of Louise Penny will love this.

Dit debuut is de indrukwekkende beschrijving van de innige band die groeide tussen een Amerikaans jongetje en de Jamaicaanse huishoudster. David hout van de eksotiese geuren in Clara's kamer en van haar West-Indiese kookkunst.
Het vervolg 'In Clara's hands' is minder geslaagd

My older brother handed me this book when I was 17: since then I've thought of it often. It is beautifully written, sad and comic. It has one of the most perfect last lines, I have ever read. It's a novel about love, obsession and mourning.

Will's lover, who had a habit of swimming in the ocean at night, never returns from one of his swims. This haunts Will for years, and complicates his attempt at a new relationship with Sean, who has his own problems from the past to overcome. Atmospheric and engaging.½

possible audio