Comments & Reviews

This page features comments and reviews of
The Tale of Indigo
and
A Life on Water

The Tale of Indigo

"I have read The Tale of Indigo. Your poems are wonderful! I love them."

Rachel Hamilton
Barrie

REEDSY Book Review

Loved it! 😍

You don't have to be a poetry enthusiast to understand and appreciate the message behind Timothy Paleczny's words.

In the tradition of Ovid's Metamorphoses, The Tale of Indigo is a love poem that commemorates humanity's deepest and most enduring myth, and confronts the greatest issues of our time: greed, COVID, and climate change.

The Tale of Indigo is a 1,300-word poem that explores the dire effects of climate change and how humans are at fault. People around the globe debate climate change, if it's real, and what can be done to change Earth's destructive course. Just look around at any point on Earth, and you'll see the damage humans have inflicted on the planet due to our greed, wastefulness, and need to grow our societies. Timothy Paleczny (the writer) is correct when he points out that glaciers are melting, rivers are flooding, and natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes are becoming more frequent and more powerful. Temperatures are rising, and so are our oceans. Places with cooler temperatures are running hot, causing fires to ravage our lands while sea beds dry up. Our wildlife numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate.

The Tale of Indigo speaks of beings that do not walk erect, uniting to survive. They attack humans every chance they get. My family and I discussed this very topic when we saw recent documented reports of whales breaching directly onto boats causing significant damage to the vessels. The same could be said with sharks moving their hunting grounds closer to shore. They appear angry with our presence and want us to leave their home. We should listen to them and allow them to live in peace.

The author also remarks about "new miracles to save the world" in the form of viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and pathogens. I agree that the world is finding a way to restart. We've used, abused it, and I think our planet is showing us its displeasure with our careless actions.

You don't have to be a poetry enthusiast to understand and appreciate the message behind Timothy Paleczny's words. You only have to believe climate change is real, which I do.

At less than 90 pages, The Tale of Indigo is a quick read and one that I hope everyone decides to purchase.

Kameron Brook
REEDSY Discover on 1/8/23

A Life on Water

A great story, well written

I found this book very engaging and once I started I had a hard time putting it down. The characters are strong, the dialogue is very well written and the story is excellent. The various storylines are built carefully and are each engaging. You almost feel that you know the characters. As they start to connect and weave together the overall effect is excellent.

I would highly recommend this book and hopefully there are more to come in the future!

Mark Skalin

A wonderful tale

"Reading Tim’s new book allowed me to spend many enjoyable hours immersed in Portugal's history and people, especially in the era of the Second Great War, with Germany. . . . I was so impressed with the adventures of Ardis, the young heroine of the story and her passion to study sea turtles. The romance and friendships added much to the story. My friends and I are all looking forward to your next book."

 Marilyn Thomas,
Kitchener

What a wonderful tale you have crafted ... full of detail, complex characters, and really interesting factual info that is not well known concerning the activities of neutral countries during the war, the involvement of the church, etc.

I like the way it ends ... events are wrapped up but open enough for a sequel!

Something that really stands out for me about your writing is how visual it is ... you create a strong image of the time and place. I hope you are planning to rewrite it as a screenplay. The imagery is magical ... especially of the village and religious events ... it would make a fantastic Netflix series!

Anyways ... huge congratulations ... what an accomplishment.

Suzanne Paleczny
Whitehorse, Yukon

A Life on Water meets an essential need of our time

A Life on Water is an ambitious novel in which Tim Paleczny weaves together several stories of people in Canada, Italy, and Portugal. Descriptions of the people and settings are natural, like seeing for oneself those we’re meeting and where we are so that we gradually feel at home, part of the group, wherever the adventure leads. We share the author’s stance as ‘the omniscient knower,’ an insider to the most intimate thoughts and feelings. However, this novel is far more than social gatherings or character studies.

Unfolding action twists and turns in the unknown waters of relationships and lures the reader to become immersed in a significant, ecological discovery of the time as well as the dangers of war-torn Europe.

While reading this novel, we meet and care about real-life people of different ages and backgrounds. The story immerses us in unknown, uncharted seas of risk and fear, and in the challenge of following one’s inner compass through war and friendship. The characters sort out what fits for them. Like other good literature through the ages, this novel meets an essential need of our time; namely, for all of us to become aware of what energizes and beckons us, and to risk following the star that rises in our hearts.

 Barbara Paleczny SSND, Phd/SThD
Kitchener

 "I just finished your novel A Life on Water. Wonderful story which catches the essence of WW II. I particularly appreciated the Canadian reference around Camp X. Well done."

Margueritte Main

A captivating story

A Life on Water is a fascinating story that is very engaging. The backstory sets the stage for the interplay of characters, with depth and variety.

In reading this book, I enjoyed being transported to places in Ontario and British Columbia, Italy, and across Portugal. The reader is also transported back in time to 1941 and ‘42, and includes historical aspects such as the Nazi need for wolfram to maintain their arsenal of weapons.

Another insight I gained was the fearful plight of Jewish people during those years, even in the neutral country of Portugal. And, as a neutral country, Portugal had to play its cards to avoid being invaded, so the story presented some tricky dynamics with politics and the church. Fact was blended with fiction, promoting characters and events to become entangled as the war progressed.

A Life on Water draws you in on an intimate level to the characters, exposing their thoughts and hopes, and even their actions that are required and justified during war. It is an entertaining and memorable read that I hope you enjoy!

Deb McLaughlin
London

"Finished reading A Life on Water the other day, and enjoyed it. Good job! Some strikingly good passages where you describe people's thoughts in the moment."

Nick Toth
Toronto

For more reviews, see my book pages on Amazon

With each country having its own Amazon website, the easiest way to find me is to search ‘Timothy Paleczny’ in the Books section of your Amazon store. Thanks!