Customer Reviews

Coal Cracker Blues

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I believe anyone who lived in a small town in the Eastern United States during the 1950's will be able to identify with this nostalgic, bitter-sweet journey. It is told in the form of a mystery that unlocks a yearning for an innocent time when Rock and Roll was naughty and swimming nude in the juggy hole was quite daring and it reveals a present which makes one shudder. It has a universality that transcends the Coal Regions, but if are lucky enough to be from the strong stock this region produced, you will identify with the story even more. Above all, I liked the flow of the narrative and the sharp dialogue that kept the story moving between past and present. It is a page turner and it is not boring. I liked the bits of nostalgia, especially the description of the cars in the 50's. I would have liked to see more subtle treatments to underscore negative aspects of his characters and of the town, but I think the gift of subtely will come as Stevens matures as a novelist. If he sticks to the themes of the joys and sorrows of small-town life, he may well be our next John O'Hara. ...

Bravo! It was a great reading adventure and I enjoyed every page. I
laughed,
shed a few tears and also was scared.
You opened avenues of many feelings!
Such great detail in the mine tunnel scene! I have never been down in
a coal mine. I did have the opportunity to tour a gold mine in CA.
........was happy to come back to the earth's surface.
Congratulations on the novel.
Page 227 says it all.......starts out...
"I still have the memories"........we do have all the wonderful
memories of the wonderful place we call home and they will remain with
us always. It was a special place and a very special time

I only wish I were alive when the fabulous 50's were in full swing, luckily this book takes me right there and lets the reader appreciate what used to be and realize, sadly how much things have changed. You can actually hear the greatest music coming through the words and the emotional swings the characters go through looking on the town they cherished changing right in front of them. Anyone who knows the term "coal cracker" will appreciate Mr. Stevens love and admiration for these incredible people, the love of the town and the hope for its renewal. So grab a Ying Ling beer, some kiebasa and your favorite 50's memories for a story of friendship, coal talk (which thousands from this sacred region will recognize),laughter, mystery and reminicising. This author will truly put you right in the middle and your hope for these times will grow with every page. Enjoy and pass on!!

COAL CRACKER BLUES, by first time novelist James Stevens, rates at least
five stars. It is a quick read---229 pages of action and suspense,
mostly revealed through believably written dialogue. It grips the reader
on page one and doesn't let him go until the last page. Stevens knows
how to engage the reader by making him feel, hear, taste, see, smell---
and care. I highly recommend his book and congratulate Stevens on a job
well done.

Polly Hunt Neal

I am from a small town in the coal regions. The town in this book brought back so many fond memories of growing up in a similar town that has gone downhill in population. The references to the food, the type of people,and the fun we had growing up is something that will always remain with me. It made me remember how proud that I was from a town like this.

This is a very disparaging portrait of the Coal Regions. It can't be called a novel as it is a one-dimensional narrative with no character development. If the author's purpose is to trash the area where he was born, he has succeeded. An amateurish attempt, through and through.

Ruthie Friday

DRAGNET... four stars...........
That was my impression after a couple chapters. Old Steve Zajac ( how much more ethnic can you get ) laments over what has happened to his old town. I don't think he has a "holier than thou" attitude but one of objectivity as to where it has gone. The writer, Stevens, I think tries to show us that the weather, the streets, the mines, even the people, everything is in decay, and practically impossible to save. A sadness, much like Zajac's dying mother in Intensive Care.... Just get it over with... Go to the funeral home and sign the papers for the inevitable.
In my opinion, and I have seen many dying mining towns, Stevens holds back when I really wanted to see more tension. He holds back when the racial bigotry of the town is really there, out of respect for his old friends. The writing, I feel, reflects the mood. Very much like Dragnet of the 50's. Get to the facts, ma'am.
The critique by nat 874 below, who calls the book "poor writing..." is unfounded. A book review should focus on the
book itself and not contain meanspirited attacks on the author, such as "You're an old man," and "Get over it."
Stevens imitates the surroundings themselves with his writing, and makes the villain of the tragedy, the dying town itself, and not just its people.

I was excited when I first heard that a book had been written using Shamokin as its setting. However, after only a few pages, I realized that the author was not celebrating the traditions of a small town but denigrating those who chose to continue to live there.

According to the author, apparently there are no people still living in the town under the age of sixty-five that have any redeeming qualities. We are all portrayed as having no interests other than quzzling huge quantities of beer, eating fattening foods and playing bingo. No mention is made of the close ties between family and friends. Comments are continually made implying that earning large amounts of money is the only thing that matters when measuring a person's success.

Due to the lack of industry, many people have been forced to leave the area. The town has unfortunately decayed and faces its share of problems. However, the main premise of this book appears to be to downgrade the town and the people who stayed. There was very little plot or character development. It was mainly a description of places the author remembered from his past.

I would not recommend this book.

Fabulous book, for first time novelist James Stevens. I found myself drifting back in time to a more simpler but harder life that our grandparents lived. As immigrants they had limited job opportunities and survived based upon a value system of hard work, and no nonsense. Women served one purpose to keep their men happy and the coal crackers found solace in their beer and whiskey.

What they produced were young men and women that hoped for a better life and were raised with a value system of working hard and respecting others.

Steve Zajac's family lived a hard life (comapred to today's standards) but one that was rich with wonderful childhood experiences. The simple act of having a meaningful converstaion with his father while sorting through coal was very poignant. How many of today's parents that have much greater wealth really talk to their kids?

Steve's doggedness to uncover the truth about his friends deaths drew upon his value system of pursuing justice at any cost. In a small town you tend to make friends for life versus the suburbs of Atlanta where wealth and prestige are the monikers of success.

I found myself both crying and laughing at various points throughout the story. Mr. Stevens has a wondferful gift of keeping the reader engaged as you look forward to turning the next page. His attention to detail is not overly embellished but enough to provide a vivid picture within the reader's imagination.

This is a great book to read while waiting in an airport or relaxing on the beach. I truly enjoyed this book and can not wait to read Mr. Stevens next adventure.

What an ego trip!! I think the author wrote this to show everyone how superior he is to everyone in his home town.

This work is typical of many "novels" that are out there today. There is no character development, no catharsis that happens in the story--it is just a flat telling of a tale to satisfy the ego of the writer.