PANCAKE HOLLOW PRIMERa Hudson Valley Story
by Laurence Carr |
WINNER 2012
Next Generation Indie Book Award for First Novel (under 80,000 words) |
Pancake Hollow Primer is the story of Gulf War vet and drifter Press Frank Closky who finds himself on a physical and spiritual journey after he inherits an 1820s farmhouse in New York’s Hudson Valley. At first indifferent to his ownership of “seven acres with a house, outbuildings, and all the contents within,” Frank discovers a land where nature speaks its ancient history, where ghosts and seers hold the past, and where he comes to find his place in a rock-laden piece of property and a house with no square corners.
Inspired by writers like Sarah Orne Jewett, naturalist John Burroughs, and poets Gary Snyder and Mary Oliver, author Laurence Carr weaves together fiction, essay, and prose poem to create an insightful and often humorous tale of rural life and how an old house and its land can bring a broken person back to wellness. Cover Photo by Gary Mathius Cover design by Tony Davis Book Design by Alicia Fox Available through SUNY Press, Codhill Press and through local and online bookstores.
The themes of the book take hold. Acceptance, history, love. When I closed the book (bidding farewell to Frank) the whole of Pancake Hollow “I found this work deeply touching. Home really is worth finding for Frank Closky, perhaps for all of us. Pancake Hollow Primer is also intriguing for being an amalgam of prose and poetry. It’s very readable, very down to earth, very enjoyable.” 5 Stars (Highest Rating)
—Goodreads Website |
Praise for Pancake Hollow Primer
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