JOANNE AND GERRY DRYANSKY

(Morgan James Publishing)

 

In the sun porch windows on 240th Street in Cambria Heights, little gold starred banners hang their emblems of cheerless pride—pathetic titles to the ownership of loss.

 

1946: In Cambria Heights, an outlying working-class enclave of New York City the people, having lived through years of calamitous losses and fears, are ready to revive the modestly idyllic life of their cherished little neighborhood—but their idyll is imperiled.

 

GI's are still returning seriously wounded in the mind and emotionally as well as physically maimed. This while the worst polio epidemic in American history menaces to spread through the community troubled by a "Cold War" that forebodes a more catastrophic real one again—and, in particular, the idyll is defiled by an outbreak of racism when a black air ace and war hero returns "home."

 

Erin Burke, our imaginary heroine, takes us on a time trip there––wedding her own imagination to her memory in her novel about her fateful coming of age.

(Miramax Books, and worldwide)

Warmhearted and witty, this story of love, loneliness, and determination is alive with the sights and tastes of Paris. Fatima's Good Fortune is a tribute to the power of kindness in an unpredictable world.

From our Readers is a flood of praise for "Fatima's Good Fortune".

(Pegasus Books, New York)

 

"A journey that will delight the palate and nourish the soul"

-- Kirkus Reviews

 "A book to dream over"

— Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize winner, at The Washington post.

( Actes Sud, McArthur&Co. Canada)

"Whitman, N.Y., a nice upstate town, the kind you never read about.... You'd get turned in by your neighbors for not separating your trash at the dump. Otherwise, everyone's your friend..."

Like a modern-day Hansel and Gretel tale, Satan Lake engages us in the plight of two kids on the cusp of puberty, Angie and Ross, who are trying to straighten out their lives twisted by dysfunctional adults, in a world that is Norman Rockwell by day and Edward Hopper by night.
Their plight and the dread hanging over the town come together in a shocking resolution.

"Satan Lake is a fantastic read… a fast-paced, exciting mystery…. Satan Lake will be devoured quickly and likely in only one or two sittings."
-Edwards Magazine Book Club, Canada

"Satan Lake reads breathlessly. Each word has its importance and every situation takes us to a new no-man's-land."
-Page des Libraires, the magazine for French booksellers

"It keeps the reader from putting it down with impressive ease and effectiveness.... One of the last beautiful surprises of the literary season."
-Bruno Corty, Le Figaro Littéraire

"A thriller, a psychological drama and an intense love affair. With skillful construction the Dryanskys create a sophisticated trap and make it our turn to plunge into the mired waters of Satan Lake."
-Philippe Chevilley, Les Echos

"A page-turner that immediately plunges the reader into a sort of compulsive dizziness"
-Marc Bertin le SudOuest newspaper on Sunday

"The suspense is captivating around every character in a truly passionate intrigue."
-Claude Le Nocher, ABC POLAR

"Brilliant"
-Grazia

"This book is superb!"
-Alain Carton, Entre parenthèses, radio

"A strong and captivating novel"
-La Marseillaise daily

"It will keep you holding your breath and won't let you leave it unscathed!"
-le Blog de Pimprenelle

"If you're tired of the same old thrillers, read this. It's captivating, disturbing and original."
-Télemoustique, Belgium

"Terrifying....intelligent.... I loved it."
-Brigitte Namour, leslivresquejaime.net

"Violent, agressive, but excellent."
-Cécilia. www.place-to-be.fr

"Bewitching!"
-Coolture

"Diabolically well-constructed....captivating and terrifying. An excellent novel that I recommend widely."
-Marie-Madeleine Auclaire, L'Yonne se livre