Reviews of NO OTHER WAY
"On the surface, Roger Real Drouin’s No Other Way is a tale of two men -- one a nature photographer obsessed with capturing on film a bird thought to be extinct, and the other, a park ranger committed to preserving a protected forest in Idaho -- who find a connection in their interests. Simmering below are important questions about the connectedness people feel to nature and the lengths they will go to protect it. Drouin writes with an earnest, eyes-wide-open writing style, and his lyrical descriptions of wildspaces in Florida and Idaho -- as well as scenes describing bird photography -- are breathtaking."
--Richard Melo, a member of the National Book Critics Circle and author of Jokerman 8
"... while the young author lacks Hiaasen’s dark sense of humor, he shares his tree-hugging passion. It’s a good bet 'No Other Way' would bring a smile to Hiaasen’s face -- and yours."
--Sarasota Herald-Tribune (September 18, 2012 book review)
"If Ernest Hemingway wrote Nick Adams’ stories to commune with nature, No Other Way captures and catalogs what Hemingway’s character found totally holy...
"What makes No Other Way a genuinely standout novel is, other than the clean but vibrant prose, the book is written by an actual nature photographer as well as focused on one. Reading with one’s eyes is the great caveat of literature. Unimaginative authors cripple the world they wish to create by a broken vision, but here, the inhabitants of the world, both human and undomesticated are just as vibrant as the colors of birds contrasting in perfect ways. No Other Way becomes the reason why people will subscribe to National Geographic or watch Planet Earth: you want to see nature and have your senses assaulted by the natural world, Sun and all."
-- Poet Tyler Malone (October 2, 2012 book review)
"It combines a fictional story together with an Audubon guidebook. While sharing a story of human interaction and healing, the pages are also filled with incredibly descriptive scenes involving local wildlife -- mainly birds."
--Dew on the Kudzu (June 28, 2012 book review)
--Richard Melo, a member of the National Book Critics Circle and author of Jokerman 8
"... while the young author lacks Hiaasen’s dark sense of humor, he shares his tree-hugging passion. It’s a good bet 'No Other Way' would bring a smile to Hiaasen’s face -- and yours."
--Sarasota Herald-Tribune (September 18, 2012 book review)
"If Ernest Hemingway wrote Nick Adams’ stories to commune with nature, No Other Way captures and catalogs what Hemingway’s character found totally holy...
"What makes No Other Way a genuinely standout novel is, other than the clean but vibrant prose, the book is written by an actual nature photographer as well as focused on one. Reading with one’s eyes is the great caveat of literature. Unimaginative authors cripple the world they wish to create by a broken vision, but here, the inhabitants of the world, both human and undomesticated are just as vibrant as the colors of birds contrasting in perfect ways. No Other Way becomes the reason why people will subscribe to National Geographic or watch Planet Earth: you want to see nature and have your senses assaulted by the natural world, Sun and all."
-- Poet Tyler Malone (October 2, 2012 book review)
"It combines a fictional story together with an Audubon guidebook. While sharing a story of human interaction and healing, the pages are also filled with incredibly descriptive scenes involving local wildlife -- mainly birds."
--Dew on the Kudzu (June 28, 2012 book review)
What early readers are saying about NO OTHER WAY
"No Other Way was exactly the book I hoped it could be when I began the first page. A rich treatment of nature in prose, an informed point of view from which I learned things about myself, about all of us, the possible husking of a soul from loss, the struggles to continue to exist, and the mature moment when we all must face the idea that our efforts might be in vain, but pulling out the fortitude to keep putting one foot in front of another trying to make it to a better place -- in the world, in our lives, in our hearts. Here in beautifully textured images that build into staggering metaphors Drouin completes a patchwork of story most could only imagine, but even fewer could capture. The search for a “possibly extinct” Northern Stilted Curlew, to save this rare creature, blending, as the best literature can, into the fight to keep Wilson Sanford’s National Forest’s northern glacial lakes a homeland, and ultimately save the life a man who, feeling he has lost all, is reminded he can feel again, brought to the realization that magic still exists, even in the darkness."
--Sheldon Lee Compton, author of The Same Terrible Storm.
"Roger Real Drouin's debut novel, No Other Way, is a compelling story about faith and friendship and the extreme circumstances that can bond them together. His prose is fluid and poetic, taking a subject matter that is already fascinating and making it beautiful. Drouin is definitely a writer to keep an eye on."
--Martin Lastrapes, author of Inside the Outside, winner of the Paris Book Festival Grand Prize.
“It is hard to capture the natural beauty of nature in nothing more than words, but Roger Real Drouin manages to do so in abundance. It is clear throughout No Other Way that Roger has a fondness for the environment, and the knowledge expressed in his writing not only entertains but also educates. Roger Real Drouin is a gem in the literary world...”
--Dan Schwartz, author of No Cure for Nature
“Drouin, in his debut novel, No Other Way, writes of loss, hope, and renewal; not just for the Northern Stilted Curlew, but for all humanity. His writing lingers during a time when energy is in demand. We are all aware of the deforestation of national protected lands. The book is lyrical and poetic, soft and whispering, telling us, ‘It is a hope as light and fragile as the shadows flying through the tall grass.’”
--Grey Sparrow Journal
“Drouin writes about nature with an innate sense of poetry and a crisp knowledge that comes only from being immersed in one's subject. Like the Northern Stilted Curlew at the heart of its story, No Other Way soars for a thousand miles.”
--Steel Toe Review
“No Other Way is a beautifully written environmental fiction...”
--Terra Harmony, Author of eco-fantasy novels, The Akasha Series.
"Roger Real Drouin writes with a great sensitivity for detail and brings the reader deep into a natural setting."
--Murrary Dunlap, author of Bastard Blue and Alabama, a finalist for the Maurice Prize in Fiction.
--Sheldon Lee Compton, author of The Same Terrible Storm.
"Roger Real Drouin's debut novel, No Other Way, is a compelling story about faith and friendship and the extreme circumstances that can bond them together. His prose is fluid and poetic, taking a subject matter that is already fascinating and making it beautiful. Drouin is definitely a writer to keep an eye on."
--Martin Lastrapes, author of Inside the Outside, winner of the Paris Book Festival Grand Prize.
“It is hard to capture the natural beauty of nature in nothing more than words, but Roger Real Drouin manages to do so in abundance. It is clear throughout No Other Way that Roger has a fondness for the environment, and the knowledge expressed in his writing not only entertains but also educates. Roger Real Drouin is a gem in the literary world...”
--Dan Schwartz, author of No Cure for Nature
“Drouin, in his debut novel, No Other Way, writes of loss, hope, and renewal; not just for the Northern Stilted Curlew, but for all humanity. His writing lingers during a time when energy is in demand. We are all aware of the deforestation of national protected lands. The book is lyrical and poetic, soft and whispering, telling us, ‘It is a hope as light and fragile as the shadows flying through the tall grass.’”
--Grey Sparrow Journal
“Drouin writes about nature with an innate sense of poetry and a crisp knowledge that comes only from being immersed in one's subject. Like the Northern Stilted Curlew at the heart of its story, No Other Way soars for a thousand miles.”
--Steel Toe Review
“No Other Way is a beautifully written environmental fiction...”
--Terra Harmony, Author of eco-fantasy novels, The Akasha Series.
"Roger Real Drouin writes with a great sensitivity for detail and brings the reader deep into a natural setting."
--Murrary Dunlap, author of Bastard Blue and Alabama, a finalist for the Maurice Prize in Fiction.
