Reviews of All In Together Girls

Review Excerpts

Bill Robertson in The StarPhoenix: "Sutherland's stories are clearly focused, straightforward, and eminently readable. It's obvious that she cares deeply for her characters, but does not pander to them, forcing them to earn what they know and suffer when they make a mistake."


Jinnean Barnard in the Women's Post:

"Sutherland reminds us of our impulse to make sense of the world and ourselves through storytelling, whether by writing or by inventing ourselves, making ourselves up. She also speaks to our intense dislike of having others misinterpret or worse, steal (literally and metaphorically) our stories and erase our selves. Above all, the stories illustrate how mistakes in judgment, misguided decisions, and aimless searching are ultimately inevitable and even galvanizing. They are what make women who we are, no matter how imperfect."


Joan Marshall in Resource Links:

"Five [of the fourteen stories] clearly evoke the puzzle of family relationships in which girls and teens struggle with who their parents are. It is with this last group that Sutherland shines, as her characters examine their parents' lives, and yearn for connection. [...] Outside the Frame, arguably the best crafted of all the stories, will have you wondering about your parents' past and your own life. It is stories like this that inspire readers and make them watch for more of Sutherland's work."


Darleen Golke in CM Magazine:

"Well-paced prose, controlled language, skillful rhetorical devices, dexterous character development, realistic dialogue, exploration of the prosaic as well as the fantastic in daily living, multiple viewpoints, and humour illustrate Sutherland's ability to allow her fiction to explore rather than create truth. Many of the women learn, to their dismay, that self-knowledge comes at a cost, yet the tone of the collection remains positive and optimistic under Sutherland's guiding hand. Multiple layers of meaning intrinsic to the stories present challenges to the reader; however, mature teens and adults will appreciate the shrewd observation of women's lives featured in All in Together Girls."


Review Links

Follow the links below to read full reviews:

Amanda Earl (January 7, 2008).

51 Stories (December 9, 2007).

Broken Pencil (November 2007).

A Work in Progress (November 25, 2007).

The Indextrious Reader (November 3, 2007).

sub-TERRAIN Magazine (October 2007).

Obiter Dicta (October 22, 2007).

The StarPhoenix (October 20, 2007).

My Tragic Right Hip (September 29, 2007).

Of Books and Bicycles (August 22, 2007).

HOW YAH DOON? (August 15, 2007).

The Women's Post (July 6, 2007).

Resource Links (June 2007).

Prairie Fire Book Reviews (June 2007).

CM Magazine (June 22, 2007).

Kailana's Written World (June 11, 2007).

BlogLily (April 23, 2007).

BookLust (April 26, 2007).

Sandra's Blog-like Entity (April 15, 2007).