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| Reviews (Last updated: 9/10/2009) QUEST FOR THE SIMURGH | | | | Most Helpful Customer Reviews
| | 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Story., August 18, 2009 I couldn't put it down. Enjoyed it more than a lot of other books similar in story matter. The characters were well crafted and the heroine was believable in that you wanted to go along with her on her quest. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to sink into a good adventure tale.
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| | 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Quest for the Simurgh, August 26, 2009 This novel is a delight. Packed full of adventure, it weaves timeless myth and lore with contemporary characters and a fulfilling storyline. The characters felt genuine, and as a reader I cared about their plight. The author holds true to a wonderful and consistent voice while pulling the reader into her world. A lovely, fun-packed tale - an exciting read for all ages. |
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TALES OF A TEXAS BOY Latest Review: Just for the young? Not necessarily!, January 28, 2009 Tales of a Texas Boy is a collection of 21 reminiscences of rural life in the Texas panhandle during the Depression, told in the voice of an eleven year old remembering his childhood as an elderly man (modeled after the author's father). Each tale is short and complete in itself, and all add up to a convincing evocation of what life was like during those days in that area of Texas.
The boy, of course, would not dwell on hardship, deprivation, or lack of creature comforts. From his point of view, he had regular chores to perform, a loving, fairly strict family to live with, and various spells of an interesting or exciting nature to experience.
These include adventures with snakes, a man who had a pet bear, a livestock auction, driving his father's Model A pickup truck, a wild jackass, various odd neighbors, going on an old-fashioned cattle drive, dogs, skunks, fishing, chickens, and his little sister, to name a few. Each story is preceded by a few sentences of authorial scene-setting--a nice touch--and a small black and white photograph, not credited or explained, but adding a pleasant visual accent to the pages.
The prose style has a countrified flavor, but not excessively so. Each story is well narrated, with the right details in the right place and usually a satisfying and appropriate conclusion.
Tales of a Texas Boy is intended to be a young adult book, but I see no reason younger children wouldn't enjoy it too, or adults, for that matter. I enjoyed it myself, and I am very far from a young adult. It reminded me of some of the stories J. Frank Dobie, the grand old man of Texas folklore, used to love. In fact, parents who are in the habit of reading bedtime stories to their children (an excellent idea) might find children as young as five would be entertained by them--the length of the stories is about right, and they offer a fine opportunity for parental dramatic reading. Indeed, the point could be impressed upon the child that daily life, however prosaic it might seem now, is worth gathering and writing down for the interest it might have in the future. It's easy to imagine a sleepy child asking why the Texas Boy never watched television. Calling grandpa and grandma!
(Al Past is the author of the popular Distant Cousin series and reviews for PODBRAM.)
(Excerpt) This book is a collection of twenty stories told by Edward Perkins (Eddie) who lived during the Depression with his Pa, Ma, younger sister Dorothy (Sister), and little brothers James and John, on a 640-acre farm near Hereford, TX, in the panhandle of the state. It gives a picture of days when life was simpler as viewed by an eleven-year-old boy, whose experiences are reminiscent of both Laura Ingalls Wilder and Tom Sawyer. (Excerpt) All in all, there’s nothing to dislike about Tales of a Texas Boy. With the help of her father’s testaments, Dasef recreates the era with real clarity. She conjures the characters and landscape until you can hear that southern drawl, and taste the dust in your mouth. One day a scriptwriter will find this book, and discover that it lends itself just as entertainingly to a TV series. Ed Cox, author and critic for Sam's Dot Publishing (Excerpt) Indeed, these tales are addictive. I challenge anyone to only read one without wanting to continue to the next. Overall, a lovely and valuable collection, I highly recommend it. Diane (Womblin), author and editor. (Excerpt) A lovely set of tales, read in one sitting. I couldn’t put the book down. With a wonderful voice throughout, Ms. Dasef brought sadness, humour, and contentment to my day. I’m very glad I selected Tales of a Texas Boy for