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Duckpuddle Road..Lose yourself in this marvelous tale!
"A delightfully amusing, insightful story of friendship set in the context of a tumultuous era of change and uncertainty, which unfolds in a quaint and rustic, rural Maine town... a small yet mighty masterpiece with an endearing, inspired title that will leave you deeply enamoured with James Kenny's unique and compelling writing style! Alysia Salsi"
Dufkpuddle Road: A Story of Maine
"Dufkpuddle Road: A Story of Maine -- Review by Richard Shain Cohen, author, 4 novels, 2 non-fiction books- and 1 book of poetry. See www.richardshaincohen.com Duckpuddle Road: A Story of Maine, superbly follows through with its title. Duckpuddle is a farm road in what we know as Downeast Maine. Want a town, then think of the real ones such as Camden, Rockport, and Warren where so many farms are located. And if you care to go south, think of Portland, north then think of the County, Aroostook that is the farthest north one may travel and in which is located Fenwick College where the main character has attended. This brings about meetings with others who have gone there and decided either to visit or live Downeast. These people one would imagine are friends, but like any so-called friendship, they are not always smooth when it comes to deciding where to go for a beer or a swim. This takes one to another of Maine favorites: ice fishing during the cold winters, getting out on the ice with a wood-built small building in which to get out of the cold or snow while drilling holes in the ice to get yourself a bass or a trout. The characters that Kenny depicts are real. Their arguments are over crops and the killing of a cow that becomes one of the most important mysteries, especially when the farmer who has lost his animal comes out with a Remington 30-06 that the man “was barely able to hold.” With it he is determined to find the human or animal killer. Serious though this may be to the one who has lost a valuable animal, he is one who is capable of accusing any person he dislikes. The hunt, however, is lost in Kenny’s marvelous sense of humor. Then the night at the bar, “I descended into this nether region and found a place at the near end of the dark altar rail.” There the narrator can watch this “bazaar where people shared, learned about each other, settled differences, brokered liaisons, and at times came seriously close to actually enjoying themselves.” Then she enters, Janine. She is “a striking, dark-eyes brunette. She wore a teasey-tight black sweater.” But when she sees the narrator, she “becomes ice . . .intent perhaps on murder.” He has left her for Becky who is now his wife. Or think of the snowy days Downeast. The snow is a “white abscess engulfing” all who venture into it and get “lost in a fog and slush.” Or think of the spring or summer and the loons as Maine folks” see or hear. The “big birds on the lake are akin to a celestial blessing. Their dusk cry, melancholy . . . The tone was as lovely as a heaven harp and coda to a mild summer’s day.” This magnificent story of Maine, Duckpuddle Road, is brilliant in its seriousness and its humor, and certainly in its descriptions. Do read it, and I am certain you will thoroughly enjoy this pictograph of Maine."
REVIEW Duckpuddle Road by James T. Kenny
"Jim Kenny knows how to tell a story! This book reads like a story being told sitting in a rocking chair outside the general store. I have lived in Maine most of my life and as I sit looking out at the snow, I smile as I recollect the vignettes that took place on Duckpuddle Road many years ago. I did not know Jim then, but am happy to have been able to participate in his autobiographical piece about his early years in Maine. It is especially interesting to reminisce about the historical background. Many of us can remember where we were and what we were doing that fateful afternoon in October 1963. It was a time that both solidified and threw the nation into some turbulent times. This story is told in the shadow of these events as they shaped his life and the lives of all of us. As an author Jim is highly readable. His book leads the reader from one moment on the farm to another, making us anxious for more. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves Maine or who wants to learn more about life there. It is both authentic and descriptive and left me with some wonderful memories of an earlier and younger time. Delia Trafford Instructor, English Eastern Maine Community College"
Duckpuddle Road
