Books in Review II, Escape Route, Elan Barnehama, May 2022
"It’s a time when the U.S. is experiencing political assassinations and increasing antiwar demonstrations. Zach begins engaging in philosophical conversations about the war and the Holocaust. He continues tracking war casualties."
Book Review Escape Route by Elan Barnehama, Heidi Slowinki, contributor to the Jewish Book Carnival.
"Zach embodies Tikun Olam, a concept in the Jewish faith, seeking to repair the world. . .This is an emotional story of friendship and hope"
"It’s a time when the U.S. is experiencing political assassinations and increasing antiwar demonstrations. Zach begins engaging in philosophical conversations about the war and the Holocaust. He continues tracking war casualties."
Book Review Escape Route by Elan Barnehama, Heidi Slowinki, contributor to the Jewish Book Carnival.
"Zach embodies Tikun Olam, a concept in the Jewish faith, seeking to repair the world. . .This is an emotional story of friendship and hope"
PRESENTER: PASADENA LitFest, May 2020
• PRESENTER: BOSTON BOOK FESTIVAL, Flash Your Fiction, October 19, 2019
• WRITER IN RESIDENCE, Wildacres Retreat, August 2019, Little Switzerland, NC
• WRITER IN RESIDENCE, Wolff Cottage Writer In Residence, Fairhope Center For the Writing Arts, June, July, 2017. December 2018.
• Finding Bluefield, Finalist, International Book Awards 2014
• Finding Bluefield, Honorable Mention, Rainbow Awards, 2013
• Just Making Change, Special Mention Comedy Feature, Table Read My Screenplay, 2012
FINDING BLUEFIELD
2014 International Book Awards finalist
2013 Rainbow Awards: Honorable Mention
Fernanda: As a 1st book it is not only really good but above all different. I have liked the particular style, so different from the usual. The fact that the chapters where so long and that any of them have the attention put in one clear direction is interesting. This book is different and bold in a unique way.
Elan Barnehama's appealing debut novel, Finding Bluefield
Posted on 25. Jul, 2013 by David-Matthew Barnes in Reviews, Romance
Elan Barnehama’s appealing debut novel, Finding Bluefield, is both ambitious and successful on many levels. While the novel can be categorized as a historical romance, many strong components elevate the story above the typical formula of its genre. Yes, the love story is there and it’s a solid one that sustains, but the romance here is between two women, a doctor-in-residence named Barbara and a small-town waitress with endless charm named Nicky.
Barnehama has created two compelling, engaging protagonists that certainly resonate long after their story has ended. Spanning over two decades, Barnehama serves as a terrific guide as he takes us through the journey of Barbara and Nicky’s often challenged love affair. Immediately it becomes clear that Barnehama’s most strategic choice is in making the two women opposites: Barbara has the practical personality and Nicky is the inquisitive dreamer. This provides many opportunities for the characters to assert their identity, giving each considerably more depth with each occurrence.
Like all great love stories, Barbara and Nicky meet by chance (or it their destiny) when Barbara happens to stop in at the diner where Nicky waits on tables. By the time the first slice of blackberry pie has been eaten, we know these two women are meant for each other.
By setting Finding Bluefield primarily in the South (when the novel begins we are in Virginia in the early 1960’s before shifting later to upstate New York), Barnehama is able to extend beyond just the societal rejections of Barbara and Nicky’s love. Through them and the equally captivating cast of supporting characters, Barnehama explores and confronts racism, homophobia, feminism, sexism, gender roles, sibling rivalry, and motherhood. I wouldn’t classify this as a political novel per se, but Barnehama doesn’t hold back or shy away from heavy, controversial topics. Through each, the love between Barbara and Nicky intensifies, even when their relationship is put to the test time and time again. Barnehama never misses a beat, incorporating many iconic moments from history and utilizing each to add layers of authenticity and conflict to Barbara and Nicky’s ever-changing world.
Barnehama’s novel is unique on many levels considering that at the heart of it Finding Bluefield is – at first glance – a lesbian love story. He is one of the few authors I’ve read who blatantly rejects the write what you know myth and instead focuses on story, regardless of gender and sexuality. I anticipate this novel will receive more scrutiny than it would if it had been written by a female author. Many readers (and more likely critics) will ask the all-too obvious question: can a male author fully convey the female experience? Certainly the same was questioned of Wally Lamb when he penned the literary masterpiece She’s Come Undone. Like Lamb, Barnehama takes many risks and – just by simply writing the novel – challenges the very audience he’s writing for. By doing so, he is again reminding readers and critics alike that the sole purpose of a great writer is to tell the best story possible. In Finding Bluefield, Barnehama achieves this, leaving his readers with a well-crafted epic saga about two women who are searching for a world in which their love can survive.
