Lost Son:
**One of The Oregonian's Top 10 books of 2007**
*A nominee for the 2008 Pacific Northwest Bookseller Award*
"How wonderful to open a novel by an author you do not know, and to feel gradually, in joy and astonishment, the magic of Rilke reach out from every page. Lost Son is at once a subtle and signal imaginative achievement, putting readers on notice: an extraordinary talent has come upon the scene."—Ihab Hassan, author of The Dismemberment of Orpheus, The Literature of Silence, Selves at Risk, and many other books
"What an inspiring, serious, and seriously beautiful book this is. Lost Son caught me up into its inner and outer landscapes for days and days, and it lingers with me still. Cunningham beautifully captures the experience of writing. Rilke's constant search for the place to write—and for the listener to write toward—gives Lost Son a creative tension and urgency I find very moving. I am grateful for this book."
—Harriet Scott Chessman, author of Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper and Someone Not Really Her Mother
"Vivid, melodic, and retaining a lyrical beauty throughout, Cunningham writes with a passionate commitment to Rilke's poetry and life. Meticulously researched and seamlessly infusing fact with fiction, Lost Son is a vast monument to the power of the creative spirit and a grand testament to the artistic avant-garde movements that swept across Europe at the beginning of the 20th century."—Curled Up with a Good Book
"Cunningham's writing is beautiful and fluid. I found myself torn, lingering over passages and yet eager to rush on...For a writer not yet 30, Cunningham has achieved a mature style and authentic voice in Lost Son. He shows how Rilke cultivated the sense of dislocation that fostered his best work, especially during the years he lived in Paris "namelessly alone," witnessing the terrifying scenes he would mold into the feverish visions of his alter ego Malte, the Prodigal Son, 'a man who didn't want to be loved.' But I'm not sure it's right to see Lost Son simply as a fictional biography of Rilke. It is also Cunningham's spiritual autobiography, his own fierce identification with the poet's commitment to art...mesmerizing."—The Oregonian
"So sensitive and sad—as befits a poet—that it sent me to the obvious destination: a book of Rilke's poems."—Good Housekeeping
"Gripping and beautifully written...incredibly ambitious."—Strand Books, New York
"Cunningham has taken risks, attempting to paint Rilke in the poet's own words and style, and he has succeeded in producing an offbeat and absorbing literary work." —Library Journal
"Lyrical and moving."—Booklist
"Cast[s] a spell."—Bloomsbury Review
"Powerful...the perfect amalgamation of imagination and research...This haunting and very human story allows readers to catch a glimpse of the artist's soul."—Annie Blooms Booksellers
"[Lost Son] is amazing...beautifully written...My reading was slowed by my tendency to periodically put the book down and say, "Huh," followed by several minutes of staring into space and pondering deep questions about what it means to be an artist, or in love, or memories of illness, or childhood, or family. I read a large chunk of Lost Son when the weather was cold and gray and rainy. My mood, the tone of the book, and that weather all seemed to be playing notes in the same minor chord...Cunningham has matched the plot to the characters to the style so well."—Purple Primate Bookseller Blog
" Rainer Maria Rilke, I hope that your spirit is hovering somewhere close to earth so that you've been able to absorb this meticulous, respectful and gentle book on your life and poetry."
—January Magazine
"From the opening pages the reader is transported to turn-of-the-last-century Europe, and Cunningham does a wonderful job of depicting Rilke's world in a strikingly visceral fashion...More importantly, Rilke emerges from the narrative as a complex figure."—Small Press Reviews
"What makes this book a worthwhile read is the skill of the author. This is no dry biography. Rather, with beautifully expressive prose, M. Allen Cunningham is able not only to evoke the poet's angst, but also to get the reader to empathize with it....You'll want to savor every word. I found myself buying Cunningham's previous novel and starting to read Rilke's poems."—Historical Novels Review
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The Green Age of Asher Witherow:
*A #1 Booksense Pick, October 2004*
*Shortlisted for the 2005 Booksense Book of the Year Award with Marilynne Robinson's Gilead and Philip Roth's The Plot Against America*
*1 of 6 "Best Books of the West" in The Salt Lake Tribune*
*A Promising Debut in PAGES Magazine, Fall 2004*
*Listed as a "Regional Classic" by the Mountains & Plains Booksellers Association (MPBA)*
"...A novel that is disturbingly convincing, a story too terrible to continue reading but too compelling to lay down... what sustains the reader's interest is the horror of the mine work balanced by the purity of the style, a writing unpolluted by careless word choice, emotional flourishes or manipulative cliches... Cunningham's novel haunts because it so convincingly depicts a work life no man is fitted for but that many must endure."—The Salt Lake Tribune
"...First novelist Cunningham writes no semiautobiographical coming-of-age story, but a thoroughly researched and accomplished historical novel. Its unusual structure and richly descriptive, evocative language display a mastery that is surprising in a novelistic debut. Although the plot follows Asher's early life in a largely chronological manner, the book's five sections ("Earth," "Blood," "Bone," "Ash," "Earth") define his life episodically and describe three disastrous events in his first 20 years. The narrator's voice-- wry, compassionate, and detached--examines, reviews, and interprets the actions and emotions of his invincibly innocent younger self. Memorable characters people the Nortonville, California, community, contributing texture and weight to the story. Most impressively, Cunningham depicts the rigors of life in a frontier mining town--especially the physical hardships--and the fragility of humans living in harsh conditions. The darkness of events and the elegance in structure and language will make this book satisfying to readers who enjoyed such books as Robert Morgan's Gap Creek (1999) and Annie Dillard's The Living (1992)."—Booklist
