Two reviews for A Very Tall Summer have come in. Both are very generous and encouraging, and of course much appreciated.
From Diana: “I purchased this book after reading Baird’s novel Ordinary Handsome, which I highly recommend. A Very Tall Summer is another unique tale, full of ghosts that Baird introduces at his leisure as the story bubbles up from the deep. He’s in no hurry to divulge the secrets of Charlotte’s life; they percolate to the surface as the reader sits inside her head and listens to her moment by moment thoughts. There’s no narrator giving the reader a bird’s eye view. The extremely tight point of view requires the reader to float with the story until the pieces take shape, shift, and sharpen. Baird is a master wordsmith, painting a vivid world of sound and motion, rife with feeling, and deadly in its inevitability. Enjoy.”
From Jane: “I’m still having a hard time describing how Baird’s story affected me. Take that as a good thing. I went back and re-read it to make sure I had extracted all I could.
Baird’s use of language is both elegant and gritty. It is layered and often unexpected; and it makes something striking out of an otherwise simple story. He uses his skill to pin you to the page in a way which both pleases and disturbs, creating a kind of cognitive dissonance which will both repel and compel you. A keen observer, he will activate all your senses, sometimes in ways you wish he would not. You will find you are unable to turn away from the taste of sweat and the crunch of cartilage….
“Steven Baird has something special. I suspect he can produce literature with a capital L, and I look forward to finding out.”
A Very Tall Summer is available at: http://www.amazon.com/Steven-Baird/e/B00P4KW612
Ordinary Handsome 