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Reviews of THE BLACK POND |
The Black Pond is a uniquely created story that touches the heart and soul of its readers. It opens up a cascading river of emotions and the effect is breathtaking.
Annie Day has suffered a great personal tragedy and is making a heroic attempt to reconstruct her life. Finding herself penniless, she desperately needs to find some means of support. Annie has been offered a full scholarship at a small, private college in southern Indiana. But she’s having a hard time figuring out how she’s going to attend considering her financial state. When she gains employment through a newspaper ad in the same town as the college, she jumps at the opportunity.
While waiting at the bus station for a ride to the home of her new employer, Annie encounters a suffering stray dog. The site of the abandoned neglected animal brings back all the painful memories from her past. But she also feels a bond with the small being that looks as afraid and tortured as Annie feels. Deciding that they both need one another Annie vows to care for the animal, and names her Stormy. Unfortunately even this small condolence seems to be doom to fail and if not for a young man named Daniel.
Soon it becomes apparent that Daniel and Annie are to become close friends. Annie arrives at the home of Mrs. Sterling, her new employer, and immediately feels a kinship with her as well. As the story progresses Annie begins to recover from some of the pain of her losses and blossoms like a spring flower in her new environment. But just when she thinks everything is settling down, Annie discovers a new secret that threatens to destroy the very foundation she has always lived by.
Chris Dillman has done an excellent job of displaying the pain of loss and the joy of recovery. This heart breaking tale is filled with exquisite details and lively dialogue. The characters feel like old friends and it’s very easy to feel their pain and to rejoice in their victories. I was delighted with the graceful flow of the story and I look forward to seeing more of this talented author that has given me precious moments inside the mind of a true artist. I would recommend that anyone who has felt the bitter pain of loss and sampled the sweet nectar of continuing to live on read this enchanting novel, time and time again.
Thank you Chris for an excellent read and for a story that will bring a tear to my eye and a smile to my lips as it lives on in my imagination for always.
Reviewed by T.A. Von Reiman
For Writer's Nook and Reader's Corner
A moving and sensitively written coming of age story. Annie's tragic loss takes her on a personal journey to discover the strength within her and of those around her, and ultimately leads to her triumph of the heart, with a surprise twist. Annie's tale is the story of the strength of the human spirit and its triumph over pain and adversity and will deeply touch not only young readers, but readers of all ages.
Rebecca Shanley, teacher
California
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The Black Pond is an engaging story of love, loss and hope. With its honest and sincere exploration of the subjects of drunken driving, death, and building relationships to help heal the loss, young readers can approach and understand these issues clearly and compassionately. Further, its vivid imagery, its eloquent figurative language, and its deep symbolism make the story as literarily rich as it is involving and accessible. This book is an excellent choice for young adult readers.
Dan Shanley, English Teacher
New Mexico |
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Annie Day, devastated over the death of her parents from a car accident caused by a drunken driver, accepts a position as a live-in helper to Mrs. Sterling, an elderly blind woman who lives near the college Annie will be attending. Annie befriends a stray dog she names Stormy, and when Stormy is struck by a car, Daniel, a veterinary student, helps rescue the dog and becomes Annie's friend.
Annie begins a new life with Mrs. Sterling and quickly grows to love the log cabin they live in, as well as the state park that backs Mrs. Sterling's property. During her forays into the park, Annie discovers a black pond, which becomes her special place. She also finds a diary written by Mrs. Sterling's daughter, Ginger, who died tragically at a young age and who also was drawn to the black pond. Annie's rage over her parents' deaths begins to dissipate as she grows closer to Daniel and Mrs. Sterling, but when she discovers a secret her parents kept from her, she allows her anger to lead her back to the black pond, a place that also harbors death.
This lovely story will leave the reader with a cozy, warm feeling. But beware, tears will be shed along the way. Ms. Dillman's writing style is exceptional, her descriptive eloquently delivered, the characters portrayed in such a way that the reader will quickly identify with and come to love them. With plenty of smiles to counter the tears, at its core is a heartwarming love story to lift the spirit and brighten the day. I highly recommend this wonderful book.
Christy Tillery French
Author/Reviewer for Midwest Book Review |
Wow! What a great story. . . It took me about two hours to read. It is similar to a story called Because of Winn Dixie, about a girl whose mother left. The girl found a mutt who inadvertantly crashed into the grocery store, thus the dog's name. Anyhow, it deals with emotions and story line about a girl and those who helped her find peace with her life. The Black Pond is a similar version with an older girl. Very poignant and graphic phrasing.
Merri Jensen
3rd Grade Teacher, Florida
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Now that I've laughed and cried and cried and cried and laughed... I just wanted to tell you that I loved it!! Thanks Chris! I can't say anything more descriptive about how much I loved it. I got really attached to the characters very quickly and cared very much for them. Getting to know them and their lives made me cry, but their current lives brought me joy as they cared for one another. It was truly a treat. I've read enough of your writing that I expected it to be really good. It was definitely that and more. I am looking forward to the next one. See... I'm already a fan.
Jennifer Reinecke
BS in Forestry, Masters Degree, Mom |
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A great read! Hard to put down!
Susan Cape
Ivy Tech degree, mom |
| The Black Pond definitely held my interest. The plight of Annie echoed the theme of loss in many young adults lives. You dealt with the theme well, covering many aspects.
