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Book 1 - Reading the Knots

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Reviews of Reading the Knots

The lives of three very different women during the Guatemalan coup d'état of 1954 are brought to life in Susan Garzon's vivid historical novel, Reading the Knots....This is an absorbing story set in a dramatic moment in Guatemalan history...Infused with drama and description, Reading the Knots will appeal to fans of female-driven fiction, set against a backdrop of lesser known places and events. -Blue Ink Review

An engaging novel that digs deep into mid-20th-century Guatemala. Garzon's deliberative prose paints the characters with precision and complexity... It is an immersive story not only of the tension between cultures, but of the roles that women often find themselves trapped in, and the risks they take in order to escape them. -Kirkus Reviews

I was enthralled by this beautifully written story of three women whose lives are touched by tragedy during the political and cultural upheavals of 1950s Guatemala. Garzon's compelling characters and well-crafted descriptions engaged my attention from the start. --Carrie Bedford, author of the Aura Series and Nobilissima: A Novel of Imperial Rome

Reading the Knots is the kind of book I'll read again and again. It paints the lives of three very different young women and deals with love, coming of age, archeology, land and social reforms in Guatemala during the 1950s. Garzon's world is filled with vibrant landscapes and authentic characters. As I got to know each woman, I learned about Guatemala's history, and I experienced pangs of fear, love, loss, and the fire of fighting for one's deepest convictions. The women's enduring friendship is uplifting and warmed my heart. --Maryvonne Fent, author of The 35¢ Dowry.

Reading the Knots: A Novel by Susan Garzon is a mesmerizing historical novel that follows compelling characters set against the backdrop of a turbulent political time in Guatemala....The story has strong political themes and the historical setting comes out beautifully in the well-written commentaries. Reading the Knots explores themes of change, family, political upheaval, and many others while looking at the inner strength of some female characters as they survive changing and challenging times. Deftly written, balanced, and engaging. --Romuald Dzemo for Readers' Favorite (5/5 Stars)
Susan Garzon crafts a jackpot of a novel by bringing together diverse characters in the same plot, therefore bringing into focus cultural tensions that render the already volatile political situation more unstable. The vivid descriptions of the Guatemalan landscapes, as well as the rich characterization, further bolster the novel's readability...Further, for a historical novel, it's fast-paced. Susan Garzon's Reading the Knots: A Novel is not your run of the mill literary-cum-historical fiction, which in itself is a unique genre. It gives a rich insight into a seldom talked about country and makes for absorbing reading. Highly recommended. --Debjani Ghosh for Readers' Favorite (5/5 Stars)

I adored this book from start to finish, because it is one of those non-westernized novels that opens one's eyes to other corners of the world and gives an authentic voice to unique characters. Author Susan Garzon has true compassion for the women she weaves into her conceptually complex and involved storyline, but their presence and attitude also offer education for those of us who sometimes forget to look beyond our own front door. Descriptive and narrative talents are fully on display as Guatemala and its many beauties, tragedies, and complexities are laid out before us, and the plot delivers all of this in a well-organized form that brings a wealth of information forward in a logical and building progression that makes it easier to follow. Overall, Reading the Knots is a highly recommended and accomplished read for fiction fans everywhere to enjoy. --K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite (5/5 Stars)

The narrative is fast, it is incredibly well-paced and the descriptions are vibrant enough to make you feel like you are right there in Guatemala. I experienced the country, its history, its culture and had the most entertaining time as well. --Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite (5/5 Stars)


Reviews of Unraveling the Threads

The sequel to Reading the Knots is every bit as engaging as the first book, and just as emotionally wrenching. Back in Guatemala, on a trip from the USA, Patricia teams up with her indigenous friend, Noemi, to solve the mystery of an anonymous letter. A violent confrontation with her brother forces Patricia to make some hard decisions about her future, her mother, and the country she thought she'd left forever. She sees Noemi facing similar challenges as she chooses between an unsatisfactory marriage and her duty to her father. Through their stories, the author examines the questions of family, loyalty, and the power of love to heal loss. With interesting new characters and an intriguing plot, the story moves at a good pace and offers a very satisfactory ending. --Carrie Bedford, author of the Galla Placidia series and the Aura series.


Unraveling the Threads is a wonderful continuation of Susan Garzon's first novel, Reading the Knots, which takes place in Guatemala during the political turbulence of the1950s. This story picks up twenty-four years later with Meg, a character who lost her husband and four-year-old son JJ in a mysterious fire in 1954, and now receives an anonymous message claiming JJ is still alive. Meg contacts her friend, Patricia, a Guatemalan woman now living in the United States, and Patricia volunteers to return to Guatemala in hopes of tracking down the truth. The writer does a wonderful job of showing us how the country has changed, but it also shows us the things that have stayed the same. And this is demonstrated by the events in the life of the book's other main character, Noemi, the indigenous woman whose life, for the most part, continues much the same as that of her ancestors. As a poor woman who has rarely strayed from her village, Noemi's problems are an interesting contrast to Patricia's. The story holds your interest well through several twists and turns, as Noemi helps Patricia unravel the very complicated truth of what happened so many years past. The book culminates in an ending which is not only surprising but very satisfying. If you're looking for a respite from the problems of today, put them aside for a while and disappear into Unraveling the Threads. -Diana Corbitt, author of the Ghosters series.

This novel, a sequel to Reading the Knots, takes readers back to Guatemala, but this time twenty-four years later. It's now 1978, and we rediscover three memorable female characters whose lives become bound by a mystifying quest. In Chicago, Meg, whose four-year-old son died in a fire in 1954, receives a letter from Guatemala assuring her that her son is alive. An accident prevents her from flying to Guatemala, and she appeals to her friend, Patricia, a native Guatemalan, who is now a U.S. citizen living in Iowa, to take her place and find the truth about her son. Patricia returns to the country and the wealthy, dysfunctional family she had fled earlier. With the help of Noemi, a young Mayan woman whose brother she knew, and Sergio, a charismatic Guatemalan activist, Patricia slowly unravels the threads that will explain what happened the night Meg's house burnt to the ground. This book, which evokes the landscapes and multicultural aspects of Guatemala rang true to me, as did all the characters involved in helping Patricia uncover the mystery, and it kept me thinking way after I put it down. -Maryvonne Fent, author of The 35¢ Dowry.

Unravelling the Threads is a multi-dimensional story, combining mystery and romance against the turbulent political background of Guatemala in the late 1970s. Returning to her birthplace from the US, Patricia volunteers as a doctor in a medical clinic and begins to mend her relationship with her mother. Noemi, a young indigenous woman, and Sergio, a former lover, help Patricia make important decisions about her future and assist her in accomplishing her goals. Interesting characters and a colourful background make Unravelling the Threads a story well worth reading. -Gillian Hobbs