Praise for Nantucket Sleighride
“A wonderful memoir and so insightful into a world I know almost nothing about: east coast, upper middle class (sailing, yacht clubs, debutantes, tennis, boarding schools, etc...). Louise's writing of the natural world is so akin to Mary Oliver, that deep love of what is underneath it all and the magic and mystery inherent in all of us that resonates with the outdoors--and how that can be our salvation from abuse (both by self and others). I can honestly say that her story had so much impact on me because I cannot stop thinking of it and seeing the images of where and what she lived.” Laurie Wagner Buyer, Award-winning poet and author of 14 books
“When I finished reading N.S. last night, my first thought was "Wow!" followed by, "This is a very brave woman!" Joan Lee Hunter
“Your book absolutely floored me.”
“I was surprised to find myself so taken by your book - not because of anything other than the fact that I'm not much of a nonfiction reader,
so I wasn't sure how it would go. In fact, it captivated me." Lori Lenart
“It was hard to put down once I started reading it. The narrative is very compelling. There is so much emotion and pain and also love.” LC Jenn
“I spied the book I somehow knew I would buy. It is seldom that the cover of a book attracts me but the colors or lack of colors, the sea, the dock, the loneliness of the scene matched my mood and the rainy day. The name didn't hurt either. Nantucket Sleighride, it has to be interesting I thought . . . Inside the warmth of the apartment, I opened the book and noticed it had been signed by the author. I felt a kinship immediately. I sat in a battered leather easy chair . . . and started reading. I put the book down when I had read every page. I was stunned.” Nelson Linscott
“A wonderful memoir and so insightful into a world I know almost nothing about: east coast, upper middle class (sailing, yacht clubs, debutantes, tennis, boarding schools, etc...). Louise's writing of the natural world is so akin to Mary Oliver, that deep love of what is underneath it all and the magic and mystery inherent in all of us that resonates with the outdoors--and how that can be our salvation from abuse (both by self and others). I can honestly say that her story had so much impact on me because I cannot stop thinking of it and seeing the images of where and what she lived.” Laurie Wagner Buyer, Award-winning poet and author of 14 books
“When I finished reading N.S. last night, my first thought was "Wow!" followed by, "This is a very brave woman!" Joan Lee Hunter
“Your book absolutely floored me.”
“I was surprised to find myself so taken by your book - not because of anything other than the fact that I'm not much of a nonfiction reader,
so I wasn't sure how it would go. In fact, it captivated me." Lori Lenart
“It was hard to put down once I started reading it. The narrative is very compelling. There is so much emotion and pain and also love.” LC Jenn
“I spied the book I somehow knew I would buy. It is seldom that the cover of a book attracts me but the colors or lack of colors, the sea, the dock, the loneliness of the scene matched my mood and the rainy day. The name didn't hurt either. Nantucket Sleighride, it has to be interesting I thought . . . Inside the warmth of the apartment, I opened the book and noticed it had been signed by the author. I felt a kinship immediately. I sat in a battered leather easy chair . . . and started reading. I put the book down when I had read every page. I was stunned.” Nelson Linscott
Nantucket Sleighride
A Memoir by Louise Taylor
“That’s the thing about childhood memories—sometimes you only have a smidgen of the whole, no
ending to the scene or an accompanying emotion. While other memories are more vivid, there’s always
the possibility for a blip, a misfired synapse. This may blur the accuracy, but it doesn’t change what
enters the body and remains without notice. That is, until an incident jostles you.”
From childhood until my early twenties, my 7' 2" tall uncle had an overbearing presence in my life. I
had to help him in the garage, crew for him in sailboat races, and as a young adult work for him at boat
shows. Many of these experiences were unbearable, due to his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personalities and ferocious temper.
Nantucket Sleighride is spliced with perseverance, insight, adventure and beauty. Beginning when I am living with my black Labrador, Glory, in a rundown farmhouse in Maine, the story jumps back to childhood, the watery and nautical backdrop of summers spent on Cape Cod and continues forward in time. Scenes unfold with my uncle, family, boarding school days, a lesbian debutante in the 1960s, lovers, unfulfilling work, alcoholism, recovery and more.
The memoir comes full circle to when, in my mid forties, I decide to take a year off and move to Maine. There the lack of distraction and the veiled power of isolation pry me open and break me down. I experience intermittent and disabling bouts of terror during the daytime, and horrific nightmares. With the love of Glory, my horse, Frankie, a beloved therapist, and my will and tenacity to change—I begin to reclaim
my life.
Published by Louise Taylor, 2016
LouiseTaylorWriter.com
© Louise Taylor
Book Design: Peggy Johnson
ISBN 978-0-692-71945-9
$18.95
Order from the author
Praise for Stones on All Four Corners
“ . . . There is such melancholy, grace and wisdom . . .”
“ . . . I think it is a remarkable book. Such confidence in what is eluded and left out – a fullness
of detail and cohesiveness even in sparseness . . .”
“ . . . I’m not a wise critic and have a very narrow view, but I know really good poetry when I read it.
Louise shines. I would place her on my shelf between Maxine Kumin and Jane Kenyon, if I did not
order my shelf alphabetically.”
Published by Louise Taylor, 2009
© Louise Taylor
ISBN 978-0-692-00593-4
$14.95
To order click order button below.
|
|
Cohen, Barbara and Taylor, Louise.
. Dogs and Their Women. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, May 1989. (fourteenth printing)
. Cats and Their Women. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, May 1992.
. Horses and Their Women. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, May 1993.
. Women's Best Friend. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Company, May 1996.
Books from this series are out of print, but you might still be able to find them online.