Thursday, March 08, 2007

CATCHING GENIUS, Kristy Kiernan




The amazing Kristy Kiernan's debut novel, Catching Genius, hits the streets today.

I've been excited about this book ever since I read an excerpt from it after meeting Kristy at last year's Southern Kentucky Book Festival. Now that it's out, I can say it was definitely worth the wait.

Understand, this is not my usual sort of book at all, by which I mean that nothing gets blown up and no one is menaced with a chainsaw. But hey, a good book is a good book, and this story of a pair of once-inseparable sisters who became estranged after one was found to be a math prodigy gently but firmly hooked me and drew me in.

I think the thing that strikes me most about this book is Kiernan's subtly deft use of language. Her writing is very assured, lovely without being self-consciously showy. And the characters are so real, so true to life, you feel like you could take out the phone book at look up their numbers.

Catching Genius is a keeper. Check it out.

6 comments:

  1. DUSTY! *sniff* Thank you! Drinks on me at SoKY...or at least A drink, no, this is definitely worth two!

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  2. Kristy writes so beautifully that I never even thought to miss the chainsaw....

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  3. *sigh* I'll put one in my next book.

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  4. I hear this thing is grim. Unremittingly so, in fact. So I'm AAAAAALL 'bout it.

    Congrats Kristy!

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  5. Nathan, the worst I got on this one was: "easy-reading if maudlin." But then the same person also called it "moving." So I think I'm going back to unremittingly grim for the next one. At least it's really definite, you know?

    Thanks, Nthan :-)

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