No Sensible People: A Wonderful Piece of Fiction

My Review of No Sensible People by Gretchen Lee Bourquin


What happens when the past catches up with you?
Just one of the questions the outstanding novel No Sensible People asks of the reader.
This appealing book presents its story in an engaging style, from the point-of-view of several different characters. This approach presents a fuller perspective on both the narrative and the characters, without losing any flow or causing reader confusion. It works superbly as a character driven story, blossoming into a bittersweet, tangled tale of awkward intertwined lives.

At its heart the book is a family drama, one that is both intimate and engrossing. It begins with two deaths that leave poor Jennie Halifax an orphan and makes her married Aunt Lucy her guardian. Jennie would far rather stay with family friend Denny Ferguson in her small town home, yet she has no choice but to move to the big city to live with her aunt. Lucy’s life too, is thrown into disorder by the deaths and the sudden presence of Jennie, as well as the arrival of Denny, Lucy’s old flame. These events bring past secrets bubbling to the surface, and make everyone face current problems head on.

“She walked into the kitchen and spotted me sitting at the table. She didn't say anything. She stared at me the way any nine year old would stare down reality coming to take her away.”

I found the book a realistic view of a family, complete with complicated problems, dysfunctional relationships, genuine connections and feelings. The layers from past and present are slowly peeled away to show you the characters, while giving enough to connect with them and care about their troubles; the reader is provided a remarkable panorama of life. I also found the ending satisfying, never wrapping everything in a happy little bow, yet still giving the sense the characters and their lives had concluded a difficult chapter.

“Aunt Lucy and Uncle Frank went silent as if an electric cord controlled them and I had pulled it from the wall. Uncle Frank went to the closet for his coat and walked out the door. Aunt Lucy went to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. I went to my room to draw.”

I usually don’t read a great deal of general fiction, tending to favour genres like mystery or fantasy, but I am glad I read this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to read a high-class, wonderful novel.


The book is available on Amazon.com:
No Sensible People

And at Lulu.com:
No Sensible People

Book Review

Here is the first post in my series of book reviews and recommendations.

Book Review of The Long and Short of It by Gretchen Lee Bourquin:


Author Gretchen Lee Bourquin manages to write a contemporary and intimate slice of life in her book of poetry, The Long and Short of It.

The Long and Short of It is a book of twenty-five poems that the author divides into four categories: Poems at Play, a selection of graceful and whimsical verses; A Celebration of Craft, insightful poetry into the skill of writing and the muse; Finding a Place, a variety of introspective poems; and Poetry of Conscience, a commentary on different societal conditions.

Ms. Bourquin has a strong voice, a straightforward style and thankfully, does not indulge in overly fluffy prose. She knows how to capture a visual image, and reinforce it with emotional impact.

In the poem “Permission” she pens:

“She wraps herself inside her flannel tomb
to ward off chills that rival winter's breath.
She wonders how she'll dare to grant herself
a chance to move outside her inner shell,
and pull herself from self-inflicted death.”

One poem in particular I enjoyed was her “Casey at the Bat” sequel, “Casey in the Dugout.” Not only was it an amusing comment on the original poem, but I believe it holds satiric significance for today’s game of baseball.

She writes:

“Once the field was emptied and the crowd had been dispersed,
Casey's loyal fans did yell at him and tell him he's the worst
The once compliant baseball fans became an angry mob
And those who'd begged for autographs, now called the man a slob”

The author knows how to paint an effective portrait in verse, while quietly weaving in her unique view of the world. Her poetry is a gentle vista of the everyday. The Long and Short of It has no extraordinary, philosophical musings, but does offer quiet observations, intermingling with a few perceptive opinions.


Gretchen Lee Bourquin graduated with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Literature/Creative Writing from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, MN, and garnered some early writing success with various publications. She has, in addition to The Long and Short of It, a published novel No Sensible People. Her biography and book information can be found on her website: http://www.gretchenleebourquin.com/