Finding Bluefield
By Elan Barnehama
Tags: *Lesbian, Bold Strokes Books, David-Matthew Barnes, Elan Barnehama, Finding Bluefield, Lesbian Romance, Reviews, Romance
Elan Barnehama’s appealing debut novel, Finding Bluefield, is both ambitious and successful on many levels. While the novel can be categorized as a historical romance, many strong components elevate the story above the typical formula of its genre. Yes, the love story is there and it’s a solid one that sustains, but the romance here is between two women, a doctor-in-residence named Barbara and a small-town waitress with endless charm named Nicky.
Barnehama has created two compelling, engaging protagonists that certainly resonate long after their story has ended. Spanning over two decades, Barnehama serves as a terrific guide as he takes us through the journey of Barbara and Nicky’s often challenged love affair. Immediately it becomes clear that Barnehama’s most strategic choice is in making the two women opposites: Barbara has the practical personality and Nicky is the inquisitive dreamer. This provides many opportunities for the characters to assert their identity, giving each considerably more depth with each occurrence.
Like all great love stories, Barbara and Nicky meet by chance (or it their destiny) when Barbara happens to stop in at the diner where Nicky waits on tables. By the time the first slice of blackberry pie has been eaten, we know these two women are meant for each other.
By setting Finding Bluefield primarily in the South (when the novel begins we are in Virginia in the early 1960’s before shifting later to upstate New York), Barnehama is able to extend beyond just the societal rejections of Barbara and Nicky’s love. Through them and the equally captivating cast of supporting characters, Barnehama explores and confronts racism, homophobia, feminism, sexism, gender roles, sibling rivalry, and motherhood. I wouldn’t classify this as a political novel per se, but Barnehama doesn’t hold back or shy away from heavy, controversial topics. Through each, the love between Barbara and Nicky intensifies, even when their relationship is put to the test time and time again. Barnehama never misses a beat, incorporating many iconic moments from history and utilizing each to add layers of authenticity and conflict to Barbara and Nicky’s ever-changing world.
Barnehama’s novel is unique on many levels considering that at the heart of it Finding Bluefield is – at first glance – a lesbian love story. He is one of the few authors I’ve read who blatantly rejects the write what you know myth and instead focuses on story, regardless of gender and sexuality. I anticipate this novel will receive more scrutiny than it would if it had been written by a female author. Many readers (and more likely critics) will ask the all-too obvious question: can a male author fully convey the female experience? Certainly the same was questioned of Wally Lamb when he penned the literary masterpiece She’s Come Undone. Like Lamb, Barnehama takes many risks and – just by simply writing the novel – challenges the very audience he’s writing for. By doing so, he is again reminding readers and critics alike that the sole purpose of a great writer is to tell the best story possible. In Finding Bluefield, Barnehama achieves this, leaving his readers with a well-crafted epic saga about two women who are searching for a world in which their love can survive.
Finding Bluefield
By Elan Barnehama
Tags: *Lesbian, Bold Strokes Books, David-Matthew Barnes, Elan Barnehama, Finding Bluefield, Lesbian Romance, Reviews, Romance
As a 1st book it is not only really good but above all different. I have liked the particular style, so different from the usual. The fact that the chapters where so long and that any of them have the attention put in one clear direction is interesting. This book is different and bold in a unique way. @ Rainbow Book Awards
Barnehama’s novel is unique on many levels considering that at the heart of it Finding Bluefield is – at first glance – a lesbian love story. He is one of the few authors I’ve read who blatantly rejects the write what you know myth and instead focuses on story, regardless of gender and sexuality. I anticipate this novel will receive more scrutiny than it would if it had been written by a female author. Many readers (and more likely critics) will ask the all-too obvious question: can a male author fully convey the female experience? Certainly the same was questioned of Wally Lamb when he penned the literary masterpiece She’s Come Undone. Like Lamb, Barnehama takes many risks and – just by simply writing the novel – challenges the very audience he’s writing for. By doing so, he is again reminding readers and critics alike that the sole purpose of a great writer is to tell the best story possible. In Finding Bluefield, Barnehama achieves this, leaving his readers with a well-crafted epic saga about two women who are searching for a world in which their love can survive.
