(From
a former school teacher and editor)
A fifty-ish adventurer
seeks a treasure on a small Caribbean island and unexpectedly finds
three. You'll be rooting for which one he keeps depending on which
side of fifty you find yourself. See and feel the beauty and danger
as the author paints the scenes for you in unforgettable colors and
textures that stay in your mind even after you've reluctantly put down the
book. I'm waiting for the movie!
Marilyn Kwasnick Bliok -
Great Neck, NY
(From a fellow Laneite)
Finished your book and enjoyed it very much. Especially, I think,
because it was written by someone with a similar background to mine.
I know PS 161 (it was 171 for me), Irish town (my dad was Irish -
I've been there), and Woodhaven. My husband to be and my dad
went to some of the 55 series games and I listened to Jack Armstrong on
the radio. I felt a part of it. I was drawn into the story
line quickly but was very let down at the end because I wanted to know if
they went and what happened if they did.
Guess that
was your purpose - keeping me waiting for a sequel. If there isn't
one I'll be disappointed. I also learned what an iconoclast is and a good
bit about boating which is not one of my things. All told it was a
very pleasant reading experience.
Maureen
Lewis Alhouse - Claremont, VA.
(From a voracious
Florida reader-)
"I
sat
down to read your book and I just read and read and
read. What an exciting wonderful novel. I enjoyed it so much and do hope
it makes its way into a movie. What a thrill that would be and your
hurricane scenes in a movie would be so exciting. I enjoyed every minute
of it and the sign of a good story is when its over, you feel as though
you want more. Terrific."
Flo
Schlotterbeck - Fla.
(From a screw
manufacturer on a year's hiatus with his wife in an Italian villa on the Mediterranean.)
"I
finished your book in record time and now need to know when you plan to
write the next one. It's a barn burner and was very difficult to put down.
Marianne is now reading it, so I can't get a word in edgewise. I'm
lucky I'm getting anything to eat."
George
Hugues - Bayshore, L.I. - Islamorada, FL - and currently - Bogliasco,
Genova, Italy
(From a busy salesman in Florida)
"I received the book this morning and I'm already up to chapter 19. Boy, you weave
quite a tale there! I have to admit, I've never been one to sit down and
read any book, much less a novel, but this one has me wanting to pick it
up and read a little bit more every chance I get."
Norm Wilson - Fla
(From a
Pennsylvania Author)
" I was pleasantly surprised to receive
a copy of your novel Corbalo's Gold this (Monday) evening. I
just ordered it from your website on Friday!
I only had time to read a page or two but couldn't put it down until I
completed seven chapters. It really grabbed me. I was immediately drawn
in. Your plot and character development are second to none. The story is intriguing
and the prose fast paced. I have a real dilemma on my hands right now, as
whether to continue reading or to save my marriage by taking my wife to
dinner."
(Then on Tuesday Morning)
"P.S. I skipped dinner and read another eight chapters!"
(and finally Saturday Morning)
"I
just finished your exciting book and was very gratified. It was fabulous.
I especially enjoyed how it sped up toward a crescendo at the end.
Keep turning out books like this one!"
All
of the above from-
Christopher Cole -
Doylestown, PA
An honest to goodness literary critic, who calls it...
 A
Great Ride
Once in a while, it's important to
get away from the serious sobriety of day to day routine and be taken for
a great ride through fiction, and "Corbalo's Gold" provides that
adventure. Although an adventure novel, Dickman writes with an narrative
insight that's atypical of such romps. One gets a distinct sense that he
could write mainstream if he put his pen to it, but that his talent
integrates well with his ability to spin a good tale.
The narrative shifts were at
times a bit confusing (and are the primary reason I rated Corbalo's
Gold 4
rather 5 stars), but Dickman was able to keep me interested enough to keep
on. Which is to say, I felt they needed a bit of ironing out, but they did
not take away from the voyage. (They didn't sink the book, it just took me
a while to get my sea legs.)
The final sentence of the first
paragraph of Chapter One on its own made it worth taking a chance on this
new author! Dickman certainly has a talent for throwing out the net and
keeping the reader towing along for the next wave.
Reviewer:
Quinn Tyler Jackson from Vancouver, British Columbia
Meet
Taylor Barnes |
February
6, 2002 |
"Corbalo's Gold" may
be a first novel, but it could not have been better if it had been the
author's second or third. Its principal character is Taylor Barnes, age
50, a late bloomer who's spent the last 25 years married to his childhood
sweetheart. It's a great marriage; then she dies and he's got to conquer
his grief and will himself to start all over again. The challenges he
faces, the obstacles he must overcome make for exciting reading. The kind
that induces reviewers to try to come up with a new way to say "I
couldn't put it down."
Reviewer:
Robert Jagoda from Kingston, NY United States
|
