Helen Humphreys was the first writer to talk at our Reader's Festival. She was excellent. I had not read her before even though she has published 8 novels and two books of fiction. Her speaking style was personable and charming and careful. I knew right from the beginning of her talk that she would be sparse with words. She started out as a poet so she is careful with words. I loved her address at the festival and I love her writing even more.
At the cottage I read "The Evening Chorus" and loved every minute. The story is complicated but because of her sparse language and her attention to the feeling of the character, we readers are easily able to figure it all out. And she does it all in 288 pages. This is a wonderful little book.
Right after the reading at the festival, I read her "Nocturne", a tribute to her brother who died at 45. She addresses her brother in the book, telling him what she has done and what is happening, now that he has died of cancer. It seems maudlin but it is not. It is a wonderful tribute to her brother.
Helen Humphreys is a wonderful and careful writer. In September, she will publish a book about apples, part fiction and part non-fiction. I intend to read it.
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