Wonderful to get a positive review of The Heron Catchers, this time a Japanese perspective.
“[The Heron Catchers] is an emotional drama about the daily lives of ordinary people, but it also manages to be at times amoral, violent, and sensual, and it keeps the reader engaged…reminiscent of the works of Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, and other great writers of the Showa period.”
—Daiya Hashimoto, Editor of Booklogia
I just heard that The Heron Catchers was nominated as a Foreword Indies Book of the Year Finalist (as Kanazawa was in 2022). This follows the novel’s nomination in November as an American Writing Award Finalist. Results for the Foreword award will be announced in June. Keeping my fingers crossed!
From the video description on the SWET video channel: "In this talk [David] will focus on how he decides to portray 'place' in his novels, his process of writing scenes where setting plays an important role, and how living in Vietnam and in Japan has influenced his worldview and writing."
“…an enjoyable look at life outside the major Japanese tourist haunts, and an examination of the issues faced by those who attempt to make a life for themselves there.”
TonysReadingList.wordpress.com, a well-known and popular book-reviewing blog out of Australia, just followed up its positive review of Kanazawa with another positive review of The Heron Catchers. To read the review, please see the following link:
https://tonysreadinglist.wordpress.com/2023/12/07/the-heron-catchers-by-david-joiner-review/
Recently, on Instagram, I saw that the screenwriter, movie director, and movie producer Edmund Yeo, perhaps most famous for his film Moonlight Shadow (based on a Banana Yoshimoto novella of the same title) had read both novels in my planned series of Kanazawa stories, Kanazawa and The Heron Catchers. Not only that, but Banana Yoshimoto liked his post about my novels, which tells me she’s at least aware of their existence. A very nice start to my day today.
My publisher Stone Bridge Press described Rebecca Copeland’s recent review of The Heron Catchers as “a gorgeous review full of poetry,” and I happily agree with their assessment.
https://www.writersinkyoto.com/2023/11/08/wik-members/book-review-the-heron-catchers/
and
https://www.rebecca-copeland.com/a-flash-of-lightning-on-reading-david-joiners-the-heron-catchers/
i’m grateful, as always, for the positive review and publicity for The Heron Catchers. My second time in the Japan Times.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2023/11/12/books/the-heron-catchers-david-joiner/
The Heron Catchers is out in nine more days – don't forget to preorder!
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../the-heron.../1143139767
