$17.95 – Purchase a print copy online.
Italy! A century ago, E.M. Forster’s heroine in his novel A Room with a View faints dead away when she witnesses a gangland killing in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria. But slowly the vivid otherness of Italy teaches this outwardly conventional English girl to trust her own passionate heart.
$17.95 – buy a print copy of Book Three
$16.95 – Buy a copy of Book ONE online
$17.95 – Buy a print copy of Book TWO online
The Sailing Master Book One: Coming of Age, the ebook, is available from Kindle. Or borrow a copy from the Kindle Lending Library. $4.50 – Buy The Sailing Master Book One for Kindle
$17.95 – buy a print copy online
Red Bricks, the debut novel by Kansas City writer, Anne Muccino, is set in the desert southwest circa 1930. JT Swain is just seventeen when he loses everything that matters to him, his father and the ranch he grew up on. The young man sets out on horseback to find the connectedness suddenly gone from his life. He meets Dalia Jackson, the fifteen-year-old, half-Nahua Indian, half-white daughter of a wealthy New Mexico rancher, and quickly discovers that the rebellious young woman sees her place in the world as equal to that of any man. Strangely drawn to Dalia, when JT learns that she has disappeared, he sets out to find her, challenging the law when he must, tracking her into the barrios of Juárez, Mexico, where he witnesses firsthand the cruelty of human trafficking.
In prose reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy, at once savage and tender, Red Bricks by Anne Muccino offers no easy outs, instead asking us to contemplate the paradoxical nature of loss and redemption, of the razor’s edge between life and death. Muccino’s stunning debut explores both what it means to be harmed beyond recognition and what it means, finally, to recognize one’s own strength. This is a riveting and deeply moving novel, one of the best I’ve read in a long while. Anne Muccino is a talent to be reckoned with.
—Abigail Dewitt, author of
News of Our Loved Ones
Anne Muccino’s debut novel is a literary gem. It is rich in detail and remarkably authentic. Catch up on your sleep. The time and place in Red Bricks are so vivid, with characters so real, so poignant, you will not want to put this book down. This is a beautiful, moving, absorbing experience, destined to become a classic.
—Dawn Shamp, author of
On Account of Conspicuous Women
Amazon reviews—
From Amazon Customer: Excellent read. I received this moving book as a Christmas gift, and what a gift it is, indeed. The story kept me engrossed and the characters stayed with me long after I finished the last page. I immediately lent it to my sister whose response after reading it was to recommend it to her writing group. I can only hope this is the first of many such novels by Anne Muccino.
When Admiral Nelson defeats the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile Owen Harriet attains the rank of midshipman.
Shortly thereafter his ship deploys to French Indochina, but at George Town he falls prey to a shameless trollop.
Upon arriving in the Mekong his squadron proceeds to destroy the French depot at Long Vinh. But during the operation a French privateer takes Owen prisoner. He risks all to escape and, after two years in the East, finally embarks for home.
In an ironic conclusion HMS Eleanor engages the frigate, Hommage, in unrestrained battle, only to learn the Treaty of Amiens was signed with the French on the very day they encountered Hommage.
As a result, their sacrifice means nothing, and must remain classified in order to preserve the fragile peace.
The Long Passage continues the development of young Owen Harriet, now a Midshipman aboard HMS Eleanor. The author has delivered a seaworthy tale that not only entertains, but is also rather instructive about life in the British Navy, and especially instructive on navigating the vastness of an ocean. Another aspect of the narrative that I enjoyed was the descriptive talent of the author. From the reed beds of The Mekong to the inquisitiveness of a blue whale, the reader is immersed in the scenery, and flinching from the sound and fury of a cannon volley. Owen grows up a lot on this journey through his innate intelligence and by his experiences, some of which are rather harrowing, and I look forward to reading more of his adventures. I highly recommend both books of The Sailing Master series. 5 stars