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"The tides of fortune wax and wane at the whim of a goddess less constant than the moon. Those who paddle furiously after them may find themselves swept out to sea one moment, washed up on shore the next; those who swim against the tide usually drown. But the agile few who can float on the waves are known as fortune's favorites," writes Michael Malone near the end of his deftly written, entertaining new novel, Foolscap."
(Mindi Dickstein-LA Times Book Review)
"Wonderfully shrewd.... Mr. Malone's characters have dimension and scope... Foolscap, this vibrant, unruly, playful, cannily plotted caper...stands solidly in a grand tradition of those big literate entertainments of the nineteenth century."
(The New York Times Book Review)
"A wildly funny, picaresque yarn...Malone's cast would do honor to a Dickens novel, and the author's style proves to be a delicious satire sandwich served on wry. ...sharply focused and highly entertaining."
(Columbia State News)
Reviews for Handling Sin--
"Demonstrating a spirited grasp of the genre, Malone (Dingley Falls) has written a 'romance novel' in the original sense: a long tale of chivalrous heroes and extraordinary events. This madcap book bubbles with a frenzy from the first pages, an initially disconcerting pace that rarely allows the reader to catch a breath. With a wink to Cervantes and Dickens as well as the Marx Brothers, the narrative recounts the two-week odyssey of Raleigh Whittier Hayes, an upstanding citizen of Thermopylae, N.C., and Mingo Sheffield, his Sancho Panza....This is a highly refreshing tale in which Malone has managed to make the bizarre hilariously credible."
(Publisher's Weekly)
"A superbly stylish author whose books deserve the widest audience."
(The Saturday Review)
"Michael Malone exhibits the balance and showmanship of a champion acrobat, parodying every square inch of his native South even as he pays affectionate homage to the characters of the place and its people. Handling Sin is a comic odyssey... constantly sharp and funny... This novel is some show."
(Newsday)
Review for Time's Witness
"Michael Malone is the most generous of writers: his booming narrative voice is full of good humor, and his feeling for his characters - sometimes amused, nearly always passionate - seems paternal, in the best sense of the word. Mr. Malone peoples his fiction with large, quirky casts, and his readers come to know not only what these characters eat, drink, chew, whistle, sing, listen to, read, hang on their walls and dream, but - most important, especially in the case of ''Time's Witness'' - what they believe."
(Valerie Sayers-NY Times Book Review)
(Search Barnes&Noble.Com for below titles)
Other novels by Malone::
Dingley Falls
Uncivil Seasons
The Delectable Mountains
Painting the Roses Red
Short Stories:
Red Clay [can be found in Best American Mystery Stories of the Century, published by Houghton Mifflin] Recipient of the Edgar Award
Blue Cadillac
Murdered for Love
Delacorte
Nonfiction:
Psychetypes
Heroes of Eros
***Coming in the fall of 2001, Mr. Malone's newest novel entitled First Lady (the sequel to Time's Witness)***
Readers Reviews jj
Foolscap
What can be said about Malone's Foolscap? The novel is witty, humorous, intelligent, insightful and is filled with characters that possess all of the above qualities and then some.
I was hooked from the beginning, where Malone gives us a glimpse into a meeting of the English department at Cavendish University. This faculty meeting is one of the wittiest pieces of writing that I have read. Malone's version will bring a smile to those familiar with such meetings. The internal departmental bickering, as well as the competition between departments is a view few people have the "pleasure" of witnessing firsthand. Although, one need not be familiar with campus politics to appreciate the wit and humor therein.
Foolscap is not only about campus life, it is filled with colorful, adventurous characters and places off campus. As for the protaganist Theo Ryan, (Renaissance scholar) his life becomes full of drama when he meets playwright Ford Rexford. Rexford is a character not soon forgotten by Theo or the reader. With Rexford, Malone gives us a man full of humor and intelligence underneath a ton of BS. With Rexford we also see a larger-than-life playwright who struggles to live up to his legendary status as America's Greatest Living Playwright, while he has no problem with his status as womanizer, drinker, or man of adventure. Through Rexford, Theo Ryan learns alot about life, playwriting, and taking risks.
To those looking for an intelligent witty read, I recommend Foolscap wholeheartedly. Malone's use of literary greats and theatrical cues will not go unappreciated-his own wit and knowledge shines.
"Let the wild rumpus start!" (Sendak)
-- Brock D.
**Have you read one of Malone's novels or short stories? Want to share your review with others? Well, just send an email to MagnificentlyMalonian**oTe Delectable Mountains
**Books can be purchased through Amazon.Com and BarnesandNoble.Com
More reviews can be found on both sites**
Television Work:
Headwriter of "One Life To Live" (1991-1996)
Emmy nominee for Outstanding Writing in a Daytime Serial (1992, 1994, 1995)
Emmy winner for Outstanding Writing in a Daytime Serial (1994)
Headwriter of "Another World" (4/97-12/97)
Mr. Malone was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for his work on "Another World"
writer of "One Life To Live" (1991-1996)
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(reader review added 7/10)