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AnneK7@aol.com
What writers do you read?
Jodi Picoult, James Patterson, Laura Lippman, Janet Evanovich, Jennifer Weiner.
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
I could not put this book down. I found it to be very moving. It was an emotionally charged book. CAGE'S BEND dealt with family and the heartbreak families can experience. I would definitely recommend it.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Yes.
Clogwoman@aol.com
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
First of all, thank you so much for sending me CAGE'S BEND. It's always fun to get free books! Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. Every page held my attention and was disappointed when I finished reading it.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
I would read anything and everything by Carter Coleman and would like more autobiographical details. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to "discover" another favorite author!
Pat76273@aol.com
What writers do you read?
When I find a writer I like, I generally start to read their previous and future books. In between new releases of one author, there are other authors I follow. These would include John Grisham, Patricia Cornwell, Dan Brown --- all of whom are consistently in the top ten of Best Seller Lists. This year I discovered Elizabeth Berg who writes like women think which makes reading her books like an exercise in summarizing your own thoughts. As you read her, you are saying to yourself, "Oh, yeah, that's right!" Then I try to read new authors who may have just had their first or second book published. I find these writers through Internet newsletters from book websites which suggest new authors or from Barnes and Noble's Great New Writers. This category has included Monica Ali, Carlos Ruiz Zafon, Jeffery Eugenides, Deborah LeBlanc, Kristin Gore (Al's daughter --- I am from Tennessee and felt a kinship to the Gore family that compelled me to read her first novel), co-writers Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason, Rick Bragg, Mark Cohen and others.
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
Books written with the South as the venue are enjoyable as I have lived in the South all my life (remember that you must draw out the words "all my life" to feel the South in the phrase) and have an affinity for it. In CAGE'S BEND, the Rutledge family --- Frank and Margaret and their three sons, Cage, Nick, and Harper lived in Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia. They moved often because Frank was a preacher.
In other books, authors have created entire new worlds or describe worlds with which the reader is unfamiliar, such as Carlos Ruiz Zafon describing 1945 Barcelona in The Shadow of the Wind. However, Carter Coleman has placed the reader in the reality of the South with its social and cultural aspects --- a setting which rang true for me. Cage, the eldest son, succumbs to manic-depression after his brother Nick is killed in a car accident. In the South, they say everyone has at least one in their family and shouldn't be stigmatized by this. This is a personal unfolding of the manner in which each family member relates to each other and the world around them in the years following Nick's death --- the children's hopes and dreams and the parents' hopes for them. Cage goes in and out of his manic-depressive stages --- disappearing from the family only to then rely heavily on them for recovery. Harper finds commitment impossible and hops from one woman to another. And Margaret throws herself into church work with her husband. Coleman has successfully taken us through their efforts to cope by having each chapter written in the first person of one, then another of the characters while spanning more than two decades. It begins to feel familiar as if your own family history is being told. Well written in all aspects. A good addition to Southern literature.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Yes, I would read a future book. It would be interesting to see what topic he selects next. It is interesting to see what direction an author will take as he continues to write.
mchlmlgnz@msn.com
What writers do you read?
Anne Perry, Perri O'Shaughnessy, Linda Fairstein, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, Iyanla Van Zant.
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
It was a pretty honest look at how family's deal with problems and I really enjoyed it. I loved that it was an honest look at bipolar disorder. I was glad that the family did not give up in dealing with their problems.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Yes.
kjr@txcyber.com
What writers do you read?
I read murder mysteries (Diane Mott Davidson, Janet Evanovich, David Baldacci), inspirational (Jan Karon, Rick Warren) and 20th century writers such as John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, Eudora Welty, Anne Tyler, Joyce Carol Oates.
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
Coleman explored the depths of bipolar disorder and the resultant devastation with a convincing authoritative voice. I eventually fell into the unique handling of point of view, finding myself anxious to get to Cage's chapters, yet connecting with the mother in her despair over the "lost" sons. Coleman's novel is a story that needs to be told.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Yes, I would read another book by Coleman.
lorakh@insightbb.com
What writers do you read?
