Cynthia Fraser Graves

Praise for Dusk on Route 1

“Prepare to be forever changed by your journey through this complex story of loss, grief and redemption. I warn you, Dusk on Route 1’s well developed characters straight from the coast of Maine and their stories will haunt you!”

—Linda Leedy Schneider, Author of Some Days: Poetry of a Psychotherapist, Founder of The Manhattan Writing Workshop and Workshop Leader for The International Women’s Writing Guild

“This is a very delicate, but real treatment of the overwhelming effect of grieving a loved one. My heart ached for the protagonist as she pretended to be part of society when she was so broken, and I held my breath as she struggled to find her way back to life and love. Beautifully written book with characters one can identify with in many ways!”

—Cheryl Gillespie, coauthor of Compassionate Journey: Honoring Our Mothers’ Stories

“With a cast of lovable and true-to-life Mainers in Dusk on Route 1, Grave’s lyrical language whips up the winds, invests magic in monarchs in the snow, and, as a Christmas Eve blizzard rages, takes us with her troubled heroine on a fabled journey from disappointment and despair to new hope as she reconnects her mind and her heart.”

—Ursula Morin, M.A., Poet

Reviews of Never Count Crow

"...a beautifully written memoir, intimate and personal in its evocations of dreams and souvenirs. It is especially convincing through the sensitive and compelling form it gives to the process of mourning. In the tradition of the great poetic and prose works that express the experience of bereavement such a Tennyson's In Memoriam, and others in twentieth-century literature, this writer succeeds in conveying to the reader her profound sense of loss."

—Henry F. Majewski, Professor of French Studies, Emeritus - Brown University

"Cynthia Fraser Graves reaches back to a literary genre when personal emotion was transformed into tightly knit social patterns…and constructed, from her personal experience, a collection of memorable episodes and fashioned them into cathartic narratives."

—George V. Van Deventer, Editor, Off the Coast Magazine-the Journal of the Live Poets Society

...as real and heartwarming as sitting by the fire with a cup of tea and an old friend. When the reader finishes Never Count Crow, one can't help but feel a profound awe and reverence for this one family's difficult journey and for the presence of Spirit in the midst of catastrophe. Read this lovely little book, and you will know you have spent a good day with a dear friend and, in the process, been rewarded with her wisdom.

—Meredith Jordan, Author of Standing Still: Hearing the Call to a Spirit-Centered Life

"A thought provoking, stirring text and serves as inspiration for all who suffer from loss."

—Nancy Labbe, Director of Faith Formation, Biddeford Catholic Community

" Graves utilizes imagery with the grace of a professional wordsmith. Her observation of the ordinary scenes of nature reflects a Thoreau-like recognition of detail."

—Jim Brosnan PhD, Honors Program Director/ English Department, Johnson & Wales University

"Cynthia Graves writes about death in the most personal, spiritual and genuine manner. In her quest for understanding and acceptance of her husband's sudden death, Graves has laced her experience with intricate and intriguing signs and shown the healing power of connecting the departed with those who are left behind. Behind an admirable dosage of honesty, depth and intelligence, the reader will - above all - witness in Graves' work the privilege of having loved and been loved."

—Carol Auger-Richard for the Public Reading by Local Writers,York Public Library, York, Maine

"Remarkable in its proposition that those who die remain in touch with their loved ones in diverse and surprising ways...."

—Theodore P. Fraser, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus, Holy Cross College

Cynthia Fraser Graves

The author's website

Praise for Dusk on Route 1

Reviews of Never Count Crow