The diary entry of abuse seemed to confuse the theme. Annie also wound up undressing "behind Daniel's back" twice in the story with no mention of Daniel's reaction or how "shy Annie" could be so bold to do so (at the pond) or allow it without discomfort.
Your characters were well developed, including Ginger and Abe. I found it highly enjoyable and hope you have much success.
Catherine Elliot
Sunshine State Reader Library Coach for three Florida schools, published in three children’s magazines |
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Reviews of FINDING MY LIGHT |
Although FINDING MY LIGHT is fictional in nature, it is based in reality, namely the author's ancestors, one of whom was one of the first women lighthouse keepers on the Great Lakes. The story takes place during the Civil War and accurately depicts the hardships suffered by families left behind by the men who went off to fight the war.
Emma, a teenager who lacks self-confidence, helps her mother keep the lighthouse burning while her father is serving in the Union Army. When Emma is called upon to deliver secret documents that may advance the end of the war, she does so with bravery and aplomb, falls in love along the way, and finds her true self.
This is a delightful story, filled with suspense, romance, historical information, and characters that are heartwarming and real, as well as those the reader will enjoy harboring a strong dislike for. Written with poetic descriptive and dialogue true to the time frame, the author shows a fine talent for portraying characters with depth. Her presentation of the awkward, self-conscious Emma is sensitive and powerfully realistic. A bonus for fans is her skillful utilization of one of the characters to set up a sequel, which will be anticipated with eagerness. Once again, this talented author delivers a compelling read. Highly recommended.
--Reviewed by Christy Tillery French, author
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Chris Shanley Dillman's latest offering to the literary world is now available at local book outlets and we were pleased to be able to review it for our readers. Chris lives near the Village of Ontonagon and though she is a native of Indiana, her latest novel is based on the lives of her Great-great-great grandparents, Nelson and Eliza Truckey. While her husband was off serving the Union cause in the Civil War (Michigan 27th...historically a real regiment made up largely of UP troops). Eliza took on her husband's job as Keeper of the Marquette, Michigan Harbor Lighthouse and it is this setting in which the story is placed. The author makes it clear that this is a work of fiction based on the lives of members of her family, but that for the purposes of the story, she has altered a bit of the history and the ages of the original subjects, so in reality, this novel is a work of historical fiction, with emphasis on the word fiction.
The heroine is 16-year-old Emma Truckey, daughter of Eliza and oldest child in the family. The story, which has most of the ingredients of a gothic-style romance has spies, shipwrecks, humor, and even a bit of suspense thrown in for good measure. It is a book that is certainly suitable reading for all ages with traditionally wholesome values expressed by the main characters.
Ms. Shanley-Dillman has a special gift of being able to use words to graphically paint nature scenes so that the reader will actually see, and sometimes feel the surroundings in which the story line is set. Her descriptions of waterfalls, streams, weather conditions, and of good old Lake Superior display great sensitivity and powers of observation on the
part of the writer. Her love of animals is quite obvious as she relates at least three cases of animal abuse, all of which seem to have a happy resolution. She also pictures eagles, wolves, and other wild life that is encountered by the characters with great and very accurate detail.
Throughout the 198 pages, we trace the journey of young Emma Truckey through the summer of 1863, the apex of the Civil War, as she makes the transition from insecure and under confident teenager into young adulthood. To lift a few words from the novel:
"Slowly it began to sink in my thick skull. Bobby was saying that I shouldn't let my sole happiness depend on one person, more specifically Alex. He may or may not return. But regardless of what Alex does or doesn't do, I'll always have myself, and I needed to learn to be my own best friend."
Finding My Light is an easy read, and the characters are introduced in good order so that the reader can keep track of them and fit them into one's mind as the story unfolds, however, as things come to a quick conclusion, the reader is left hanging a bit and wondering what comes next. It is quite obvious that Ms. Shanley-Dillman has set her
readers up for a sequel to tie up the loose ends. This reporter found it interesting that the Publisher had included a notation at the frontispiece which states, "At the specific preference of the author, Publish America allowed this work to remain exactly as the
author intended, verbatim, without editorial input." Shanley-Dillman seems to know exactly what tack her story line is to take, but then, as she says in her own forward, "Finding My Light had been a very dear journey in my own heart......"
Finding My Light is currently available at the Ontonagon County Historical Society Museum Gift Shop and will soon be available at the Ontonagon Herald offices. The ISBN number is 1-4137-4970-4
--Reviewed by Harold S. Riter, reporter for The Ontonagon Herold
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Chris Shanley has once again proven herself to be a first-class writer of fiction for young people. Chris' new, exciting, novel, Finding My Light, is also a personal achievement since it traces the history of her own ancestors, the Truckeys, caught in the drama of the Civil War. It is the moving story of Emma, 16 year old daughter of Nelson Truckey, away fighting in the war, and Anastasia, her strong mother, who, with the help of their 3 children, becomes one of the first women lighthouse keepers on the Great Lakes. Their adventures prove to be a very compelling and gripping "can't put down" reading experience.
Most importantly, Chris gives a fine and sensitive portrait of a young woman coming into a sense of who she is. She inhabits her character Emma with a deep understanding of Emma's struggles; her pain and joy and her ultimate embracing of herself. Her story is told with wit, and a true compassion that will speak to the hearts and minds of all who journey with her in this delightful book.
--Reviewed by Gurprasad Khalsa, teacher
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