read full review @ Lambda Literary Reviews
read full review @ Lambda Literary Reviews
Novelist Elan Barnehama's latest book Finding Bluefield tells the story of lesbian love set amidst the politics of the 1960's. read more @ SheWired.com
"Barnehama’s characters are a sympathetic and roundly likeable bunch. He makes easy heroes of those who face, and gracefully route, general prejudices. LGBT issues are, naturally, at the fore, but severe racial and religious discrimination also make a play. That the central relationship often comes off as idyllic may therefore surprise the reader. These pages seek to do the dual work of detailing the difficulty of life at the margins, while highlighting how normal those unfairly relegated actually are, and the results don’t always feel natural. Finding Bluefield nonetheless makes affecting arguments for work toward a more just world. An agreeable and earnest novel which highlights the innate humanity of the families which society sometimes forgets to honor." read full review @ Foreword Reviews
Virginia is for lesbian lovers in this 1960's period romance. A doctor from New York and a roadside diner waitress fall in love— and make one of the cutest couples I've met all year. Their courtship involves jumping into a convertible, making love, eating pies... can I join them, please? They decide to start a family and have a baby. That's when one of their righteous southern family members tries to take their baby away so it doesn't grow up in an "unfit household." They have to get out of town and make a getaway— will they ever be able to return?
Susie Bright, The Bright List, Audible's Editor @ Large
Susie Bright, The Bright List, Audible's Editor @ Large
"'Finding Bluefield,' a novel by Northampton writer Elan Barnehama, explores what's become a common theme today - love between two women - but is set during an era when such relationships were mostly kept under wraps." Steve Pfarrer, Book Bag, Daily Hampshire Gazette.
Wonderful February 8, 2013
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a love story intertwined with historical fiction.
By Shonda Masterson
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a love story intertwined with historical fiction.
By Shonda Masterson
A polished gem of history (1960-1983) up close and personal, September 16, 2012
The genius of this book is that it all comes very low key packed into the personal lives of Barbara, Nicky and Paul. The characters are wonderful and very likeable and the author never ever stands on a soapbox, but lets the issues quietly soak into the very fabric of the story. This is one of these rare books where every word and every sentence counts and where the story is flowing effortlessly. Kudos to Elan Barnehama.
By Philologus
The genius of this book is that it all comes very low key packed into the personal lives of Barbara, Nicky and Paul. The characters are wonderful and very likeable and the author never ever stands on a soapbox, but lets the issues quietly soak into the very fabric of the story. This is one of these rare books where every word and every sentence counts and where the story is flowing effortlessly. Kudos to Elan Barnehama.
By Philologus
What a lovely life story! February 2, 2013
The author transported my imagination to the 1960's in a beautiful journey of love, desperation, joy and what a family is all about (not a conventional family as our society make us believe is the only way) but one of love and survival by any means. I loved this book. I'll read it again so I can take Nicky & Barbara's journey again and again. Dally
The author transported my imagination to the 1960's in a beautiful journey of love, desperation, joy and what a family is all about (not a conventional family as our society make us believe is the only way) but one of love and survival by any means. I loved this book. I'll read it again so I can take Nicky & Barbara's journey again and again. Dally
An easy read for a complex subject September 3, 2012
Don't let the subject matter fool you. This book goes beyond what "lesbian fiction" is conceived to be. It's a universal story about love and acceptance - either from one's self or society - whose central characters happen to be two women who want to share their lives together and be a family. From a historical perspective the book spans from 1960 to 1983 and you are taken back to relevant periods where the underdog is longing to be heard through civil right issues. Along with that, the author gives us a ride through southern and northern cultures, religious pondering, cancer, humour, food and wine. Amongst the underlying social meaning behind the story, Finding Bluefield, is not just about Nicky literally finding her hometown, but finding herself through her losses and love of her family.
By Leo Helminen
Don't let the subject matter fool you. This book goes beyond what "lesbian fiction" is conceived to be. It's a universal story about love and acceptance - either from one's self or society - whose central characters happen to be two women who want to share their lives together and be a family. From a historical perspective the book spans from 1960 to 1983 and you are taken back to relevant periods where the underdog is longing to be heard through civil right issues. Along with that, the author gives us a ride through southern and northern cultures, religious pondering, cancer, humour, food and wine. Amongst the underlying social meaning behind the story, Finding Bluefield, is not just about Nicky literally finding her hometown, but finding herself through her losses and love of her family.
By Leo Helminen