Views and Mechanics Publisher's Note Memories of the Body Broken Review of Ambition Is Not a Dirty Word Review of The Blood of Flowers Review of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming Review of The Poet Laureate of People Who Hate Poetry Creative Nonfiction My Boo Radley By Rebecca Ward A Walk in the Park By Madonna Dries Christensen Poetry Hearts and Diamonds By Andrena Zawinski It Was Then I Kissed Her By Andrena Zawinski In By Andrena Zawinski Death of Word By Tony Brown Fiction Being Caught Up With My Ego By David Landrum A Voice In My Head Screamed By J. A. Tyler About the Contributors © 2008, River Walk Journal and respective authors and artists. All rights reserved. Do not use or reproduce without permission. River Walk Journal, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman - Elizabeth Ross Vice Chairman - Joseph Koch Secretary/Treasurer - Geri Stock-Ross Editorial Director - Patti Kurtz, DA Literacy Director - Kenneth Weiss, Ed.D Policy Director - PA State Rep. Jess Stairs Advisory Board Chairman - Patti Kurtz, DA Asst. Chairman - Dan Lachenman, PhD Samuel Hazo Christopher Leland Edwin Yoder Joseph Bathanti Journal Staff Publisher - Elizabeth Ross Editor-In-Chief - Joseph Koch Senior Editor - Patti Kurtz Editor - Elizabeth Murray Copyeditor - Kathy Skaggs Publicity Director (PA) - Geri Stock-Ross For information about submissions, visit http://www.riverwalkjournal.org/subs.html. Questions about promotions, subscribers' services, and advertising should be sent to publisher@riverwalkjournal.org. River Walk Journal, Inc. is a non-profit corporation run entirely by volunteers. For information about volunteer opportunities and internships, visit VolunteerMatch. |
Review of The Girl Who Stopped Swimming By Joshilyn Jackson ISBN-10: 0-446-57965-3 Women, particularly Southern women, are often expected to be both weak and strong – submissive to mates or other men, while strong enough to keep families together through the most difficult circumstances, for example. Joshilyn Jackson has mastered the art of creating characters of this kind, and Laurel in The Girl Who Stopped Swimming is no exception. Laurel’s dream life of a perfect house, a good husband, and daughter is threatened in an instant when she finds the body of one of her daughter’s friends, Molly, floating in their backyard pool. As everything falls out of control, she believes that she must call on her free-spirited sister, Thalia, to help sort everything out, especially when it becomes clear that the police are suspicious of her daughter, Shelby. In spite of her husband’s objections, Laurel brings Thalia to help her solve the mystery of Molly’s death. During their investigations, Thalia ends up proving why she is as dangerous as Laurel’s husband kept warning. Laurel is forced to face issues with her marriage, her art, and her life as she tries to find the secret she’s sure Shelby is keeping. Jackson takes readers on a twisted ride as her heroine tries to solve the mystery that could easily destroy all she holds dear. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming is an excellent read for anyone who enjoys mysteries with amateur detectives. It would be a good example of writing about Southern women in a Gender/Women’s Studies course, or in Contemporary American (Women’s) Literature. |