Same Blood

Synopsis

Excerpt: Chapter 1

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“Same Blood is a stunningly original piece of writing. It haunts and it lingers.”

Jim Lehrer

“Same Blood is unexpected, moving, and strong. Mermer Blakeslee is a writer of vivid and original talent.”

Ellen Currie

“Using the frank idiom of the Catskills, Mermer Blakeslee has drawn a picture of women relying on one another for their souls’ survival. Their humor, courage and nurture of children sheath their story in a protective, life-embracing spirit. Same Blood is a book to read with thankfulness for its message.”

David Ignatow

“Blakeslee has written a remarkable first novel.…There is magic in this book, both in the characters’ lives and in the way Blakeslee carries off the difficult task of writing in an uneducated Catskill vernacular. In tone, the book is reminiscent of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple; in its sense of the wonderment of life, it recalls Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. But it is totally Blakeslee’s show, and her technical skill is matched only by her magnificent portrayal of the fears of holding on and letting go, the love of women for women and for men, and best of all, the acceptance of life in all its mystical vagaries.”

—Booklist

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