“A beautiful and heartbreaking story of friendship and survival, abuse and retribution, love and justice, told without sentimentality but with a reporter’s sharp and spare prose.” – Arianna Huffington, editor-in-chief, The Huffington Post
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See below for what reviewers and publications are saying about Thanksgiving by Mary Arno!
A gripping coming-of-age novel. The cruelties and tribulations of adulthood are starkly presented; Thanksgiving is not for the faint of heart. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, Thanksgiving is a sober reminder that youthful optimism and the dogged pursuit of justice are invaluable human qualities expressly because they have a high cost.
— Midwest Book Review, December 2015
This novel is filled with surprises. [It] echoes the interlinking character stories seen in films such as Pulp Fiction and Love Actually. . . . A story of love, justice, survival and abuse, I recommend this book highly; especially the ending, which may catch you off-guard.
— Trident Media UK, Nov. 26, 2015
Thanksgiving is, in many ways, a classic and not surprising tale of several generations of resident families in a small town somewhere in the South or the Midwest. One thinks immediately of To Kill A Mockingbird or Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha County.
— Author Dean Robertson, January 12, 2016 (Full review HERE)
Local Author Provides Feelings of Home in Coming-of-Age Tale
The story begins during the characters’ formative years in 1965 New Orleans. We get a small glimpse into each of their lives, not knowing that the stories will later circle back to important events that happened during this time. . . .As they grow older, their stories wind and intersect, with positive and negative repercussions. Slowly, secrets from that first summer are revealed, with surprising, and sometimes devastating, results.
Mary R. Arno, a New Orleans native, is a talented writer who keeps her prose short and snappy without losing any descriptive flair.
“Thanksgiving” did not disappoint. – The New Orleans Advocate, Nov. 22, 2015
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Amazon Reviews for Thanksgiving
Great read! on March 14, 2016 Format: Paperback
Loved this book. I found myself being drawn into the lives of these unfortunate characters before I realized it. Very well-written.
“Thanksgiving” by Mary Arno is an insightful and provocative reminder that all of our life choices have consequences. Setting and characterization skillfully developed, depict a Southern “color” and patois which reflects the time and place of the story.
Very well written and an excellent book club book. Many characters and story lines setting the ingredients for discussion.
Thanksgiving by Mary Arno is as New Orleans as a book gets. The characters, scenes and stories (more about that) have that lush blend of flawed beauty and beautiful decay that evokes this amazing city. (BTW, if you haven’t yet, you must visit New Orleans.) It’s a quick read. The chapters are interconnecting stories — a format I love. There’s a mystery but not whodunnit style. Thanksgiving is many layered and yet the writing is so precise and masterful that a fat story is encompassed in the book’s slim heft. I was trying to think of how to say the disparate elements of Thanksgiving coalesce into something greater than the sum of its parts when the comparison to gumbo came to me. All those different ingredients come together into a feast for the palette. So it is with Thanksgiving. I feel sure Arno knows her gumbo as well as she does New Orleans.
Feast of twists By Lanny T. on November 14, 2015Netgalley Reviews for Thanksgiving
From Sarah R., Educator: “Mary R. Arno’s ‘Thanksgiving’ is a beautifully fractured narrative offering glimpses into the lives of three women over the course of their childhoods and adult lives. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to; I initially found it disjointed and hard to follow. Ultimately, however, I came to be very attached to the characters and their intertwined stories. Arno writes with a poetic, visual touch, bringing characters, story and setting to life through revealing and well-chosen detail.”
Recommends this book? YES
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EARLY PRAISE FOR THANKSGIVING…
“A beautiful and heartbreaking story of friendship and survival, abuse and retribution, love and justice, told without sentimentality but with a reporter’s sharp and spare prose.” – Arianna Huffington, editor-in-chief, The Huffington Post
“An excellent writer, highly recommended.” – Tom Franklin, award-winning author of
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and Hell at the Breech
“A contemporary Southern version of Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio. Exquisitely wrought, spare and gorgeous prose, wonderful dialogue–this book is a winner and highly recommended.” – Denise Hamilton, best-selling author of the Eve Diamond crime novels
“For those of us who grew up experiencing New Orleans… Thanksgiving hits close to home– maybe too close. It’s like stories we’re hearing from cousins about long-hidden family secrets. It flows freely, like hot beignets and coffee and chicory at Cafe du Monde on a crisp morning during football season.” – P.M. LaRose, author of First Case of Beers
“From bayou mystique to Big Easy intrigue, here is an authentic Louisiana tale, well told. With characters that exude all the quirks and charm of exotic New Orleans and its environs, Thanksgiving navigates a gauntlet of trauma, survival and redemption and delivers a story that will keep readers in its grip from start to finish.” – Ron Thibodeaux, author of Hell or High Water: How Cajun Fortitude Withstood Hurricanes Rita and Ike.
“Mary R. Arno’s “Thanksgiving” is a beautifully fractured narrative offering glimpses into the lives of three women over the course of their childhoods and adult lives… Arno writes with a poetic, visual touch, bringing characters, story and setting to life through revealing and well-chosen detail.” – Sarah Roe, Teachers College, Columbia University