What Readers Are Saying
The truest measure of any story is how it lives on in the reader.
Here are reflections from those who have journeyed through Robyn Gerland’s novels - voices shaped by memory, history, and lived experience.
Reviews
All These Long Years Later
“An absolute delight...bubbles with energy...remarkable insight into the reasoning
for each character’s words and thoughts...a feast for any reader fascinated by
human nature...one of the best descriptions of the ‘50s I’ve ever read...a rare
talent.”
— Sylvia Holt, author and journalist
Hand-me-downs
“A truly excellent exploration of a family’s genealogical DNA, told in a riveting
narrative.”
— Dawn Morris, M.D, researcher and contributor to the publications of The
Society of Genealogists and the Genealogical Research Institute (GRI)
Change — The Face of Time
“A fascinating historical fiction who done it...the people of Bowen Island are
going to be very proud to have this account of their island’s history.”
— Joey Caro, author and chairman of the Penelakut Tribe Elders Committee,
Archival Researcher and Communications Manager for the Hul’qumi’num Treaty.
Caught in the Current
“A skillfully woven tale of one family’s multigenerational journey with Dementia.”
— Dr. P. Manhas, M.D, FCFP
***
“... the reader experiences the world of dementia, through both
generations - the elder with alzheimer’s disease and the caregiving
grandaughter. Gerland is a skilled storyteller, and at the end of the book I
was both smiling with pleasure and sad to see it end. Highly
recommend.”
— Jean Ballard, BA, MA, sociologist, lecturer, author, blogger
A Bird in the Hand
“...If I had been taught history as it is told in A Bird in the Hand, I do believe that my academic life might have taken a very different course ... an excellent marriage of historical research and riveting plot...”
— Artis E. Cantor, BA, MA. Editor and author
***
“... thoroughly researched and skillfully told …”— FL Hubbard, PhD. Professor Emeritis
Thursday's Child
“My absolute favourite of Gerland’s superb books — an absolute page turner.
Robyn Gerland is a skilled storyteller.
— Jean Ballard, BA MA, Retired University of Victoria lecturer, author and blogger
***
“METICULOUSLY CRAFTED... drawing on extensive interviews with Hanka Mittelstaedt …
interweaves historical facts with personal memories, creating a DEEPLY MOVING portrait of
a young girl’s struggle for survival.
... not only documents the physical escape from danger but also delves into
the emotional scars left by the war. Gerland’s SENSITIVE PORTRAYAL of Mittelstaedt’s
experiences highlights both the brutality of the Nazi regime and the enduring hope
that carried her through years of despair. … preserves a vital piece of history
but also inspires future generations to remember and learn from the past.
This BLEND OF HISTORICAL ACCURACY and PERSONAL TESTIMONY
offers a POWERFUL NARRATIVE that resonates with readers
long after the final page is turned. “
— THEJ.CA - a Canadian based Zionist international media platform