review. Delightful! Wilga at Cocktail Reviews Professor Steven Holder (Excerpt) I enjoyed reading Marva's book. American local color writing has always been a favorite genre, and she handles this very well. She creates characters colorfully and effectively. She was smart, I think, to avoid having the boy make any thematic conclusions on his own, and leave them for the reader to think about. The book is a very nice snapshot of one kind of life. I tell students that the chief reason for reading literature is to gain insight into the possibilities of the human experience, and that certainly would be true in this case. Overall, my compliments! Professor Stephen Holder - Past Chair of the English Language and Literature, Central Michigan University Dianne K. Salerni Tales of a Texas Boy is a charming collection of anecdotes about life in Western Texas during the Great Depression. The author has related these stories through the narrative voice of Eddie, who is a slightly fictionalized version of her own father. These twenty vignettes are retold in first person, with an appropriate Texan dialect. I plan to use them in my fifth grade classroom as models for writing personal narrative. Each story is fairly short, the perfect length for a quick classroom reading, and will undoubtedly spark the students to respond with anecdotes of their own. ''That makes me think of the time ...'' Although the historical setting of the tales provides an unfamiliar backdrop for most students, they will be able to relate to stories about Eddie meeting a bevy of skunks in a cornfield, briefly living his dream of becoming a cowboy, and watching an act of acrobatic derring-do from a sheep dog. Because each story revolves around one simple but charming episode of daily life, they provide perfect models for writing workshop. Dianne K. Salerni Author of High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance (Excerpt) [The second is] Tales of a Texas Boy, by Marva Dasef. Ms. Dasef puts on paper the stories told to her by her father of his growing up in the Texas panhandle in the thirties. The stories are real, fresh and heartwarming.
The book is a very quick read and I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates reading about the real America in a much simpler time and place. The people are genuine and the stories are touching. Barry Yelton, author of Scarecrow in Gray
Bryan Catherman - Read the entire review on Bryan Catherman's Blog (Excerpt) Tales of a Texas Boy is much like the Westerns of Louis L’Amour, only a little softer maybe, and shorter. The short stories in the collection carry a feeling of life discovery. It’s what most book critics or English teachers would call, “a coming of age” story. Adults will find this book entertaining, but it’s especially good younger readers.
Now I know what some people might think when they see that Marva self-published; however, there’s a time when this is a good option. Photographer Rich Legg, for example, wanted a calendar for his clients so he self-published one. He also wanted a coffee table book of photos for gifts for his family. He wasn’t looking for big bucks or fame, so the self-publishing path worked well. I believe it works well for Marva too, but I’d like to let her share that in her own words in the next few days. (I hope to provide an interview with Marva Dasef here.) Bryan Catherman, author and critic
(Excerpt) Reading these stories make me feel like I'm sitting down for coffee with my grandpa, listening to him talk about his childhood. The language feels authentic for Texas, but not so that it's difficult to understand if English is not your first language.
These stories are a fun and fantastic read for any age. Childhood is universal, so kids will totally relate. It also provides a glimpse into Texan life in that time period. I'm sending a copy to my mother and I have no doubt she'll read it out loud to my grandmother. When she does, I hope she remembers to use her best Texas drawl. If your Texas drawl is a little rusty, you might want to watch an old cowboy movie first. - Kimber An - Enduring Romance (Excerpt) Each story is told in the first person dialect, giving a sense of Eddie's personality. Ms. Dasef has drawn up a delightful person, full of the awe and wonder of a young lad. Eddie tells us about hunting jackrabbits (Rattlesnakes and Jackrabbits) and the purchase of one obstinate, nasty tempered jackass (The Auction). The characters are well rounded but still presented from young boy's point of view, seen as he would see them. These are only two of the stories included but easily my favorites. The rest of the stories are very engaging, the book a true page turner in a very gentle fashion. -- J. W. Coffey, author of "A Wager of Blood" | |
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