"It's a rare thing for writers twice the age of M. Allen Cunningham to evoke so deftly the long-vanished landscape of 19th-century America, but few readers will believe a 26-year-old penned this wise and transporting debut."—Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"...Gritty... Cunningham does a superb job of capturing the grim rhythm of life in the mines, balancing that material with fine childhood character studies... the beauty of Cunningham's naturalistic prose and the strong characterization of young Asher Witherow make this a worthwhile debut from a noteworthy new author."—Publisher's Weekly
"...With heartfelt characters and stunning descriptions, Cunningham presents a historical glimpse of squalor in the mines that will haunt readers. Highly recommended."—Library Journal (starred review)
"...The early buzz on this debut novel serves up terms like: 'poetic intensity'; 'strikingly beautiful prose style'; 'unerring instinct for storytelling'; 'a startling accomplishment'; and 'lushly talented'. I will state emphatically that Mr. Cunningham's novel is all that and much more. . . It's impossible to adequately review such excellence. . . This is a literary novel in the finest sense of the word, magnetic and seductive from first word to last. . . a book to be savored, written by a gifted wordsmith. It has my highest recommendation."—Midwest Book Review
"...Rarely does a writer combine a strikingly beautiful prose style with an unerring instinct for storytelling. But this is indeed M. Allen Cunningham's startling accomplishment — in his literary debut, no less. The Green Age of Asher Witherow is an enchanting novel by a lushly talented young writer."—Robert Olen Butler, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning A Good Scent From a Strange Mountain
"...The writing in The Green Age of Asher Witherow is beautiful, the details enviable, the landscapes amazing, the characters well-drawn. It's like this guy is 200 years old, he gets it so right. Cunningham is a writer we'll be hearing a lot more from."—Tom Franklin, author of Hell At the Breech
"...The Green Age of Asher Witherow deserves your immediate consideration. An accomplished first novel from a talented new writer...a mix of wild supposition and real-life facts...part legend, part horror story, part Pacific Rim myth, part fact and part metaphor...Cunningham has struck a rich vein of story with this book, and everything points to him being able to write something just as good, or better, next time around."—Santa Cruz Sentinel
"...A remarkable first novel, a feat reminiscent of William Styron's Lie Down in Darkness, likewise published in the author's twenty-sixth year. Not only are the stories of both novels carefully designed, but every sentence in each one is crafted with care."—ForeWord Magazine (read full review)
"...The Green Age of Asher Witherow is one of the finest debut novels I've ever read. Cunningham writes with poetic intensity, but this is also a book with enormous narrative drive, memorable characters and relentless drama. And while the author is an artist rather than a scholar, he serves up a wealth of fascinating information about the history of the Golden State. For a twenty-six-year-old novelist to produce this book ought to be impossible, but you hold the shocking evidence in your hands."—Steve Yarbrough, author of the PEN/Faulkner Award finalist Prisoners of War
"...An amazing first novel, and a refreshing revival of an earlier literary mood."—Rocky Mountain News
"...Dark and foreboding, vivid in character, grounded in the geography of northern California, this is an impressive and satisfying debut novel."—San Jose Mercury News
"...Cunningham captures the feel of 19th-century California with rich details and memorable characters."—The Oregonian
"...A dark, complex tale of superstition, fierce pride, and love."—The Denver Post
"...10 times better than any holiday special...there is no putting it down."—The Daily Mississippian
"...Beautifully researched and richly detailed. Cunningham's facility with the language of image and sound casts a spell not unlike Isabel Allende...will undoubtedly take its place in the scope of respected historical novels of early California."—The Clayton Pioneer
"...Compelling and artfully told...In a precise but painterly style, [Cunningham] evokes a world both distant and--in the mines where Asher works by day and the fields he roams by night--relentlessly, forbiddingly dark."—Saint Louis Post-Dispatch
"...Spins a deceptively simple tale from a language as delicate as lace."—Rain Taxi (read full review)
"...From the very first pages I knew that I had something special in my hands...I was absolutely immersed in another time and place. I could not bear to put it down..."The Green Age" is gritty and magical, fantastic and authentic. It is one of the best books I've read this year."
—Susan Swagler, The Birmingham News
"...Shows childhood shining through the darkness with innocence and sincerity...Cunningham brilliantly takes a nightmarish way of life, set under the peak of Mount Diablo, and shines a ray of hope on the landscape."—Mississippi Daily Journal
"...Plunges fearlessly into history and the supernatural...emotionally potent and historically convincing. The hard lives of the miners are recreated in impressive and authentic detail, as is the landscape of the Diablo Valley, where the story is set...the bold recreation of an 'exotic' place and time in American history are real achievements."—The Missouri Review
“[A] superb lyrical novel… your reading pleasures will most certainly be complex and plentiful…a beautifully conceived, adroitly executed novel that defies simple categorization…It is wonderful. Don’t miss it.”—Tim Davis, NewPages.com (read full review)
