REVIEWS
Reviews for Seven Summers from the Shore
“I read it in two sittings. It is a real page-turner. I can’t wait for the sequel!”
“I laughed so hard I needed my inhaler!”
“I loved it so much I did not want it to end!”
“An amazing adventure! And a real love story – a heavenly love story. The love of Fr. Sullivan for ‘his kids;’ the love of Our Lady for Fr. Sullivan!”
“I was at the edge of my seat with the ‘gun’ situation. The scene was set so perfectly that my heart was racing…I found myself each day while at work thinking about what new adventures awaited me when I got home and could pick back up with the book. While cooking dinner I would begin reading; one night the smoke alarm went off. I was paying more attention to the book than I was to the stove! …Fr. Sullivan is one heck of a writer!”
“Breezy and fun. Almost like Fr. Sullivan is sitting there talking to you.”
“I cried with Fr. Sullivan, I laughed with him, I was outraged with him, I was exalted with him. This is a great book! I could not put it down.”
“I loved every minute – I felt sad, when it ended. Those boys of Fr. Sullivan’s! The scene with the gun left me breathless – and then laughing so hard I had tears running down my cheek.”
“I am waiting – anxiously – for the sequel.”
“It reads like a conversation. I mean, I really felt as if Father was sitting across the table from me, relating the story, blow by hilarious blow.”
“Breath-taking. I mean you laugh so hard that it takes your breath away. What a wonderful, warm and loving tale – how blessed those young people were, to have Fr. Sullivan as their mentor. How blessed he was, to have them as his first experience, make that, adventure, in youth ministry!”
“How blessed those young people were to have Father Sullivan as their youth minister. There is a reason we call priests ‘Father.’”
“Father Sullivan and his famous ‘kids’ all made an impressive advance together, on the road to sainthood. The astonishing thing is how much fun they had along the way!”
“Who would have guessed that the journey to priesthood would be such an adventure?”
“My favorite character is Sara, Fr. Sullivan’s mom. What a strong woman. And what a sense of humor!”
“Fr. Sullivan’s story has made me want to go on pilgrimage to all these places, now more than ever!”
“Brilliant! I loved all the characters, but those boys of Fr. Sullivan’s really stand out. Their love for him, their admiration, their certainty of his love for them – oh my gosh! It is simply inspirational. We need more stories like this one.”
Reviews from Friends & Parishioners
“A RESTORATION COMEDY kept my husband awake at night. I was reading it in bed and kept laughing out loud.”
“THE ROSARY AND THE PSALMS is just wonderful…such a deep analysis and written with such piercing empathy. The Sorrowful Mysteries had me in tears.”
“THE SEASON OF GRIEF is so powerfully written that I had to stop reading, between chapters. Had to take some time to absorb what I’d read, before continuing.”
“I have recommended THE ROSARY AND THE GOSPELS to several friends…the book’s format alone recommends it; short but deep and powerful reflections…it really illuminates the Mysteries of the Rosary by the light of Scripture.”
“I LOVED A RESTORATION COMEDY. I could not put it down. The characters leapt off the page and I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud…But when I got to the end and found out who was responsible for the theft of the Star, where it had been all that time – my gosh! I felt like I’d been had! Hilarious!”
“I was enchanted with AND THE ANGELS SING…The characters were so real and so attractive, especially Kendra, of course. I kept wondering how Father could have figured all that out – such an engaging and complex plot!”
“THE END TIMES is a careful, well-reasoned and eminently readable assessment of where we may be in terms of Biblical prophecies, and the prophecies of the saints, with regard to the end of the world. I like it precisely because it is neither fear-mongering nor hysterical...”
“Do not let the leisurely taxi-down-the-runway fool you – once AND THE ANGELS SING achieves flight speed it is a book you cannot put down. Kendra is compelling…The moments of truth and self-revelation experienced by Matt and Linda near the end of the book are wonderful…the ‘what-if,’ alternate-reality-conclusion contrasted with the ‘what-actually-happened’ end of the book leaves you almost breathless. A powerful reading experience.”
