I love to share with you any comments I receive from industry book reviewers. More than that, I love to hear from my readers. Below, you will find just a few of the reviews that Southern Vapors has garnered thus far. If you’re interested in providing a review, you can do so at Amazon or through my email.
* * *
An excellent review from Psych Central was very welcome, the first from the established pscyh community. The reviewer had a sense of humor herself: “Although I was apprehensive when I picked it up, unsure as to how I was supposed to enjoy and relate to a book about a wealthy southern belle who struggles to cope with her circumstances, Garson flawlessly delivered the message that circumstances, though different for everyone, can be overcome and dealt with if a person is willing to put the work in.”
You can read the rest of this incisive and well-written review at https://psychcentral.com/lib/book-review-southern-vapors/00016935
* * *
Native Atlantan Lynn Garson is making her literary debut with Southern Vapors. I knew Lynn when we were little. I’ve read some excerpts and she is some writer. Funny, nasty, playful, dangerous and, most of all, acutely observant, her first book is a rawly honest memoir chronicling her fall from a life of incredible privilege into a paralyzing depression.
Eleanor Ringel Cater previously a long-time movie critic for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a contributing writer for the Atlanta Business Chronicle. She also has been a regular contributor to CNN, msnbc, Entertainment Weekly, CNN Headline News and WXIA-TV, Atlanta’s NBC affiliate, and a columnist for TV Guide Network. She is the author of Stargazing and a member of the National Society of Film Critics.’
* * *
With raw honesty and wit, Lynn writes of her triumphs and low points in Southern Vapors, sharing an insider’s view of how depression can affect every single aspect of your life. As a reader, you’ll immediately identify with Lynn and her candor. Through her words we hear her voice. The story she tells is at times startling and at others heart-warming, but its message about self-image will stay with you. [read more]
Michelle Lane, author of Lili
* * *
Southern Vapors is tangible proof that Garson has unlocked those personal mysteries. Through its pain and joy, Southern Vapors delves into the sometimes uncomfortable world of self-discovery. Through its pages, readers just might open the doors to new truths of their own. [Read More]
Excerpt from “A case of the vapors,” a review featured on the official blog of the Emory University Alumni Association’s blog The Post
* * *
My family is from the South and I also lived in Atlanta during the same period as the author. Her presentation of a life there in the late 60’s/ early 70’s was amazing in detail, especially the social rites of passage for a young woman in a very different time. Like The Help, her story rang true in so many details, but her art in making them funny is a special gift.
What I found especially riveting was her recall and ability to reconcile her memories as a young child with the wisdom she acquired as an adult. Her story made me feel as if I too could surface from the most desperate of circumstances and shine forth in happiness and a sense of self-worth through true grit, as she does exhibit. Her reconciliation with her family and her gift of looking at herself wisely is a special quality of this book, which has a triumphant ending that will make anyone’s day a happier one.
Elizabeth Murray Kelly
* * *
I don’t usually read memoirs, simply because of the cringe-factor of reading someone else’s innermost thoughts. I read this one, however, and was blown away by the author’s self-deprecating candor. Through dark humor and pure honesty Ms. Garson is the reader’s Virgil on a journey through her own personal Inferno. She made me realize the pettiness of some of my own “problems” and that the human soul can endure absolutely anything, and come out smiling on the other side of it. It takes a whole bucket of guts to be this forthcoming!
A reader in Indiana
* * *
I quite honestly did not know what to expect when I bought this book. I was stunned. I was stunned by the strength and courage it took to not only survive her story, but to be able to put it in writingin such a clear, insightful and humorous way. At times I laughed until I cried. Several chapters there were literally tears rolling down my face.
The Author so poignantly shared her journey. Her story is an inspiration to keep your sense of humor as you walk your path.
Cynthia Tessler