Reviews of Lila Hopkins' Books:

The Master Craftsman

Reviewed by Schyler Kaufman in Carolina Mountain Living

Lila Hopkins's continuing exploration of her implications of unconditional love brings us her most complex novel yet. In this work, she stays consistantly within the point of view of her male protagonist, while performing a carefully textured study of another. Eric's life has always been defined by his longing for an encouraging word from his father, and now Eric is faced with a decision that could destroy his relationship with his own son.

Eric Walsh's kidneys are failing him. At less than twenty percent capacity, they require frequent dialysis, and would soon deman a transplant. Wihout it, Eric's chances of living for another year are dwindling. When his son Clay tests positive as a close match, Eric is torn. How can a parent accept a gift that puts their child in mortal danger? But how can anyone reject such a precious gift, offered with such undemanding joy?

The Master Craftsman of the title is a little bit of an enigma. Both Eric's grandfather and his father were master stone masons; Eric's father drove his sons away from home with his stated contempt for any craft that was not stone masonry. Joel is a country singer, his talent, boosted by a steady capacity for hard work, instilled by his father's unrelenting work ethic. Eric's Passion for art (inherited from his granfather, a master stonemason) elicits the accolade from the judge of a high school art show "Amazing Craftsmanship," he said."Extraordinary", which forces his father at last into a rare moment of approval.

Hopkins never preaches and rarely allows her characters to do so. in the final clash with Eric's conflicted mind, another Master Craftsman takes a hand. With not a word of guidance, Hopkins lets her readers draw their own conclusions about whom the Master Craftsman is about.

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