“BURNING ALEXIS is a novel of huge ambition and scope…the cast is as varied as America and the book’s central moral issues are unmistakably in front of us, every day…the Fourth of July picnic scene at the park on the river is superb. And the ending is very satisfying – what a wrap up!”
“I loved AND THE ANGELS SING so much that when I finished it, I went right back to page one and read it through a second time…I loved all the characters but especially Kendra. A true heroine.”
“Kendra (in AND THE ANGELS SING) is such a powerful character she scares me!”
“A RESTORATION COMEDY made me laugh out loud…I loved the Countess, but all the characters were endearing, even the ‘bad guys’!...and what an original and imaginative central idea for the plot! I have to admit, it had me guessing right up to the next-to-last page!”
“Thank you, Father, and your mother Sara, for the lucid and detailed references to the psalms for each Mystery of the Rosary (in THE ROSARY AND THE PSALMS). I have read a chapter a day, with the view of ending just before Holy Week…Although the psalms have been important in my prayer life the Rosary has not been…until now.”
“I was reading AND THE ANGELS SING on the metro. My stop came and I was annoyed – I had to put the book away. I was reading the novel while I was preparing dinner and something boiled over on the stove. I was annoyed – I had to lay the book aside and attend to dinner. I was waiting at my doctor’s office and they called me. I looked up, truly vexed, wanting to say, ‘Can’t you see I’m READING?’ There is a point with Kendra and her friends where you simply cannot put the book down. And it is the more remarkable because the novel’s opening scenes are so gradual.”
“THE SEASON OF GRIEF is a fairly short book, but it is not a ‘quick read.’ Fr. Sullivan writes with great clarity and real personal depth…his sharing of his own experiences of grief is an encouragement; it gives hope.”
“THE END TIMES gave me my first-ever understanding of both Biblical prophecy regarding the end, and of the long and steady mystical tradition of the Church…Highly informative, especially the section on the ongoing relevance of Fatima. Wow!”
“The last set of scenes (in A RESTORATION COMEDY) where all the principal characters come together at the estate, each with his or her wildly inaccurate theory about who stole the Star…is absolutely hilarious. This novel would make a great movie!”
Reviews from Literary Professionals
“I’ve just finished reading A RESTORATION COMEDY. I LOVED it! You have tightened it up considerably; the pacing is more even (and always race-horse fast) and the comedy is broad, silly, witty, clever, delightful…Let me know where you want to go from here…I have taken the liberty to speaking to Susan Schwartz at Doubleday about it…As she and I had had a conversation about you over lunch a while back, I told her I had just finished reading your new novel and thought it was wonderful. She was VERY eager to see it.”
“I greatly enjoyed BURNING ALEXIS. As the agents for John Steinbeck and Harper Lee (who seem to be becoming banned with regularity these days!) you don’t need to tell me what a topical issue you have here! For me, too, you have recaptured the humor I personally so enjoyed in ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS…I want to start off at William Morrow…let me know if there are particular editors you would like to have the book sent to…I congratulate you on a fine piece of work. This really SHOULD be published because God knows it is an issue that we feel very strongly indeed about. And it IS damned funny!”
“Thank you very much for sending ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS to me. I’ve now finished reading it, and I’ve enjoyed it very much…You write with verve and a certain flashiness of style that seems especially appropriate to the subject you’ve chosen. I found the book very funny…and your depiction of the interaction between the characters and the motives of the characters close to utterly convincing. I am speaking in particular of the relationships between Adam and Gabriel and Adam and Diana…I’ve already elicited interest in the book from several editors, but I won’t send it around until I have heard from you. I hope that we will be working together and I very much look forward to hearing from you.”
