Reviews
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16 Mar 2009
praise for A Sandhills Ballad :
—Pam Joern, The Floor of the Sky, The Plain Sense of Things
“With penetrating insight and solid authority on the rural West, Ladette Randolph has carved out a compelling saga of a young woman ripening into maturity. You cannot help but cheer for Mary Rasmussen. Randolph's work is tough, tender, and brave, a pitch-perfect take on the hard beauty of life on the Nebraska prairie.” -
16 Mar 2009
praise for A Sandhills Ballad :
—Jonis Agee, The River Wife
“Randolph writes truthfully of the Nebraska Sandhills, a harsh land that exacts a brutal price for those who choose to love it. Having lived there, one never truly leaves, as Mary Rasmussen discovers, it etches its beautiful scar on body and soul.” -
3 Apr 2006
praise for A Different Plain :
—Midwest Living
“Beyond Willa Cather. That seems to be the current of thought running through A Different Plain: Contemporary Nebraska Fiction Writers, an absorbing collection of short stories from gifted authors (other than the most famous one) with Cornhusker connections... It's a stellar Nebraska writing cast.... These stories sparkle with pure entertainment value.... Modern short stories tend to lean toward esoteric writer's workshop head games. These, we're happy to report, go against that grain. You'll feel you know these writers because they tell stories as the neighbors do-complete with sometimes explicit details that make us squirm in our comfy worlds. As a whole, they all illuminate our Midwest, helping us make sense of this complicated corner of paradise we call home.” -
3 Apr 2006
praise for A Different Plain :
—North Dakota Quarterly
“Here is a collection of short stories that shows promise to the avid reader of fiction.... The authors and stories presented in A Different Plain should be appreciated not only for their relation to Nebraska but also for their relation to American contemporary fiction in general.... What becomes most important about A Different Plain is its ability to show just how diverse, complicated, and dramatic the Great Plains really are.” -
3 Apr 2006
praise for The Big Empty :
—Library Journal
“A wise friend once recommended learning about an unfamiliar place by reading the works of authors who live there. That theory proves true with this collection of 27 previously published essays and excerpts by Nebraskan nonfiction writers .... This diverse collection enables the reader to experience life in Nebraska. An excellent selection for regional libraries and academic literature collections.”