"Duckpuddle Road; a Story of Maine by James T. Kenny I found this to be a superb novel about the many lives, adventures, delights and insights into the characters that have journeyed the path of life with the central character, Sully. The story begins in late 1963, a month after the presidential assassination, as a young couple lives in the country on Duckpuddle Road in Maine. The book weaves a fabulous story of the characters from their college days to the present about their adventures, mysteries and antics. There are frequent houseguests at the farmhouse on Duckpuddle Road. The eccentricities of the characters dance on the pages and are amusing and at the same time dramatic. I was fascinated with the psyche of each character and enjoyed their adventures and looked forward with great expectation to each chapter. Sully's mind closely absorbs the nuances of each personality and the history of their relationships. He is drawn into those relationships on an intimate level. He explores the meaning of giving our time, thoughts and actions to the well being of others and how we gain by giving ourselves. He is gathering this all together blending those life experiences and searing those visions into his mind. His life focus' on his marriage and friends and the acquisition of memories he will take with him on his next journey in life. Julia Warren"
Unique and descriptive Maine
"I've never lived in Maine, but I have read about it and it's people. Fortunately for me I learned about Duck Puddle Road: A Story of Maine and had the great fortune to learn so much more about its people, it's valued and it's rich culture. I could smell the snow, feel the fall and embrace the friendships. The story is told in the first-person narrative and it's the only way this wonderful book should be told. The narrator became my friend and I was living the lives he experiences through him in ways I couldn't otherwise. I was there with him fishing on a river bank, visiting his friend dying in the hospital and suffering the death of President John Kennedy. His vivid observations on the simplest things in life heighten my own now that I have seen it through his eyes. What a wonderful gift from an author who has the talent to make that happen. Simply a lovely book."
Duckpuddle Road
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The Mystique of Time Gone By
"This is a fine novel. It is a character-driven work in that it examines the relationships and inter-relationships of eight young adults in their 20s. It could have been set anywhere, and, with adjustments, at various times. The author has chosen to set it in 1964, immediately after the assassination of JFK on November 22nd 1963. The locale is rural Maine. To me the time is inspired on a number of levels: this is a time the majority of readers will relate to because we lived the 60s, or are aware of the assassination historically; it anchors the novel with one of the major events of the century; and the characters’ lives and their sharpened perceptions are examined by themselves and the reader within that context. Let me enumerate the numerous excellent features of this story: • It is told in the First Person Viewpoint, which is right and appropriate as it allows Sully to indulge in a certain amount of introspection and observation, and, quietly foreshadow events, as, in telling the story he is reflecting on a time and events long gone. • Personification. I like the way Jim uses Personification to engage the reader and place them in the time and place. • Imagery. The book is strengthened by the repeated images that show Sully’s unity and connection with the land, with his world. • I also liked the way the story was ‘Book Ended’ by the introduction of and reference to Sam Mitchell. Because of who and what he was this added a quiet touch of mysticism for the alert reader. • I love the sense that Jim conveys of Sully being at one with nature, with the evocation of the land, the natural world and the seasons. I believe that Jim is very much this type of man, for it is his voice I hear. In some ways it reminded me of William Humphrey’s HOME FROM THE HILL, and that, as someone who has read over 5,000 books and counts Humphrey’s masterwork as being in my 10 favourites, is high praise indeed. COMMENTS – OBSERVATIONS – THOUGHTS: • I felt that in the first two chapters there was too much exposition, however, Jim is such a fine writer that integration of dialogue replacing some of the exposition would be at a cost. • The novel doesn’t really have a plot, it is more a beautifully detailed revelation of the coming together of 8 friends over a short time. I kept feeling there should be a dramatic event in the last chapter which would, or would not be resolved, but, in itself, would be a denouement. Would that have made the book better? I am not sure. Maybe the book as it is, is more like Life often is, and that was what Jim wanted to depict. Anyway, that was why I only gave 4 stars for ‘Plot’. • The title – it seemed to me that this fine, fine novel deserved a stronger, more evocative, more symbolic title. I am not sure what that is, and it is not for me, but Jim to think about, consider and agonise over. CONCLUSION: I believe that anyone who is a discerning reader, who appreciates excellent construction of sentences, full, richly developed characters, and a carefully honed evocation of time and place, will consider the time they spend with Sully and his friends on Duckpuddle Road will not only be worthwhile, but a pleasure because of their Gentleman guide, James T. Kenny. Thank you, Jim, for the pleasure you have provided in introducing me to Sully and his friends, and the Maine countryside. Thank you also for the excellent review you did of my novel THE PRICE TO PAY. All the very best in all the ways, Eric -- Eric J Drysdale -- Email: [email protected]"