“Thanks so much for sending A RESTORATION COMEDY…First, I must tell you that you are a marvelous and gifted writer. This opinion is based on what I call my objective criteria. From a subjective point of view, your novel touches rather ironically on several areas where I am most susceptible. I’ve always loved restoration and 18th century drama: Behn, Congreve, Wycherly and Goldsmith. So your title immediately captured my imagination. Moreover, I am an avid opera lover and have been since I was a child. And of course, I love a generous spirited satire and comedy of manners…the narrative moves with sparkle and vitality, the dramatic situation is very clever and your characters are well formed, and quite irresistible…I can send this around to editors with an enthusiastic introduction…so please, write and tell me how you want to proceed.”
“ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS is wonderfully funny…the humor is wonderful, the satire and irony very well handled…I admire the author’s talent.”
“I do congratulate on a fine job with your novel, ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS. I’ve enjoyed reading it very much indeed. You write well and the satire is very funny. Most certainly I would like to try to find a publisher for you…Again, let me say how much I admired ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS. I hope we’re going to be able to find a publisher for you.”
“I raced through the first half of Brawn Sullivan’s A RESTORATION COMEDY, delighting in the havoc he created for his characters, they created for themselves…The plot is highly original and very clever, the characters are laugh-out-loud funny — the suave jewel thief still capable of romantic distraction, the aunt who dresses in the manner of grand opera and who acts as if she is playing in one, the two sets of allied spies, neither suspecting the existence of the other and so tripping each other up at every step of the way…I know there are readers and editors who will enjoy Sullivan…this might make a fine comic film.”
“ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS is funny…the double-entendre dialogue in chapter two is terrific…The book deserves success and I hope you find it. I hope another agent takes on ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS, and that Joan Didion is amused by Myra!”
“I was deeply impressed with BURNING ALEXIS…I kept thinking that the novel read almost like a film script, you cut the scenes so cleanly and expertly, and your descriptions of the scenes are almost cinematic in their clarity…the book’s pace is not to be faulted, and the plot proceeds entirely on the motivations of the characters, which are completely convincing.”
“ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS made me laugh out loud…I hope to see it on display at Tower Books in a year or two.”
“A COMEDY OF EROS is a good read with a great sense of plot and attractive, believable characters.”
“A RESTORATION COMEDY made me laugh out loud…the characters are full-blown right from the start and God knowns Brawn can create a plot…Please keep me informed; I would love to hear of Brawn’s success. He deserves it.”
“RUNNING FOR ATALANTA is a lovely piece of work and I admire your ability…It somehow just didn’t quite ‘click’ for me. I find that I am able to sell the novels I am really passionate about, not those with which I have some hesitations. It is all so subjective in the end, so take my comments with several grains of salt. I sincerely believe that you will find an agent for this. You are gifted and the novel is a fine one. Someone is going to prove me wrong, I’ll bet. Good luck.”
“I’ve just finished reading RUNNING FOR ATALANTA…Good romantic comedies are hard to come by and this one succeeds on many levels. The characters are all likeable, sympathetic and funny and you write with wit and intelligence…I am sorry I cannot offer to represent it – there is much to like here – and perhaps another agent will disagree with me. In any event, I wish you all success in placing this.”
“I’ve now had the chance to read ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS and consider it with care…I think you write VERY well, and that the book is plenty hip and witty…I have doubts about placing the novel in the current publishing market. Obviously, I am far from infallible, another agent may well disagree with me…My compliments above are genuine and if you do not affiliate elsewhere, I’d be most interested to read and consider your next novel.”
“I have truly enjoyed reading ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS. In fact, I loved every word. Your characters are outstandingly well-rounded. Your storyline is marvelous. Your wry turns of phrase, especially those used as zingers at chapter-ends, are fabulously funny…The scene with which you climax chapter one, everyone looking at the object of his or her desire, and Diana’s exclamation, is in my mind superb. And Margaret’s collection of naked saints, and the narrative observation that Arka’s parents pay about as much attention to Mecca as the Archbishop of Canterbury – the text is just chock-full of satirical comments and sardonic asides that delight me…This is a novel that offers much more, to the discerning, than what appears on the flashing and glittery surface. Your accomplishment is rare…Let me know how you want to go with this.”
