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'SANDCASTLE GIRLS' JOURNIES THROUGH TIME
Amarillo.com
http://amarillo.com/lifestyle/features/2012-07-27/sandcastle-girls-journies-through-time
July 27 2012
By KIM CURTIS, The Associated Press
It takes a talented novelist to combine fully ripened characters, an
engrossing storyline, exquisite prose and set it against a horrific
historical backdrop - in this case, the Armenian genocide - and
completely enchant readers.
The prolific and captivating Chris Bohjalian has done it all - again -
with his 15th book, "The Sandcastle Girls."
Readers will recognize the author from his best-selling "Midwives,"
which caught Oprah Winfrey's attention in 1998.
This time, it's 1915 and, again, his protagonist is a feisty woman,
Elizabeth Endicott, a 21-year-old graduate of Mount Holyoke who
shatters stereotypes by traveling to Syria to deliver food and aid
to refugees of the genocide.
And, again, Bohjalian shifts his novel back and forth in time to
simultaneously tell the story of Laura Petrosian, an Armenian-American
writer living in New York.
It never feels clunky or tough to follow. Instead, it's seamless and
keeps the reader flowing evenly through the story.
It's worth noting that even though Bohjalian is a man, his ability
to successfully inhabit the female mind and accurately depict his
characters' inner lives is amazing.
"The Sandcastle Girls," while perhaps not the "beachy" read its title
implies, is a fascinating journey through time and history.
It also educates readers about a little-known, but significant period
in history - "How do a million and a half people die with nobody
knowing," his author-character writes.
"You kill them in the middle of nowhere."
Amarillo.com
http://amarillo.com/lifestyle/features/2012-07-27/sandcastle-girls-journies-through-time
July 27 2012
By KIM CURTIS, The Associated Press
It takes a talented novelist to combine fully ripened characters, an
engrossing storyline, exquisite prose and set it against a horrific
historical backdrop - in this case, the Armenian genocide - and
completely enchant readers.
The prolific and captivating Chris Bohjalian has done it all - again -
with his 15th book, "The Sandcastle Girls."
Readers will recognize the author from his best-selling "Midwives,"
which caught Oprah Winfrey's attention in 1998.
This time, it's 1915 and, again, his protagonist is a feisty woman,
Elizabeth Endicott, a 21-year-old graduate of Mount Holyoke who
shatters stereotypes by traveling to Syria to deliver food and aid
to refugees of the genocide.
And, again, Bohjalian shifts his novel back and forth in time to
simultaneously tell the story of Laura Petrosian, an Armenian-American
writer living in New York.
It never feels clunky or tough to follow. Instead, it's seamless and
keeps the reader flowing evenly through the story.
It's worth noting that even though Bohjalian is a man, his ability
to successfully inhabit the female mind and accurately depict his
characters' inner lives is amazing.
"The Sandcastle Girls," while perhaps not the "beachy" read its title
implies, is a fascinating journey through time and history.
It also educates readers about a little-known, but significant period
in history - "How do a million and a half people die with nobody
knowing," his author-character writes.
"You kill them in the middle of nowhere."