“Lovely . . . Blackmarr finishes her pieces with understatement rather than fanfare. That keeps the electricity humming. And when she reaches for some universal truth she does it with a dart throw.” – Chicago Tribune
“Elegant . . . the graceful pieces are imbued with a sense of calm and delight in nature.” –Publisher’s Weekly
“Captivating . . . For all those readers who can’t return to a solitary life, Going to Ground is the next best thing.” –Booklist
“One of Blackmarr’s most endearing traits is a sense of her own contradictions. . . . [She] is a natural at spotting humor in the mundane battles of life.” – Kansas City Star
“[Blackmarr’s] tendency to understate seems remarkably refreshing in this era of loud, obtuse moral posturing. Her feminine perspective offers a welcome counterpoint to Thoreau’s, and her clear-eyed take on nature (both human and earthy) proves optimistic and well-written. Going to Ground is the kind of book that offers solace from the world by leading us back into it.” – Arkansas Times
“A graceful descent into the Thoreauvian life of mind and nature . . . Readers are likely to hear this as a welcome invocation, and to fall effortlessly under the entrancing spell of her words.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Blackmarr looks inward and . . .points to an offramp from the rat race.” – Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Not only is [Going to Ground] a sumptuous collection of personal essays, it provides escapism for those who choose to live in the outdoors vicariously, as well as an inspiration to others to pursue a dream.” –Lexington Herald-Leader
“The life may be ’simple’ at Amy Blackmarr’s South Georgia pond, but her compelling voice is rich and nuanced. This post-modern Walden experience is alive with winning characters and the kind of thinking that only comes from living quietly enough to follow enough to follow the twisting trail of fresh perception. Each chapter rings with insight.” –Patricia Hampl, author of Virgin Time and A Romantic Education
“Like Thoreau, Blackmarr struggles through the raw exposure of nature to find a heightened awareness of self. But unlike her famous predecessor, she finds that self intimately and surprisingly connected with other humans.” –Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
“Reading Going to Ground for the third time, I’ve concluded that you are not only one of the most talented women I know, but you are the toughest, strongest, bravest: living among snakes and alligators, alone, then living in a tree house where lightning will surely strike.” –Janice Daugharty, author of Dark of the Moon and Just Doll“
“Above the Fall Line is so well written that I read straight through it and literally could not put it down until I turned the last page. Maybe what you help us see is the self we would most like to be . . . . Thanks once again for writing about life and your life so beautifully.” –Georgia librarian“Above the Fall Line is a treasure.” — Florida reader“Above the Fall Line is a book that encourages, a book that teaches. . . . You give me hope.” –New York reader
“I lapped up [your books] as if I were a kitten at a dish of cream. . . . my hat is off to you, for a fine achievement.” –Dr. Richard Selzer, author of Taking the World in for Repairs and Confessions of a Knife
“Just read Going to Ground and loved it. Thoughtful, tender, wonderfully written. I was excited to read such honesty. Thank you for writing it.” –Terry Kay, author of To Dance with the White Dog and The Valley of Light
“The reading was magical. Customers have called just to say thank you.” –Jacksonville, Florida book store owner
“I stayed up all night reading Above the Fall Line; impossible to put it down.” –Georgia reader
“Oh, you were wonderful! [The students] simply cannot ‘let you go.’ You cannot understand the excitement you have generated down here. I’m astonished. . . . You de-mythologized the term ‘writer’ and opened up for them the new space in their heads that lets them think more positively about themselves and this beautiful but underappreciated place where we live.”–College Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs
“Liked your pond book–” –Wisconsin reader
“It’s wonderful to know that a person like you is really out there.” — Chicago reader
“I feel more grounded in my life now, thanks to your writing.” –Connecticut reader
“I want you to know how House of Steps made me feel when I was reading it. . . . I know this is how the success of a book is measured–when it makes people think and feel. I always felt content and restful while reading your essays. I truly enjoyed it.”–Kansas reader
“I have only been moved by extreme beauty a few times . . . . and last night listening to you read in an old worn-out cultural arts building. I cannot begin to express how deeply your work touches me.”–Georgia reader
“I just wanted to say thank you for having Amy Blackmarr visit our class. Her energy for life and her ability to express her vulnerabilities amazed me. I found her to be a true inspiration, not only as a writer but as a human being.” –University student to her writing professor
“I read Going to Ground almost all the way straight through and only stopped because it was dinnertime and I was hungry–and even then I almost didn’t stop! It is wonderful — I love it . . . I feel touched, I feel privileged to be brought into your world. . . . I smiled, I cried, I laughed and I cringed and I did all these things without knowing I would. Thank you for this book.” –California reader
“Let me just say that although I sat at my desk in my apartment on noisy Ludlow Street–think booming stereo systems blaring hip-hop as they cruise by, sauced twentysomethings streaming out of the trendy bar across the street, etc.–I was IN Kansas. Despite all the many distractions, you had me sucked right into the House of Steps with its wasps and mailbox baseball and your dead-on contemplations. What a treat!” –New York editor
“Your books helped me through three of the most challenging months of my entire life. Thanks, thanks and forever thanks for sharing your journey with me.” –Virginia reader
“I have felt it necessary to take a moment to let you know your talk had quite an impact on me . . . and I couldn’t be more grateful. I must say, there is a massive resurgence of hope and excitement in this writer’s soul.”– Nevada reader