Disturbing the Calm: A Memoir of Time and Place

“Disturbing the Calm: A Memoir of Time and Place is a collection of memories reflecting upon Judith Barker Kvinsland’s  life.  She expertly uses her interpretations of their impact to tell her life story. Her fifteen  personal essays allow us to learn how she thinks, what motivates her and what she holds most precious.  The strength of the essays are the details and the author’s ability to tell much more than the obvious. For example, she never talked about her love for her daughter, but it was so obviously inherent in the way she uprooted her life to start a new one by her side as her grand daughter grows up.  The author expertly uses details of life that many of us overlook to powerfully make statements.  In the opening paragraph of of ‘Uncharted Territory’ she uses weather, as well as family traditions, to foreshadow an impending family catastrophe. I appreciated looking over Kvinsland’s shoulders, metaphorically, through key experiences in her life and feeling the joy, fright, and frustrations that she felt.”

                                                                             –Writer’s Digest, Self-published Book Awards

Readers Speak Out:

“How well you mark the influences our family backgrounds have on us, the very important changes in women’s roles in the world, and the events that can so quickly change our lives.  You have a wonderful gift and thank you for sharing it.”

“One of the things I appreciate in any memoir is a sense of organization, a sense that essays or chapters are shared in a meaningful way.”

“Your book is truly charming, elegant, and nostalgic. It certainly brought me back to my childhood.”

“Oh, how it tugged at my heart and will continue to be cause for reflection…to see good times, trying times, and life in general through your eyes and heart.  Thank you!”

“I enjoyed the calming visage; I could almost smell the salt in the air, the surf, the sea gulls, the ebb and flow….I also loved your Norwegian relatives!”

“I know I’m echoing many others when I tell you, ‘That was quite a read.’”

“An incredible book, which many will relate to…a memoir, both historical and heartfelt.”

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