Brier Country catches the spirit of today's Appalachia. Palencia does not depend on historical nostalgia; rather she depicts the interweaving of traditions and the modern world, showing both their tensions ands their harmony. She has a talent for the exact word and rhythm of words. She can combine humor and horror in a character such as the college president in "Man on Horseback" or a situation as in "Briers". She writes memorable lines and creates scenes I shall never forget. Would that every reader could enjoy these stories.

Memorable stories; memorable characters. "Guard Your Man" is one of the best women's sports stories I've ever read. "The Three Graces" is one of the most moving father/daughter stories I've ever read. This writer seems deeply grounded in the best classical 19th century U.S. short story tradition and at the same time completely modern. Her prose is gorgeous. I love when a writer writes with respect and insight about characters and places often treated satirically by pseudosophistacated urban provincials. This is a really terrific book. If you like short stories, read it; if you are interested in Appalacia, read it; if you like good writing, read it. My congratulations to this author.

I scoffed at the title when I first saw it, but when my friend lent it to me, I couldn't separate myself from it. The stories and characters are better than fiction. The human dramas and strength evidenced by the women in this Appalachian town are beautifully and powerfully written about by Palencia. The stories are from women of all age groups which should offer wide appeal. I'm ordering this book today for my library and I can't wait to booktalk it.

The eighteen stories in here (and I assume the prologue by the librarian is as fictional as any of the other stories) were completely engaging. I loved the way characters appear as stars in their own stories and then reappear in the background of others. This is so much like earlier stories in US lit -- Zona Gale, Helen Reimensnyder Martin, Margaret Deland, Elsie Singmaster, Olive Dargon, etc. The synechdotal rendering of entire communities is a genre that has always given me great pleasure. It reinforces the reality of our inter-connedtedness without minimizing our uniqueness. And the writing is absolutely wonderful. I'd like to hear what others think about the book and I'd love to read comments from the writer herself.

Elaine Fowler Palencia is a fine fiction writer who has said that she had to find a new language to write about her handicapped son Andrew. That language was poetry. Palencia speaks it like a native, and she pulls no punches in telling the truth of what it's like to watch you child's body outgrow his mind. A sad experience, sometimes ugly, sometimes terrifying, but with moments of odd and poignant beauty.

Elaine Palencia has given us 15 masterful poems on the subject of mothering a son who suffered brain damage in infancy and will never grow up. The poems are devastatingly honest but without a shred of self-pity or self-righteousness. There is no morbidity or sentimentality here, but we are shown the constant struggle (as in the title poem (Taking the Train) and grief (The Empty Street of Children), and the occasional moment of joy (The Locked Trunk). Everyone should read When Speaking with the Family of a Retarded child and Rock, Paper, Scissors. From that poem: But I cannot stop/Trying to catch/His life in words,/ Cannot stop trying/ To touch the beating/ Heart of why./ Someone else will/ Know this much/ Because I have/ Written it down.