"To the medical world, I was a host body, surviving only to bring a new life into the world. And while I wanted to die more than anything in the world, I never wanted this. No, I never wanted to cease to exist. This was the worst death of all.” Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude’s decisions threaten to reveal everyone's deceptions, even her own. Bluff offers a sensitive look at essential questions such as the value of human life, the consciousness of those in a coma and the morality of terminating life support. At the core is the story of a tragically misunderstood woman who finds peace, acceptance, understanding and even love on her deathbed.
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2013 International Book Award Finalist for Literary Fiction
"If you are looking for a novel that will totally capture your attention and provide you with a great deal of thought- provoking insights, then this is a must read." - Reader Views
From the Back Cover
"From the first few pages of Bluff, we were hooked. Lenore Skomal keeps you guessing and wanting more. The characters have stayed with us and we can't wait for a sequel!" Blue Stockings Literary Society "Bluff raises vital questions about the nature of our human spirit. This compelling story is a must read. You won't be able to put this book down. It will change you." Sylvia Browne, bestselling author and spiritual teacher "Lenore Skomal is a powerful writer and a big talent. Her words will stir your heart." Al Zuckerman, founder, Writer's House Literary Agency
Lenore Skomal wants you to eat her books. She wants you to chew them in your teeth, savor them on your tongue, breathe them in, and feel her words in your skin. Her passionate desire is to touch your heart, inspire you, and luxuriate in the world of the written word.
She is an award-winning author. BLUFF was honored as one of three finalists in the 2013 International Book Awards for Literary Fiction. "Burnt Toast," her first foray into self publishing is an anthology of her humor columns. It won the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book award for humor and placed as a finalist in both the 2012 Indie Excellence Award and Global E-book Awards. Her first book, "Keeper of Lime Rock" was selected by the New York Public Library as one of its Best Books for Teens 2003.
Skomal's catalogue spans many genres. With 30 years of writing experience, over 17 books published and a daily blog, the consistent themes in her work are the big issues the human experience and adding depth and voice to the intricacies involved in living a multi-dimensional existence. Skomal has won several Society of Professional Journalist Awards, Whidbey Island Writer's Conference honorable mention for best fiction, Writer's Digest 73rd Annual Fiction Contest, New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens 2003, and the Next Generation Indie Book Award for humor. From journalism, to literary fiction, to humor and biography, Skomal's writing is consistent, if not in genre, then in message.
As a member of the world community, Skomal is excited by the opportunities presented in today's publishing climate. Now, not only can she spend her time traveling internationally and experiencing life with all her senses, she shares these experiences directly with her readers in hopes of resonating with them and underscoring that no one is alone.
In addition to writing, Lenore is an engaging public speaker with over 1000 public engagements, book tours and writing seminars. She has taught college journalism, has one son, and when not off gallivanting from Egypt to Mongolia she resides with her husband in Erie, Pa.
Check out her website, www.lenoreskomal.net and friend her on Facebook and like her fanpage "Bluff by Lenore Skomal."
I received a copy of this book from the author for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibility.
I'm rather at a loss for words to accurately review this book: for I'm not entirely certain I've discovered all of the ways it makes an impact. It is a roller coaster ride from one peak in the revelations to the next, climaxing with the impact of that last big climb - slowly up until it crests and drops the bottom out from under you.
Each of the characters encountered are involved, directly or indirectly with Jude and what seemed to be a sucking vortex of secrets, deceptions and resentments. Add in the rather inflexible edicts from the Pope and the Bishop, contrasted with bioethical issues surrounding the sustenance of life without considering the quality of that life and that is just a taste of what this book brings to the reader.
Not by any stretch of the imagination is this book an easy read: but it isn't meant to be. Challenging your thoughts on life support, living wills, suicide, secrets, Papal omniscience, and even application of edict and canonical law to the very real situations that people encounter; this story has so many facets to focus on, to provide new insight that it's a never ending series of important revelations and perspectives that deal with the horrifyingly possible potential that you too, shall need to deal with an `end of life' decision for a loved one.
Of course, the author has managed to wrap all of the issues into a well-written, tightly characterized and deeply moving story. One that keeps you thinking long after you have put it down and wanting to go back and re-read sections as your opinion on everything starts to change and wander.... The main character is named for St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes: although each character has their own `lost cause' they are fighting against, some more successfully but no less traumatic than others.
If you want a book that doesn't challenge, ends with a "happy ever after", that you will put down and not feel it calling for you to finish it - this is not the book for you. Skillful writing combined with a plot guaranteed to make you think, remember and even question: you must have this book.Read more ›
In her author's profile, Lenore Skomal says she wants you to "eat her books," and gobble I surely did as I read her latest book, Bluff. This intriguing novel will keep you on the edge until the very last sentence. Skomal is a master at the cliff-hanger (or shall I say, bluff-hanger?) -- I finished each chapter only to be left begging for the next. Word to the wise: Don't deprive yourself of the thrill of getting to the end by skipping ahead or you'll miss the intricacies of the plot and the depth of the superbly crafted and complex characters.
Skomal's non-apologetic portrayals of those characters are sometimes unflattering, but they do allow for empathy. Unlike in real life, we are privy to each character's inner-most thoughts, which allows us to best understand the motives behind the behaviors. At the heart of the story is Jude, five-months pregnant and left in a vegetative state following a tragic fall from the steep bluff behind her house. She is kept alive only to bring her baby to term, fully cognizant of conversations around her but without a means to communicate. Frances, Jude's best and only friend, suffers at her bedside, full of questions but no answers to the mystery of what happened and why. Frances too has secrets, as does her lawyer, Paul, and his wife, Mary Shannon, Jude's primary nurse, who finds an unlikely confidant in her dying patient. Jude's alcoholic mother, Gay, torments her from the grave, while her estranged sister April returns home after twenty years to tie up loose ends.
Skomal jumps squarely into some of the tough questions pertaining to life and death. She examines relationship dynamics, the ethics of choices and how actions can -- intentional or not -- ultimately affect others.... This is an intelligent read -- the pages fly by, but the impact of the story continues long after the final scene.Read more ›
Sad to say this would have been an excellent book. The story is interesting, engages your thoughts. You do indeed want to devour it, find out what happens next. However, I read a lot of kindle books and I do not think I've ever read one that was so poorly edited and or formatted. There were words missing, sentences unfinished, and what appeared to be sentences blended together. As irritating as mispelled words can be you can still figure out what it should say, that was often not the case here.
As with other reviewers, I agree that the editing is problematic. But it has been quite some time since I have come across a story so intriguing that I literally could not put it down. This was my experience of Bluff. The use of different viewpoints made for rich and complex characters. This, I believe, is Ms. Skomal's greatest feat. She can take the most despicable characters and, not make you like them, exactly, but make you GET them. It requires the reader to take a multifaceted look at many issues that seem black and white and explore them more deeply, from a different perspective. It is the human condition, seen by many different eyes, that make this book one that goes beyond a good story, and elevates it to one that sticks in your conscience. I loved the "hot mess" of an ending, precisely for this purpose. Our stories, like these characters, are not neat and tidy, and it is in the mess that we learn to get outside our own reality.
I read this book on my Kindle. It was a formidable task. The copy editing is a nightmare!!! Sentences are cut off midpoint only to appear in another paragraph. It was like putting together a puzzle. I found the only way to read "Bluff" was by scanning it; otherwise it would make you crazy. The content was only passable in this context.
