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A Novel by Philip Danze
Format: Hardcover, 192 pp. cloth
ISBN: 0-9671851-3-0
Pub Date: October 2001
Price: $23.00
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"In this compelling and lush tale of colonial West Africa, Danze captures the beauty, wildness, terror, and warmth of the land and those who love it--and love each other."
--Booklist
"CONJURING MAUD is a rich, lively story, full of detail. We are enriched for Danze's efforts."
-- The Denver Post
"Mr. Danze is as great a magician as the character he crafted… Like an echo of Joseph Conrad, Danze's descriptions evoke a time and place of a bygone era… Within this novel, Danze deciphers the soul's wisdom through longing, joy and sorrow."
-- The Arkansas Morning News
"The lush, vibrant and often harsh landscape of colonial West Africa provides a stunning backdrop to this tale of offbeat characters and an unconventional love… Danze fills this short tale with unforgettable secondary characters and subplots and wraps the whole package in a spare, elegant prose that reads easily and suits his subject matter well."
-- Historical Novels Review
"Liquid, subtle, and at times bittersweet in its mystery, CONJURING MAUD is a work of literary magic, transporting the reader back in time to life in colonial Africa with its careful attention to detail."
-- Midwest Book Review/Wisconsin Book Review/Internet Bookwatch
"Readers who want adventure, romance and lyrical story-telling will find it all in this novel…CONJURING MAUD is like discovering a dusty, but precious, gemstone in a box of old letters, and having a spellbinding narrator relate its story. The author is a master at evoking the senses to describe the country, the jungle, the heat and the bugs--and he does it with an amazing economy of words. Those he uses are precise and evocative."
--Foreword magazine
"Read this one. You'll be reminded of Joseph Conrad, of the good old novels we all used to read. Publishing this book was an act of love. Reading it is, too."
-- Taconic Newspapers (Dutchess, Putnam Counties, NY)
"Anyone who has ever been possessed by the soul of a particular place - or haunted by an intangible, unattainable dream -- will find this book a gripping ode to the experience…for lovers of Africa in particular it is a journey worth taking."
-- The Romance Reader
"…a small, exquisite gem, a nostalgic conjuring of a bygone era… On a backdrop of political upheaval, in a lush and dangerous environment, Danze portrays two people trying to love and find a way to live. In the end it seems that love is the only possibility worth pursuing."
-- Night and Day magazine
"You'll fall for this novel like a ton of bricks if you've ever fallen in love with a poet. That's the author, Philip Danze. He's an unaffected communicator whose apparently effortless sentences hover in your consciousness, alive as any bird. Without sensationalism of any kind, Danze will cause you to question the nature of love. Unsentimentally, he'll reawaken your faith. For what is conjured in this novel is more than the story of David's love for Maud. The author shows you how, despite all obstacles, love can--and does--triumph."
-- Pathways (D.C.)
"Throughout this light but enjoyable novel, Danze weaves in commentary on weightier issues such as personal freedom, inequality, and the effects of imperialism on a people and a continent. Danze's novel is so rich with descriptive detail of West Africa, it is hard to believe he himself is not from there."
-- Goodthings.com
"Philip Danze's first novel is a dazzling descent into a heart of darkness, while also an enchanting tale of an unusual romance. The vivid imagery and taut narrative carried my interest solidly to the end."
--alternativeculture.com
"…an entertaining love story, with the beauty of Africa as a backdrop."
--BVSreviews.com
An amazon.com "highly recommended reading" selection (Oct.)
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