Big Cicadas

By Gregory Miller

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972930450
• ISBN13: 9780972930451
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Gardenia Press
• Length: 167 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Utterly charming

This debut work is remarkable in its simple charm and understated complexity. The rapid-fire chapters create quirky memorable, but beyond all else truly real characters. The life which Miller breathes into these creations is full and colorful and engaging. While the tale of small-town life, it holds a quality of relevance for anyone looking for answers or courage in the face of adversity. BIg Cicadas is a book to which I know I'll be returning on a regular basis.

A book that really hits home (small town PA that is...)

Completing the school year for a teacher is a rewarding experience. The summer that follows is a time of renewal, self-exploration, and a time to pamper yourself in you own pleasures. Gregory Miller's first fiction venture was the greatest of these pleasures for this public school educator. Having dealt with the complexities of leaving my home in a small Pennsylvania town that really does not understand anything (nor does it want to know anything) outside of itself I can appreciate the views that Miller has presented. This is an excellent read I would recomend to anybody who has ever had to come to terms with being able to see outside the walls that their home has established for itself... I too look forward to future works of the author...

A History of Modern Times...

I received a copy of Big Cicadas just after it hit the bookstore shelves. It went right into the stack on my desk, in the queue for summer reading but with about fifteen others ahead of it. Then the stack got knocked over, reshuffled and BC wound up on top... I wish it had happened sooner.Reading Big Cicadas was my first diversion in several years from biography, historical fiction or action/adventure. But then, Big Cicadas has elements of all three in a homey, thoroughly enjoyable small town fashion.It is the biography of every stranger who ever settled in a small town where everyone knew everyone else and where visitors were more welcome than new settlers.It's a journal of small town-style adventure. The author sets the stage so effectively with his writing style that even the most worldly of readers finds excitement in the same day to day events as the story's characters.And it is history and sociology as well. Still Creek is a 90's town with 50's values. Here the residents are content to enjoy the seasons while the town drifts into the next stage of sociological evolution in its own good time. I recognized all the characters and all the scenes from my own youth. The sights and sounds of summer, the voices, the people, the tragedy and the recovery... all were as real and believable as a childhood memory. The author's gift for seamless joining of dialogue and scene description makes the small town action move along like a ride on a super train - fast, smooth and satisfying. I'm looking forward to Gregory Miller's next effort.

This Book Rocks The Casbah Like A Hurricane

Gregory Miller's first novel is an easy, entertaining, and thought provoking read that examines life in smalltown Pennsylvania. As a resident of the state, he captures the nuance of life here with precise brush strokes, while managing to examine larger themes of friendship, growing up, gossip in small communities, and a host of other issues. This book is very layered and a huge accomplishment for a first time author. Big Cicadas is to Pennsylvania what Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" is to the state of New Jersey.

An amazing web of interrelated chraracters and themes

I was very, very pleased with this book. Although I don't normally read fiction, the plot of 'Big Cicadas' appealed to me and I found it to be a very quick read. The greatest thing about it is the development of the main character, Jay Jarvis, which is achieved through vignettes, flashbacks, observations, events, and even the achievements of other characters. In the end I felt I knew him, and I could certainly relate to him.I also like the pacing of 'Big Cicadas,' which is achieved through short chapters that often don't, on the surface, seem to have anything to do with one another. By the end, however, Miller weaves everything together with dexterity and finesse...There's one moment in the book when I sat back and said, "Ah!" Everything fell into place.Finally, the overall message of the book struck me forcefully -- I won't give anything away, but I will say that in the end, 'Big Cicadas' could easily be viewed as a kind of elemental tale. Certainly it transcends its setting. Most certainly, it left me with a feeling of hope.