Running the Bulls

I laughed and cried all the way through this marvelous book. I am a Cathie Pelletier fan of many years and was thrilled to find this new offering. Dare I say that the book is heart warming? Not in a sappy way, however, but because likeable people do unlikeable things but love and common sense triumph in the end.

Cathie Pelletier's new novel, Running the Bulls, is wonderful. I found it far more poignant than her Mattagash novels, but the lack of thigh-slapping humor on every other page should not deter fans from reading this book. It's still unmistakably Pelletier--witty, sad, smart, and beautifully written. And, like all her books, filled with characters you'll love forever.

I discovered Cathie Pelletier when I heard one of my favorite writers (Richard Russo) say that she was one of HIS favorite writers, at a reading in NY. I started with her first novel, The Funeral Makers, and read everything she's written. I've loved her work ever since. And what a joy it is to finally have a new novel. While many of us are still waiting for a Mattagash novel (it says in the author interview she's working on one now) it's a delight to pick up any book of hers. Howard Woods made me laugh, made me cry, as the film reviews say. There is so much intelligent information in the book, as well as funny and sad stuff , that you learn a lot about the world and even yourself.

Cathie Pelletier has once again given us a gift from the heart to both tickle and break our hearts. She has always written with such a delicate touch in honest, hard-hitting ink that the reader can do nothing but keep turning every page and look forward to flipping back to page one when the last page has turned. In Running the Bulls, Pelletier masterfully delivers so much pleasure, so much emotion, that she can have us slapping our knees in laughter and then punch us in the gut with a scene, a moment, or even a single line that drops us to our knees. It is quite a mirror she holds up to life, and she holds it with confidence, wisdom, and, as always, with brilliance. David Logan

What I've always liked about Cathie Pelletier's books is her smooth, engaging way of penetrating the modern psyche. Clever without being obtuse, and intricate without too much complexity. And this, in my opinion, is the best. She has a way of carrying you into the story, like settling into a deck chair with a blanket, for a few hours of super enjoyable reading. Paul Gahlinger