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Reviews

REVIEWS FOR THE BUILDING

Kirkus Starred Review — “Indie Best Books of the Month for June 2018” — “The prose is poetically ambitious and sometimes wildly unrestrained, which is well-suited to the pervasive sense of chaos and urgency…. The pace is unhurried but inexorable, a relentless march toward a shocking conclusion. This is a sinewy first installment in a planned trilogy—artistically unflinching and morally unsentimental. An audacious, gripping, and wise novel.”

Self-Publishing Review — “Snodgrass does not fall victim to stereotypical portrayals of women – [Pamela] has depth and carries herself through her narrative in such a way that makes the reader sad to say goodbye…. Though on the surface it’s a novel about a single building in a small town, the novel has a big story to tell within an inventive literary framework, making The Building an ambitious and intricately woven work of literary fiction.”

Indie Reader 5 Star—”IndieReader Approved” — “Like the Mississippi William Faulkner evoked in his Yoknapatawpha County novels, Furnass commemorates a slice of the Rust Belt as a singular place and time of sadness yet endurance. The construction industry seldom is the topic of serious literature, but in The Building it rises to great heights, a distinctly American tragedy.”

REVIEWS FOR SOME RISE

Kirkus Reviews – “The author artfully conjures a mesmeric juxtaposition of the quotidian and the forbidden—the Sutcliffs are not wanting in familial love, but their passions are so intense that affection only appears in a grotesquely disfigured form. . . . An artistically daring examination of the line that separates love from fanatical possession.”

Self Publishing Review – “Read in succession, The Building and Some Rise work to create a fully-fledged history of Furnass, and an epic story following the families who have lived in this town over the years. A sequel that improves on its predecessor – in part because the combination of the two is telling such a rich and layered story – Some Rise is an impressive work of fiction in what is shaping up to be a great literary series.”

IndieReader Review, “IndieReader Approved” – “Richard Snodgrass’ gift for characterization, plotting, and dialogue make Some Rise one of the most engaging family sagas/literary mysteries we’ve read in years.”

REVIEWS FOR ALL FALL DOWN

IndieReader Review, 4.5 out of 5 IR Rating – “. . . All Fall Down [is] a small-town, who-dunnit novel, containing both a dose of literary flair and poignant nuance.
. . . the novel is a double-edged sword, containing both astute subconscious observations and page-turning intrigue about the regular travails of a small town and a series of unlikely crimes it can scarcely fathom.”

REVIEWS FOR A Book of Days

SELF-PUBLISHING REVIEW, 4.5 Rating – “As a whole, this novel is complex and original, giving readers a glimpse into two rich narratives, and a third touching story broken into bookends, while simultaneously asking powerful questions about love, loyalty, innocence, and integrity.”

Kirkus Reviews – “A mesmerizing soldier’s tale, grippingly dramatic.”

IndieReader Review – “The undulating tale of a single colonial fort and its engagement with native American boundaries in 18th century Pittsburgh, A BOOK OF DAYS is a dark tale and a triumph of subtle life interactions and smart character development.”

Kirkus Magazine Profile

An interview with Richard Snodgrass

BY ALEC HARVEY • APRIL 27, 2020

Confessions of a Shy Self-Publisher

Cat Pics

The following photographs are of our two cats: Frankie—smaller, rounder, mostly black with a skunk-like face; and, Becca—larger, longer, black and white (I sometimes describe her as a white cat wearing a black cape). The sisters came to us as feral kittens, only 4 to 5 weeks old, from a litter discovered on the grounds of our townhouse complex, Chatham Village.

The first photos, 1 through 8, show the girls on the first night in their new home. As you can see, they were so young their eyes were still blue and undeveloped. What the photos don’t show is what came next: both kittens squatted down and pissed on our hardwood floors. Marty and I looked at each other and decided we needed a plan.

When an earlier cat, Tim, who we rescued on the grounds was thought to have rabies, we kept him quarantined for six months in a large dog crate in the basement. We outfitted the crate with scratching post, cat’s pan, bed, and hanging toys; we’d go down in the evening and read to him to keep him company—he seemed to prefer Dickens. We still had the crate, so we decided it was a good place to help a couple of wild girls get acclimated to civilization.

Twice a day during the six weeks The Girls were in residence in their “apartment,” Marty and I would go down and visit them, taking them out to play and get them used to being handled. Photos 9 through 14 show one of these playtimes. It was interesting that Frankie on her own had no concept how to play; she’d have to wait and watch Becca before she’d learn how to do anything. We also spent a lot of time while they were in the crate teaching them their names. To this day they know who they are and come when they’re called. Frankie especially likes to be a “Good girl.”

Photos 15 through 24 show the girls on Independence Day—the day we brought them upstairs and gave them the run of the house. As you can see, a great time was had by all. Photos 25 through 30 show the girls as they have grown older. Frankie has selected me as her main human, spending hours on my lap whenever she can. Becca has selected Marty, having long conversations with her, and giving a little cry like a “Bless you!” every time Marty sneezes. Both cats spend most of their days asleep on my desk as I work, in one of the three beds placed there for them. At least they’re not spoiled….