by
by R J S t e w a r t
Praise for Errors of Night
Errors of Night is in the same league as Flaubert's Madame Bovary and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.
Like those two novels, I cannot stop thinking about the characters; the Marchesa, the General, the gardener Attilio, the Priest, and Fina. They are unique, fascinating, and deeply human -- how often does a reader have the opportunity to look into another's soul?
The conflicts - war vs. peace, conflicting memories, trauma, redemption, chastity vs. love, honor vs. duty - combine to create the conflicts and mystery of being human.
Stewart's language is poetic, and your metaphors are remarkably creative, weaving a rich tapestry of prose, doubling the reader's sheer pleasure.
The plot introduces new questions at just the right moments to piques the reader's interest, such as the question about the relationship between the Priest and Fina (will he break his vows for love?).
The novel's historical facts are intriguing and enrich one's understanding of war.
-- John (JB) Winsor, author of River Stone, Love of the Hunt, The Punishments and Maggie’s Revenge.
Kirkus Review
Stewart has a vivid descriptive style that often borders on the poetic
In Stewart’s historical novel, an aging Nazi general returns to Italy in search of forgiveness for an act he committed during the war. Presiding over the Italian Cassino battlefield in 1944, German Gen. Julian von Wille leads an army in retreat. Tasked with slowing Allied advances, his tactic is to “introduce complications” by means of destruction. Amid the chaos, he takes possession of a satchel, containing a rare Percy Bysshe Shelley poem and an unusual artwork, found on the wounded body of a marchesa. After shouldering the burden of guilt over this theft for 40 years, von Wille returns to Italy with his son, a priest, to return the satchel. He finds the marchesa paralyzed by her wartime injuries and rendered mute by a subsequent stroke. The elderly woman is also tormented by the horrors of her past, having lost two of the men she loved to the war and having failed to save the lives of the children at her orphanage. The general’s musical background and the discovery of an old harpsichord may hold the unexpected key to making amends. Stewart’s novel draws on factual wartime events, particularly the Nazi looting and subsequent Allied bombing of the Monte Cassino monastery, to skillfully weave a gripping fictional narrative that examines remorse and reconciliation. Written in the first person from the perspectives of the marchesa, the general, and others, the novel takes on a confessional quality. Stewart has a vivid descriptive style that often borders on the poetic: “The war came, burrowing beneath our skins like ticks.” On occasion, the author over embellishes his tale with grandiose monologues improbably assigned to characters such as Attilio, the gardener: “I am God’s own angel tending the garden of His troubled children.” However, this remains an emotionally complex, finely wrought novel that keeps readers guessing until the very end.
Stewart’s poetic flair for detail and firm grasp of military history make for a truly compelling read. --Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Then Comes a Wind
" an epic tale of human endurance and perseverance ... a real page-turner ..."
" ... a well-written snapshot of the hardscrabble life faced by early pioneers. The everyday hardships endured by these hardy, and in some cases fragile, farmers trying to eke out a living from the land is excellently delivered. Throw in the intrigue of unscrupulous land grabbers, and you have a story that will capture the reader's imagination. . ."