Book of the Year, Foreword Reviews, Third Place
Colorado Press Association EVVY Award for Cover Design–Third Pace (David Robson)
Excerpt, “When Walls Weep,” Runner-up, The Florida Editors’ Prize for a short story
For a small-town conservative mayor and his liberal activist wife, politics, principles and personalities collide when the Blessed Virgin Mary appears on an underpass, a farmer wants to build an “exact replica” of Noah’s Ark across from the State Forest, and their daughter makes a startling, life-altering decision.
“[I]nventive and genuinely funny …. Reed dishes out ridiculousness without devolving into manic slapstick and courageously tackles controversial issues with a graceful touch. The author rightfully lets her characters speak for themselves as much as possible, with sharp-tongued dialogue ….”
Kirkus Reviews
“[Reed’s] touching, amusing, and ultimately poignant novel plays pitch-perfect notes in a quirky symphony of a small Wisconsin town, the best of middle America …. From the first page, distinct characters emerge, both crafty and caring, to claim the reader’s attention and affection in a novel that satisfies to the last sentence while raising questions of personal beliefs and civic values.”
Lois Barliant
author of One Day’s Tale
“In this funny, sensitive novel, Reed laughs with, never at, the mayor, his family, and his constituents as they confront the bewildering passions and contradictions of our highly unpredictable times.”
G.W. Kennedy
author of Dead Arm and Purpose Pitch