REVIEW of Michael French’s “ONCE UPON A Lie” by Linda Appleman Shapiro , Psychotherapist/Addictions Counselor/Mental Health Advocate/ Oral Historian/Blogger and Author of the acclaimed memoir, She’s Not Herself: A Psychotherapist’s Journey Into and Beyond Her Mother’s Mental Illness As the pages of this fictional narrative race along, the old adage “truth is stranger than fiction” appears to lose its validity. Though it is at first tempting to view Once Upon A Lie as too contrived, too unbelievable, French’s gift for imposing an immediacy and authenticity to his narrative immediately stops us from wondering whether he is simply fabricating a story so replete with coincidences and an inconceivable confluence of events. As with many of the world’s great writers – Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Proust, Dickens, and this century’s Wally Lamb, to name but a few of my favorites – French’s Once Upon A Lie is, as he described it in a recent interview, akin to a “layered tapestry.” Through each o...
Bring on Lemons is a lemons to lemonade success blog about losing focus and finding a dream! It's also where I share my thoughts, ideas, book reviews, and writerly things as well as product reviews (food & drink too) - ENJOY!!