Woke up to a Twitter nod pointing me toward a lovely and thoughtful review of PHOENIXVILLE RISING. Some highlights: PHOENIXVILLE RISING by Robb Cadigan is good evidence of the changing reputation of self-published works ... A rather literary novel, it braids three story strands together: the central story of the teenagers Sketch, Boo, and Tara in 1980, the story of Rebecca Wilton from the early days of Phoenixville, and the story of Sketch in the present. ... Sketch and Boo are best friends, fifteen-year-olds trapped in a decaying city that sees no future for itself. They both come from badly damaged families, and the only path they see upward lies through one of the local gangs: the Furnace Boys, named for the workers of the iron foundry that used to be Phoenixvilles claim to fame. Tara enters as a disruptive force: an outsider who questions and defies the status quo. Boos attempts to ingratiate himself with the gang leaders and work his way into the gang, and Sketchs attempts to extricate himself from it play off of one another, pushing the two boys into a dead end of violence and despair, with dramatically different results ... Cadigan writes with care, and discreet touches of poetic language are testimony to his awareness of the power of words ... The metaphor of rebirth from flame and ash is central to the story, Phoenixville itself being a metaphor for Sketchs own resurrection, although his past has left an indelible mark on his soul. It is a bittersweet story, and well worth the read. Thank you to my new facebook friend for reading the novel and taking the time to write such a well-considered review. Read the full review over on the blog of teacher and fellow writer Janet Ursel: gourmetreading.blogspot/2014/05/review-phoenixville-rising.html
Posted on: Mon, 12 May 2014 13:50:15 +0000
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