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Reader's Comments about An April Trail
"I loved it. Some parts were sad. Some parts were humorous. It was a really good book." Carol, Liberty, KY
"It is wonderful." Donna, Louisville, KY
"I am loving the book and although I started to share some laughter with Travis, he made me stop because he wants to read it for himself! I could not help it and told him I just had to share that one section on Government! Just so funny but soooooooooooooo true! 'Russell for President'. I can't wait to finish reading it and I truly do absolutely, no doubts about it, LOVE the cover....It's perfect! I also love the matching book mark and appreciate the extra ones you put in." Susan, Kewaunee, Wisconsin
"An April Trail in Kentucky is yet another book filled with emotion from the masterful story teller, Russell Vassallo. This book hits the heart of Kentucky by telling the stories of the people who make up this great Commonwealth. The amazing part of Mr. Vassallo's writing is his ability to take you right into the soul of the person whose story he is telling. If you read about one of Russell's characters, you know that character.
"An April Trail is about life and the many trails that we choose to travel and the results of those traveled trails.
April Trail is about passion, love, genuineness, character, and compassion. Russell has, perhaps, provided his readers with his best book yet." David Walden, Danville, KY
"For those of us who have followed the writings of Russell Vassallo, his latest book, "An April Trail in Kentucky," demonstrates once again the depth of his feelings and the breadth of his experiences. On the surface, this book chronicles the move that he and his beloved wife, Virginia, made from the mean streets of New Jersey to the simple country byways of rural Kentucky. But like all good books, what you see on the surface is just a hint of what lies beneath.
"Like his other memoirs, this book explores the inner workings of a senstive man. He is a man who loves and cares about animals almost as much as he loves and cares about the wide variety of folks who have crossed his particular trail through life. He cares about their pain. He cares about their grief. He cares about their worries. He celebrates with them when the warm light of joy fills their lives, if only briefly.
"But on the other hadn, Vassallo is not a vessel that is filled only with sugar and tears. At times, his anger flares at the injustices he sees all around him. It explodes like summer thunder when indifference takes the place of common decency. It is the kind of decency thta is not common at all in today's world. In fact it is becoming a very rare commodity indeed. But time and time again, this author finds decency simply by looking for it. And apparently, from Vassallo's experience, decency is still a commodity that is not rare at all in the hills of Kentucky.
"One such example of a decent and meaningful life is the story of Audra, a true Woman of Kentucky, a pioneer wife and mother who typifies the kind of spirit that still exists, particularly in rural areas of our nation. But as Vassallo says of her, 'there is nothing dramatic about Audra's life. In fact, the beauty of her life lies in its simplicity, in loving a man an dher children, in suffering through the loss of her children at birth, in working beside her family in the kitchen or in the fields." He calls her the "monarch royal of Woods Creek Road" and so she is.
"Vassallo's writing styple in this book is a perfect fit for his subject matter: An April Trail. His narration meanders in a seemingly aimless way, much like any trail does: through the woods, across streams, up hill and down, first to the east, then to the west, into the past and than back to the present. But somehow, whichever trail he is on, always seems to arrive at its inevitable destination.
"As Vassallo sees it, however, life is not a single, simple trail from birth to death. It is, in fact, an almost endless series of trails that lead to all the truly important events in each of our lives. There are rough trails, smooth trails, happy trails, sad trails, trails of jubilation, and trails of despair. And each is important; each is vital; each, added together, brings us to the totality of our life, and to its purpose.
"But like the trails that meander through our days on earth, the conclusion of those trails, the goal, the purpose of those trails also twists and turns and changes directions; one trail leading to another, one purpose being replaced by another; but all meaningful, all leading from somewhere, to somewhere.
"This is a book to be read slowly. Savor the words, the images and the messages; think about them, ponder them and, ultimately, be enlightened by them.
"Our hat is off to Russell Vassallo. His travels have been long and often difficult but, through his books, his ultimate trail is revealed. It is a trail that leads directly to his heart. And that is a major accomplishment for any writer." Russ Heitz, author of Dying in Deer Country www.russheitz.com
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