“RUNNING FOR ATALANTA is very intelligent, the characters are interesting and worth reading about…you display a strong sense of structure and development…But I can’t feel optimistic about its placement in the current publishing market…I think the book needs editing and I found that Amanda never quite took hold for me…I would urge you to consider making changes along the lines suggested above. Look, someone else may well disagree with me, so I wouldn’t give up, if I were you, but while you are showing the book to agents, you might want to take some time to think about how to make it a smoother package overall…Thanks again for letting me read it, and the best of luck with this.”
“I enjoyed RUNNING FOR ATALANTA a great deal. It is intelligent, witty and very well plotted, with engaging characters and a great sense of comic timing…Unfortunately, the ‘logic’ of the current market argues against the success of a book such as this…”
“Thanks so much for getting the rest of A COMEDY OF EROS to me…there’s no question that you are a very good writer with a wonderful ear for the language, and a style that is as appealing as a spoonful of cherries (to paraphrase Sir Philip Sidney)…You have a certain light, effective touch, not to mention a generosity toward your characters that leads me to love them for their foibles as much as for their strengths.”
“ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS is a well done piece of work…the satire is superb.””
“Thanks for sending over Brawn Sullivan’s BURNING ALEXIS…the writing is fine, the characters fully developed and entirely convincing. And yes, it tackles head-on a major social issue. I just can’t see an audience for what is – in my view – such a downbeat book.”
“Thanks for letting us see RUNNING FOR ATALANTA. We think you are a very good writer…we loved the characters and the dialogue…but the plot did not seem strong enough to carry the novel into success in what is currently the most appallingly commercial market. We would be interested in seeing projects you might have in the future.”
“Thanks for sending the balance of ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS, which I have just finished reading. Entertained as I was, my overall impression is that we would have a very slim chance with it. Satirical novels are virtually impossible to place, and this is entirely a marketing reality…if the economics of publishing were different than they are today, I’d be glad to represent it but unfortunately that’s not the case. So, with real regret, I am returning the novel to you.”
“I just wanted to let you know that BURNING ALEXIS is going through additional readings here, which is why you have not heard from me. Your novel, clearly, has sparked our interest…I hope to have word for you soon.”
“Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS. While I think the manuscript evidences real talent, I’m afraid I just didn’t feel confident about placing this particular project on your behalf…Someone else may well feel differently, and I hope you will find an enthusiastic advocate for the Roamin’ Catholics. Should you not make arrangements for this work – though I hope you will – please feel welcome to write me on other projects. As I say, your talent interests me very much. Please accept our sincere good wishes for the advancement of your writing career.”
“ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS has captured the attention of two of the agents in the house. We are anxious to see the rest of the novel.”
“I found ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS impressive in its intelligence and highly entertaining in its wit, its pace and plot…Marketing considerations are what they are. I regret that we are unable to take the novel on.”
“I am, regretfully, returning RUNNING FOR ATALANTA to you. In today’s highly competitive publishing market, a novel must be genre or as highly polished and well-developed as possible to stand a chance…I think the book needs editing, and by a good and sympathetic editor…I do feel you have a lot to say, and the capacity to say it persuasively and well. I appreciate your interest in this agency, and I wish you the best of luck in placing this manuscript. I do, indeed, hope you prove me wrong.”
“ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS has a light, pacey, sparkling plot and in places, is laugh-out-loud funny…”
“A RESTORATION COMEDY is most entertaining. In fact, I think it would make a great movie…this was a fun read.”
“There are a lot of good things to be said about Brawn Sullivan’s ALL THE ANGELS AND SAINTS, in particular the engaging characters, the laugh-out-loud wit and the breathless, can’t-put-it down pace… Especially given its rock music setting, it might make a very entertaining movie.”
“Brawn’s style, fast and flashy, is highly cinematic, and in fact, in places A RESTORATION COMEDY reminded me of Ernst Lubitsch.”
“A RESTORATION COMEDY might very likely succeed as a film…”
“A RESTORATION COMEDY would make a wonderful film; you can SEE the characters and the scenes…”