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On the Edge of the Loch
A passionate search for freedom, sanity, and maybe love.
"One Irish autumn evening,
in a little picturesque train station,
I noticed a graceful young woman sitting alone;
she looked to be waiting for someone to arrive.
Over the next week I re-visited the station on
five occasions to photograph it in different light.
The woman was there every time,
still waiting.
On the day I was to leave
we somehow found ourselves closer to each other.
She smiled at me, warmly. I smiled back.
Our eyes held in a sort of silent conversation.
She leaned closer,
like she was about to talk to me, maybe tell me something.
But suddenly her head dropped,
she turned away.
I sensed that she was waiting for a dream,
a dream that would never show up.
But what if, I thought, what if that dream . . . "
Note to Reader:
This enigmatic woman inspired this 400-page novel. She’s too mysterious to be the main character, at first. So I wrote a bigger story around a driven man, and married the two.
Critics said: ‘Intense’, ‘Unpredictable’, ‘Probably the best two final chapters I've read’.
Jack Engelhard (author of Indecent Proposal) said: ‘A social and psychological cosmos of evocative writing. I could neither wait for nor predict the sublime outcome. Read it!’
(Amazon: 40+ reviews, 4.7 stars avg)
Note: This novel contains a revealing interview with the author and a 10-page Guide for Book Clubs, Teachers and Writing Students.
Ebook half-price to Dec 31 2016: http://amzn.to/28XNYT6
"One Irish autumn evening,
in a little picturesque train station,
I noticed a graceful young woman sitting alone;
she looked to be waiting for someone to arrive.
Over the next week I re-visited the station on
five occasions to photograph it in different light.
The woman was there every time,
still waiting.
On the day I was to leave
we somehow found ourselves closer to each other.
She smiled at me, warmly. I smiled back.
Our eyes held in a sort of silent conversation.
She leaned closer,
like she was about to talk to me, maybe tell me something.
But suddenly her head dropped,
she turned away.
I sensed that she was waiting for a dream,
a dream that would never show up.
But what if, I thought, what if that dream . . . "
Note to Reader:
This enigmatic woman inspired this 400-page novel. She’s too mysterious to be the main character, at first. So I wrote a bigger story around a driven man, and married the two.
Critics said: ‘Intense’, ‘Unpredictable’, ‘Probably the best two final chapters I've read’.
Jack Engelhard (author of Indecent Proposal) said: ‘A social and psychological cosmos of evocative writing. I could neither wait for nor predict the sublime outcome. Read it!’
(Amazon: 40+ reviews, 4.7 stars avg)
Note: This novel contains a revealing interview with the author and a 10-page Guide for Book Clubs, Teachers and Writing Students.
Ebook half-price to Dec 31 2016: http://amzn.to/28XNYT6
325 pages, Paperback
Published June 20, 2016
81 people are currently reading
922 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 27, 2016
Funny that Goodreads should ask me to review my own book. But, seeing that they have done, I will add a note or two.
On the Edge of the Loch is a psychological tale set in a tiny seafaring village in western Ireland. However, it is not a typical rural Irish story as it takes in eastern and western US and Iraq. It's about people failing, succeeding, dreaming, two men and two women searching for the fulfilment all humans crave; it's also about depths and dangers within the human psyche that are not often opened up in novels but which we can all relate to. Love is at its core, in all its varieties and intensities, along with the ecstasy and vulnerabilities it can give rise to.
Writing this novel has been a long labour of love, and now I am happy with it. Most of my professional writing has been in non-fiction fields, though for decades I have taught and helped fiction writers with their work.
Nonetheless, after starting to write On the Edge of the Loch I discovered I needed a deeper appreciation of minds in trouble - despite solid experience in psychology - if I could hope to capture the 'truth' of each of the four main characters. This meant years of refusing to call it finished, until I believed I fully understood the depth and distinctiveness of the characters. This 'spade work', naturally, is invisible to the reader - so said a dozen pre-publication reviewers - just as the Coke recipe is to its fans.
Finally, I am still surprised by just how moving the early reviewers found the story. When a writer lives with a story for a long time, familiarity can obscure the true emotional power of the words.
Happy reading!
On the Edge of the Loch is a psychological tale set in a tiny seafaring village in western Ireland. However, it is not a typical rural Irish story as it takes in eastern and western US and Iraq. It's about people failing, succeeding, dreaming, two men and two women searching for the fulfilment all humans crave; it's also about depths and dangers within the human psyche that are not often opened up in novels but which we can all relate to. Love is at its core, in all its varieties and intensities, along with the ecstasy and vulnerabilities it can give rise to.
Writing this novel has been a long labour of love, and now I am happy with it. Most of my professional writing has been in non-fiction fields, though for decades I have taught and helped fiction writers with their work.
Nonetheless, after starting to write On the Edge of the Loch I discovered I needed a deeper appreciation of minds in trouble - despite solid experience in psychology - if I could hope to capture the 'truth' of each of the four main characters. This meant years of refusing to call it finished, until I believed I fully understood the depth and distinctiveness of the characters. This 'spade work', naturally, is invisible to the reader - so said a dozen pre-publication reviewers - just as the Coke recipe is to its fans.
Finally, I am still surprised by just how moving the early reviewers found the story. When a writer lives with a story for a long time, familiarity can obscure the true emotional power of the words.
Happy reading!
June 24, 2016
As a reader I begin a book with the anticipation of a journey, one that will take me out of the ordinariness of life and into places unknown. On the Edge of the Loch by Joseph Eamon Cummins , gifted me this and so much more. The reader is introduced to characters that immediately seem alive., that makes you truly care about them. Very early on I found that I had become deeply a part of this story, continually imagining the climax (with anxiety) hoping I had seen what lay ahead.....I hadn't. The book lived up to all the big expectations it built up in me. It's a journey of heart stopping moments and is not without romance and tenderness. I thank the author for transporting me to the edge of the loch. What a great movie or television series this would make. Characters and plot that would keep audiences totally engaged.
