Pure Spring

...a triumphant return...complete with a sparkling array of characters and a story bubbling with drama and tension...Pure Spring is a case of pure pleasure. * Books in Canada *
...Doyle's writing is to be savoured....Pure Spring is superbly done. Highly Recommended. * CM Magazine *
As always, Doyle rounds out the grimness with comedic scenes, balancing tragedy and pain with touching descriptions of the dizzying first love between Martin and Gerty McDowell...Doyle's gentle, affectionate touch makes for a story that ultimately goes down as sweet as a Pure Spring Honee Orange soft drink. * Horn Book, STARRED REVIEW *
Doyle is a first-class writer in every sense of the word. For those who can think back to circa 1950, he's brought it all vividly to life again. For the in-betweens who can't, this book is better than a history lesson. It's highly recommended. * Guardian *
It's a delightful story and a funny one, narrated by Martin, but other, darker story strands flow beneath and in and out of this narrative stream...Which is not to say that darkness prevails in Pure Spring. Rather, Martin does and, it must be said, so does Doyle, Brian. Once again, he's spun a marvelous tale, weaving light and dark into a multifaceted gem of a book, in which the eccentric cast of characters...is quite capable of inducing both tears and laughter. * Globe and Mail *
Like [Boy O'Boy], it's invested with a sense of innocence, is rich in period detail, and is redolent of Doyle's nostalgia for the good old days...Martin and his Grandpa Rip are engaging characters, and Doyle fans will welcome his latest effort. * Booklist *
Pure Spring is a remarkable interlace of tragedy, comedy, romance and even high adventure. It's a blend that only Doyle can mix - a story that's quick-paced and accessible, engages even reluctant readers, and has literary genius and human wisdom at its heart. * Toronto Star *
The pace and the easy to read narrative, while challenging the reader, is also chatty, humourous, and comfortable. * Resource Links *
This is Brian Doyle at his finest: compassionate and tough, in complete control of lucid prose that neither gets in the way nor gives away too much....tenderly hopeful yet also realistic. This is a marvelous read. * Quill & Quire, STARRED REVIEW *
...timeless... * Reviewers of Young Adult Literature *
Although this book deals with some very serious themes...there are many humorous moments, and the book's message is ultimately one of redemption...a moving and often beautiful novel. * School Library Journal *
Brian Doyle continues to create characters to love and situations that cause tears to flow, through laughter and sorrow. He is a gifted writer whose work belongs in every library...school and public. His stories beg reading aloud in classrooms everywhere. * Brandon Sun *
His singular writing style and finely developed characters are a delight to know. Yet Doyle does not neglect the raw and sometimes painful events of childhood in his warm and funny narrative. * Language Arts *
With his straightforward and uninflected compact sentences, Martin reads like a Hemingway narrator, but one of a tender and hopeful mind and an abiding interest humankind despite his setbacks. * Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books *