 2000-10-18 - the simplicity of beauty
i have heard kevin mcilvoy read from the title chapter of this book, and his extraordinary sense of voice and passion are what drove me to read the entire book. i have been told that he did a lot of work and interviews to put together this amazing book. it paid off. it truly did.
2000-04-13 - Sweet, gritty, joyful
This novel inspires hunger. For life, for love, for NOW. Red Greet, an honest thief, forces us to confront the perfect imperfections of our lives, and to learn to cherish them. He is a great tasty chunk of character made chunkier through his storytelling - jewels spill from his chapped lips on every page. The grace of aging is so tenderly woven through the story. The shifting qualities of love and lust and beauty that gently evolve in these pages feels visceral, unlike the plastic veneer of the media culture. This is a story of paradox, of becoming, acceptance, and mostly self-love. It is a beautiful, compelling, and sweetly funny novel.
1999-07-13 - Learned from Steinbeck and then outdid the master.
Kevin McIlvoy must have studied at John Steinbeck's feet and then surpassed his teacher. The common man and his humanity made glorious. My heart grew.
1999-03-01 - A rare lyrical delicacy and deep insight
McIlvoy possesses a deep understanding of his character's intimate lives and of those fleeting moments of grace and flashes of mutual understanding which ultimately unite us all. This is a writer to watch, his book, a gem to be treasured.
1999-02-18 - A title for the ages!!!
HYSSOP is for the mestizo in all of us. A miracle in words. Stories fly from the narrator's mouth like venom and provide a sweet death. Don't let this title be forgotten. Its espiritu will invade your skin...
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