Advance Praise and Reviews for Making It All Right:

James Alexander Thom, author of Follow the River:

Breeden-Ost’s ear for dialog is uncanny, her psychological sense deep. Maybe I should just call it wisdom. She has written a quiet masterpiece of domestic narrative, with dramatic tension from beginning to end.

All the characters are distinctly themselves, fully believable, their voices consistent whenever they take their turn. That goes for the whole extended family and community. Storekeeper Peck and old Altha, as two examples, are unforgettable.

The depiction of daily country life and work is an education in itself for modern readers—how food was grown, how chores were done, why they had to be done and when—and yet none of that distracts from the tensions, the tenderness, or the growing pains [of the main characters’ story].

Sallyann J. Murphey, author of Bean Blossom Dreams:

[Making It All Right] is the most beautiful book I have read in some time. The author’s uncanny eye for detail surrounds the reader with the sights, tastes and smells of 1940s farm life – while drawing us in to a multi-layered examination of that oldest of questions: the meaning of love and forgiveness.

All of her characters, from the three main voices of the story, to the many members of their communities, are flawlessly written: three-dimensional, fallible, infuriating—intensely human—presented warts and all for us to admire; despise; empathize with; and finally use as a lens for our own frailties.

This book is a cool drink of water on a hot day. It was the story I needed to read in this crazy era and I look forward to revisiting it again.

Carmen Abner, Eastern Kentucky columnist, author of “The Briar Philosopher”:

The characters…will stick with you and keep you company long after the last page has been turned… [Breeden-Ost’s] use of the English language is immaculate. She says neither too much nor too little, though you will wish the story were longer, once it is told.

[MAKING IT ALL RIGHT] penetrates the surface of human trials and tribulations and reveals, without judgment, what it is to navigate them. We are shown extraordinary circumstances woven inexorably with the beauty and power of the ordinary. We are reminded of how multifaceted each human being is and of how deeply we are shaped by our stories, both told and untold. [Breeden-Ost] has managed to introduce us to ourselves. The worth of that gift cannot be overstated. read full review

Yael Ksander, Limestone Post and WFIU’s Inner States, “Two Novels by Indiana Authors ‘Deliver Their Own Form of Rebellion’”

Deceptively conventional, these novels fly under the book-banners’ radar to deliver their own form of rebellion. … Breeden-Ost’s pressure cooker of a novel captures exactly how much a woman has to endure in an attempt to have it all. read full review (Note: spoilers)

Connie Shakalis, Bloomington, Indiana Herald-Times:

Breeden-Ost rocked me into the daily life of farm people, the types of people I had never known in my city life.

Reading the novel is to be a secret observer, snuggling into a corner of May’s washing shed.... How does someone make a wedding dress? What do you do if your neighbor’s goat eats your jelly grapes? What do you do if your husband tells you he loves you madly, deeply — and also someone else?

Adept at creating and maintaining suspense, ... Breeden-Ost also keeps the sexual tensions ... broiling throughout. read full review