Thank you for the book, CAGE'S BEND. I appreciated receiving it and reading it --- especially since I was snowed in for almost a week recently! Authors I read: Wally Lamb, John Grisham, Anita Shreve, Richard North Patterson, Kaye Gibbons, Sue Miller, Andre Dubus III, Anne Tyler, Scott Turow, Thomas Harris (until that awful HANNIBAL!), and recently, Jennifer Weiner are among some I read.
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
Strangely, I liked the book better after I had finished it. It gave me a lot more empathy for what a manic-depressive person goes through and a better understanding of why one might not just take his medicine. Mr. Coleman sure did a good job showing the tribulations of an ill person's family members. I was glad, after all the sadness in the book, that it ended on a positive note. I thought the writing was terrific in many ways, but using first person for different characters while jumping back and forth between them often had me confused and looking back to check on who was talking.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Yes, I would possibly read another Carter Coleman book, but I wouldn't be as sure I'd like it as with some other authors.
RM5156@aol.com
What writers do you read?
Barbara Kingsolver, John Grisham, Nicholas Sparks, Tracy Chevalier, Robin Cook.
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
My heart went out to the Rutledge family over and over again. Margaret Rutledge (mother) voiced: "nothing is sadder than parents burying their own child" in reference to their son, Nick, that died in a car accident. After Nick's ashes were scattered off the top of Roan Mountain in North Carolina, Margaret noted that Cage (oldest son) wept and after scattering the ashes "stood on the edge of a cliff for a long time as if he might follow Nick into the abyss." Cage suffered from "manic-depression" and at times almost took the family into the abyss with him. His illness impacted the entire family from coast to coast and back again.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Yes, I would. I especially like the way he used "bold type" in the chapters that reviewed the past. It made it much easier to flip back and forth in time while reading the novel.
Stichigh@aol.com
What writers do you read?
Alexander McCall Smith, Dorthea Benton Frank, Jan Goldstein, Pat Conroy, Dan Brown, John Grisham, Monica Ali, Barbara Hambly, Laurie R. King, Jeffery Eugenides, numerous children's authors and the list goes on and on and on!
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
Honestly, I was very disappointed. Maybe it was just too much testosterone for little ol' me. I am going to give it to my husband when he finishes the book he is reading and see if he likes it. I just didn't care for the glorified, drug-infested male bonding. The book also tended to skip around too much. I do not mind time and place changes but not within the same paragraph. I had to go back several times to pick up the story line, right from the beginning.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Possibly.
blhaley@qwest.net
What writers do you read?
I read just about every genre. My favorite authors though are Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, Sandra Brown, Lawrence Sanders, and Jennifer Crusie. I also like to read some of the classics, such as Steinbeck.
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
I am enjoying it so far, in fact I am having a hard time putting it down. Coleman's characters in CAGE'S BEND are genuine and while reading I actually care about them Cage's battle with mental illness and the effect it has on his family can be moving and sometimes humorous. Harper is an interesting character with a heavy burden to bear. It seems he has his own problems, but yet has to take care of his parents and Cage, though I get the feeling it is more than he wants to do. The book is excellent, it has a bit of everything; humor, drama, and coming of age. Coleman has a way with words, they are at times poetic, but the words flow well. When I first took a peek at the book from the beginning I thought it might be a "hard" read. But I have found the exact opposite to be true. It is one that may become a classic.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Yes, I would. I plan to get his other book THE VOLUNTEER, when I am done with this one.
Kittal@aol.com
What writers do you read?
The writers I read are: James Patterson, John Grisham, Steve Martini, Jonathan Kellerman, Pat Conroy, John Jakes, Nora Roberts (J. D. Robb), Sue Monk Kidd, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Fannie Flagg, Jan Karon, Catherine Coulter, Maeve Binchy, Diane Mott Davidson, Anita Shreve, Barbara Delinsky, Fern Michaels, Joan Medlicott, Anne Rivers Siddons, and Carter Coleman.
What did you think of CAGE'S BEND?
Since I find books where each chapter is written in a different character's voice a little disjointed it took me a while to get into CAGE'S BEND. Getting past this, it really held my interest. Carter Coleman writes a very moving, thought provoking family saga. Having a cousin in my family who is bipolar made Cage's character come to life for me. It was so well written that I have to wonder if he has personal knowledge of someone who is bipolar, or if his information came strictly from research.
Would you read a future book by Carter Coleman?
Yes, I would read a future book by Carter Coleman.
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