The Permanent Press Blog

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Review Roundup!

Hello Permanent Press Fans, as we make our way further into 2013, waves of reviews continue to roll in. Here are the reviews from our latest and upcoming 2013 releases:

Knock Knock - Suzanne McNear (January)

"Her self-effacing wit, pointed observations, and purposefully stilted dialogue are instantly relatable and charged with dark humor. Readers will get the sad sense of time passing McNear's directionless life: a relatively long, horrendous marriage; the subsequent divorce; depressions and nervous breakdowns all impenetrable barriers to success. McNear's book is a deeply pleasurable read and a reminder that not everyone worth admiring has a plan." --Publishers Weekly

The Inbetween People - Emma McEvoy (January)

"The novel tackles the complex theme of what the war over the fate of Israel has meant for its inhabitants in moving and highly personal terms. A poetic and painful examination of the legacy of loss in a land with a long history of it." --Booklist

"This is a stunning novel. I needed to let it settle with me. It’s a challenge to adequately describe its beauty and potency...Exquisite prose haunts you and urges you think about the characters, the landscape, the country, its people and its troubled history." --Entertainment Realm

The Stone Lion - William Eisner (February)

"The perfect retort to those who insist they don't write them like that any more." --Library Journal

"Set in the very real, very modern world of financial chaos and loss, where a once great company is struggling to retain its market share, The Stone Lion brings the worlds of big business, research and development, sales and marketing to life. Fascinating characters and an interesting mix of interpersonal and company relationships, kept me reading, and eager to see how the tale might end. It ends well. I like this lion." --Sheila Deeth, Gather.com

Resolve - J.J. Hensley (March)

"One need not be a runner to enjoy the thrilling story of crime and drama. Resolve gives the reader the chilling sensation that the story could happen to anyone, making it all the more real.'' --Luke Watson, 3-time U.S. Olympic Trials Competitor

"J.J. Hensley's debut novel is a lean, fast-paced, suspenseful murder mystery — told with style, intelligence, and wit. It pulled me in immediately and kept me guessing from start to finish." --John Verdon, bestselling author of Let the Devil Sleep

Nothing Serious - Daniel Klein (April)

"A rollicking farce, and a tightly plotted comedic tale with a genuine emotional center and a sharp satirical wit. He lambastes in equal measure the politically correct pieties of academia and the hyper-trend-conscious attitudes of New York hipsters. Beneath the scabrous humor there is a genuine love for all humanity. The title is a big clue. In the end, the title says it all. The pursuit of happiness involves to some degree the ability to not take things seriously. Mr. Klein’s Nothing Serious is a short sweet novel, equal parts intellect and comedy—perfect to read on vacation or as a palate-cleanser for more heavy handed fare." --NY Journal of Books

"Nothing Serious is an amusing and intelligent novel whose title and beguiling narrative belie the depth of the ideas that Klein is working with. Humanity, the novel ultimately suggests, will never figure it all out, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that we keep trying." --Marc Schuster

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

New Review for The Stone Lion

William Eisner's The Stone Lion (coming this February) will be reviewed in next months issue of Booklist.

Reviewer Carol Gladstein writes:

"Told through the eyes of a collection of characters, this is a tale of business and personal intrigue. Eisner gives readers a seat at ETI’s executive table, taking them deep into the heart of a business and exploring all aspects of this highly competitive world. Filled with humor and insight, Eisner’s latest novel is a fascinating story of people attempting to navigate complex terrain while keeping the simple things in plain sight."

Look for the full review in Booklist next month!

And be sure to check out The Stone Lion coming February 15 from The Permanent Press!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Publishers Weekly - 1/07/13 - Resolve Review

J.J. Hensley's first Novel Resolve has been favorably reviewed in this months issue of Publishers Weekly:

"The Pittsburgh Marathon serves as the backdrop for this impressive first novel from former police officer and Secret Service agent Hensley."

"This artfully constructed mystery makes effective use of the third-rate-college setting and of Pittsburgh, as revealed by the course of the marathon, marked by each of the 26 chapters."

Read the full review and more at www.PublishersWeekly.com

Look for Resolve by J.J. Hensley coming this March from The Permanent Press!

Monday, January 14, 2013

The Man on the Third Floor promoted in The Boston Globe

Yesterday's "Boston Globe" mentioned Anne Bernays' latest novel The Man on the Third Floor in the "Word on the Street" section in a 'News about New England Books and Authors' update by Jan Gardner.

"“I was really intrigued,” she said in a recent phone interview. How was it possible for a married man to carry out an affair with another man in the house he shared with his wife?

Bernays’s answer is her novel “The Man on the Third Floor” (Permanent), which is narrated by a successful book editor living on the Upper East Side of New York in the 1950s who has an affair with the man who comes to measure his office for new carpeting.

To find out how the subterfuge succeeded — or didn’t — you’ll have to read the book or listen for a clue when Bernays reads from it at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Porter Square Books in Cambridge."

To read the full article and more visit BostonGlobe.com

The Man on the Third Floor Now available from The Permanent Press
http://thepermanentpress.com/p-422-the-man-on-the-third-floor.aspx
http://www.amazon.com/The-Third-Floor-Anne-Bernays/dp/1579622852

Friday, December 21, 2012

Marc Schuster Rates The Inbetween People for Small Press Reviews

"In 'The Inbetween People', debut novelist Emma McEvoy weaves together the disparate narratives of a handful of desperate, disenchanted characters to demonstrate that we are all, despite our differences, doing our best to make sense of our fallen, fractured world." --Marc Schuster, Small Press Reviews

Read the full review and more on December 28th at http://smallpressreviews.wordpress.com/

Look for The Inbetween People coming January 2013 from The Permanent Press!

Monday, December 10, 2012

Knock Knock Review on Gather.com

Shiela Deeth has praised Suzanne McNear's Knock Knock, a Life in her latest review on Gather.com

"Suzanne McNear’s Knock Knock, a Life brings a world of bright hopes and hard knocks into focus, where the Bishop rushes through confirmation, post-WWII songs play their soundtrack, and a father takes pictures of his daughter “to prove that she is pretty.” “To smile is to engage the world,” he says, and young March is learning to hide behind her smile.

Will success at school make her popular? Will finding a lover make her loved? Will marrying and carrying children make her the daughter she’s meant to be? But the world March grows up in is changing. Women’s roles broaden while men’s expectations hold them back. And the young woman who wants to fit in is condemned to feel like an imposter. March graduates, leaves home, gains her independence and returns with everything she’d hoped for and none of her dreams. But children bring connection to the present, even as depression drives March ever further from herself and her past."

"The author uses detail to great effect in this novel, highlighting authenticity with echoes on the phone and the awkward determination of motherhood...The little girl who knew her neighbors so well eventually knows herself and tells her own tale, writing it down, bleeding an age into words, and delighting readers with hope’s ongoing fulfillment."

Read the full review and more at Gather.com

Look for Knock Knock coming December 31 from The Permanent Press!