Emma Feix Alberts
Emma Feix Alberts
January 2, 2017
If you enjoyed The Goldfinch, you will like On the Edge of the Loch, by Joseph Earnon Cummins. The story takes you deep inside the hearts and minds of two people wounded by life's misfortunes. It is a story of love, sacrifice and healing. Through each twist and turn of the plot, a little more of each character's inner thoughts and motivations are revealed. As each character develops and explores his or her relationship with the wild Irish countryside, the setting takes on a life of its own, becoming yet another actor in the drama that enfolds. The ending is surprising, yet satisfying.
The language is poetic, although at times it slows the action of the plot. Nevertheless, it is fascinating reading and I highly recommend it.
Wanda DeHaven Pyle, Goodreads author
The language is poetic, although at times it slows the action of the plot. Nevertheless, it is fascinating reading and I highly recommend it.
Wanda DeHaven Pyle, Goodreads author
October 24, 2016
I struggled at times with this novel. The pacing at times lagged, at others seemed too abrupt. In places the author seemed to be trying a little too hard for colorful language. I had a little trouble following the flashbacks in the earlier parts, and some of the characters' actions seemed slightly off. However, the story has a strong ending with a couple of surprises that Cummins set up deftly. A good first novel, and good potential for the future. One suggestion: drop the subtitle. Other folks will pigeonhole your work- no need to hell them!
September 13, 2017
On the edge of personal disaster two people meet. People caught in the conflict of awful pasts and the choice of a more positive future. The book delves into their psyches and touches on their obsessions. A psychological thriller.
February 20, 2017
I received the book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
This was a very enjoyable book. The characters were development with lots of layers-as was the story. This is not a one dimensional book-it has many layers and lots of twists and turns. In one way this seems to be a love story, but yet it has lots of mystery and suspense within the storyline. It’s advertised as a psychological novel and it won’t leave you disappointed. I have never been to Ireland, but the descriptions of the country were wonderful.
This was a very enjoyable book. The characters were development with lots of layers-as was the story. This is not a one dimensional book-it has many layers and lots of twists and turns. In one way this seems to be a love story, but yet it has lots of mystery and suspense within the storyline. It’s advertised as a psychological novel and it won’t leave you disappointed. I have never been to Ireland, but the descriptions of the country were wonderful.
May 27, 2016
Funny that Goodreads should ask me to review my own book. But, seeing that they have done, I will add a note or two.
On the Edge of the Loch is a psychological tale set in a tiny seafaring village in western Ireland. However, it is not a typical rural Irish story as it takes in eastern and western US and Iraq. It's about people failing, succeeding, dreaming, two men and two women searching for the fulfilment all humans crave; it's also about depths and dangers within the human psyche that are not often opened up in novels but which we can all relate to. Love is at its core, in all its varieties and intensities, along with the ecstasy and vulnerabilities it can give rise to.
Writing this novel has been a long labour of love, and now I am happy with it. Most of my professional writing has been in non-fiction fields, though for decades I have taught and helped fiction writers with their work.
Nonetheless, after starting to write On the Edge of the Loch I discovered I needed a deeper appreciation of minds in trouble - despite solid experience in psychology - if I could hope to capture the 'truth' of each of the four main characters. This meant years of refusing to call it finished, until I believed I fully understood the depth and distinctiveness of the characters. This 'spade work', naturally, is invisible to the reader - so said a dozen pre-publication reviewers - just as the Coke recipe is to its fans.
Finally, I am still surprised by just how moving the early reviewers found the story. When a writer lives with a story for a long time, familiarity can obscure the true emotional power of the words.
Happy reading!
On the Edge of the Loch is a psychological tale set in a tiny seafaring village in western Ireland. However, it is not a typical rural Irish story as it takes in eastern and western US and Iraq. It's about people failing, succeeding, dreaming, two men and two women searching for the fulfilment all humans crave; it's also about depths and dangers within the human psyche that are not often opened up in novels but which we can all relate to. Love is at its core, in all its varieties and intensities, along with the ecstasy and vulnerabilities it can give rise to.
Writing this novel has been a long labour of love, and now I am happy with it. Most of my professional writing has been in non-fiction fields, though for decades I have taught and helped fiction writers with their work.
Nonetheless, after starting to write On the Edge of the Loch I discovered I needed a deeper appreciation of minds in trouble - despite solid experience in psychology - if I could hope to capture the 'truth' of each of the four main characters. This meant years of refusing to call it finished, until I believed I fully understood the depth and distinctiveness of the characters. This 'spade work', naturally, is invisible to the reader - so said a dozen pre-publication reviewers - just as the Coke recipe is to its fans.
Finally, I am still surprised by just how moving the early reviewers found the story. When a writer lives with a story for a long time, familiarity can obscure the true emotional power of the words.
Happy reading!
February 7, 2017
Just not a cohesive book
Sections of this book were enjoyable, but didn't like it as a whole. Characters were not credible, and found myself wanting to be done about 1/3 of the way through.
Sections of this book were enjoyable, but didn't like it as a whole. Characters were not credible, and found myself wanting to be done about 1/3 of the way through.
September 11, 2016
This was a very enjoyable book. It had great character development and kept me invested in the lives of the characters. Another great aspect was that you were never quite sure which turn the story would take. The author is clearly a natural storyteller and I would enjoy reading more from him, if only for the beautiful descriptions of Ireland.
May 26, 2018
dark, complex, and layered
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews