Reviews

Gemini, Indie Next List for March, 2014 and Library Reads Top Ten list for March 2014

Maria Semple, New York Times bestselling author of Where’d You Go Bernadette? 
“Once again, Carol Cassella has written a novel full of gorgeously rendered characters, fascinating medical detail and tour de force plot twists. From its gripping first pages straight through to its stunning conclusion, Gemini is an unforgettable novel—a morality tale, a mystery, and a love story that will leave readers breathless.”

Kristin Hannah, # 1 New York Times bestselling author of Fly Away and Home Front
“Gemini is an engrossing, compelling page-turner of a novel that will keep you guessing until the very end.  Carol Cassella's expertly crafted story about love, genetics, loss, and the search for identity will resonate deeply with readers.”

Susan Wiggs, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Apple Orchard
"Carol Cassella's novel taps into the very core of every person's hopes and dreams...and their fears. Her beautifully crafted story explores the unbearable fragility of the human body, and ultimately celebrates the sturdiness of the human spirit. Gemini is a triumph of literary mastery and emotional resonance."

Jan-Philipp Sendker, International bestselling author of The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
"Carol Cassella has written a wonderful novel.  A deeply moving story about the heartbreaking pursuit of happiness by a courageous woman without means.  Gemini is a page turner, I had a hard time putting down."   

Jonathan Evison, New York Times bestselling author of West of Here
“With big themes, an unforgettable setting, high stakes, mystery, suspense, heartbreak, human triumph, and rare insight, Gemini surprises and fascinates at every turn. Nobody writes about the miracle of the human organism like Carol Cassella. Gemini is a novel sure to keep readers flipping pages deep into the night.”

Lee Woodruff, New York Times bestselling author of In an Instant andThose We Love Most
"A natural born story-teller, Cassella's vivid novel, beautifully set in the Pacific Northwest, creates a haunting backdrop for this spellbinding examination of how family, loss, genetics and ultimately the triumph of love can connect and confound us all."― 

The Seattle Times “Cassella is a gifted writer, gorgeously animating her landscapes and the forces of nature, underlining her theme that even medicine cannot save her characters from mortality.”

The Boston Globe
“A suspenseful narrative of emotional depth and moral complexity . . .  Cassella has keen, beautifully rendered insights into genetics, neuroscience, and medical ethics . . . For all the characters in “Gemini,” life is about the resilience to continue picking up the pieces.

Publishers Weekly
“A book at turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, it invites us to accept, if nothing else, that the only way to live is to “cling to every moment even as you [leap] into the next.”

Library Journal, Starred Review
“[Gemini] poses interesting medical questions and offers deepening mysteries to keep the reader turning the pages.”

Booklist 
“A compelling look at the collision of a physician’s professional and personal lives . . . a uniquely involving read.”

Kirkus 
“This engaging medical mystery makes. . .compelling points about economics and sociology.”

Library Reads, A March Top Ten Reads Pick
“Book groups will devour this compulsively readable novel with thought-provoking themes. Perfect for readers of Jodi Picoult and Chris Bohjalian.”

Indie Next March Pick
“A medical mystery, a love story, and a novel of depth and complexity — Cassella manages all of this in Gemini.Full of suspense, heartbreak, insight, and a gripping, unexpected ending, Gemini is a pleasure to read.”

The South Carolina Pilot
“You will love learning the story of these two women and how their lives intersect and what brought them to that point in their lives. I couldn't put this book down!”

Bookreporter.com
"Carol, a practicing physician (an anesthesiologist), takes on a complex medical issue weaving a strong story from it. I loved it."

Bellingham Herald,  review
“Cassella has created a work of insightful characterizations, finely crafted language and socioeconomic contrasts that are detailed in almost Dickensian fashion.”

RT Book Reviews
“Cassella delivers a mind-bending, emotionally charged story featuring tough medical and end-of-life issues. The plot slowly builds as we learn the backstory of a critically injured patient and the dilemmas facing her doctor. Not your ordinary mystery, this is an unusual plot and a great, thought-provoking read.”

Harper’s Bazaar Book Club Pick

Women’s Day Magazine Book Club Pick

Daily Candy Book Club Pick

Spartanburg 85-26, Carolinas' Entertainment Book Pick

Book Blogs:

Serendipity
“A real page turner . . .Five stars.”
Desktop Retreat
“A mature and thoughtful read, highly recommended.”
Bibliophile The Sea
“Carol Cassella's novels [are] riveting."
BrodartVibe
“The twist near the end of this book left my mind reeling. I promise you won’t want to put it down.”
Word Joy
“The suspense works, the setting is starkly beautiful, and the characters give the reader a lot to think about.”
Cristi's Reviews
“Gemini would make a fantastic book club pick, …. I absolutely couldn't put it down."
PaperBreathers
“Gemini is a fascinating and intriguing story that . . . explore[s] the complexities of platonic and romantic love. Cassella skillfully weaves two stories together to create a bittersweet and emotional read."
FollowTheClue
“The profound storyline pulls no punches as the protagonist condemns society for the impact of poverty and the lack of education on health care decisions especially when these choices (or lack of) effect vulnerable dependents.”