"a very interesting story.....good job with plot and pacing......enjoyed
dialogue."
----18th Annual Writer's Digest Awards
"In Vichy Water, author Calvin Barry Schwartz introduces the reader to Alex and Elvin, two lifelong friends who - though they travel quite different paths in life - share an exceptional bond that simultaneously distinquishes and unites them. While Alex is gradually drawn into a world of secret societies and clandestine government meetings with global ramifications, Elvin travels the world in search of himself, simultaneously exploring the virtues (and vices) of marriage, money, and self-gratification"...
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----Apex Reviews
"I don't get time to read many novels but this one, you never want to
end.....it's worth reading twice."
----Gregory Noto, MD, Freehold, New Jersey
"Brash celebrates the game changers and so we are highlighting novelist
Calvin Barry Schwartz, who changed his own game plan to become an author. In
his debut novel *Vichy Water, *Schwartz expertly weaves issues of race,
religion, economics, gender, and fatherhood into a story, which is above all
a tale of a rich lifelong friendship. The book is sprinkled with pop culture
references, esoteric musings and historical events that engage and
intrigue."
----Editors at Brash.com
"Vichy Water might simply have been about the value of exceptional and rare friendship, however, Calvin Barry Schwartz has gone much further. He has crafted two complex characters exploring the deepest riches of their psyches, as they grapple with life's difficult situations. One caveat, however, if you insist on a happy and quick read, this long slog of a novel may not be for you, but bear in mind, you will be missing out on the work of a very intelligent and talented writer........ Vichy Water is rich in character and detail........ Another one of the pleasures of this novel is the uniqueness of Schwartz's voice with his spare and seductive prose, as he unfolds the many layers of the narrative, intricately weaving profound themes and forcing the reader to stare into the haunting face of the real world..... On the surface the novel may appear modest in scope, but Schwartz continuously rattles us with his powerful insights and observations concerning universal issues...."
----Norm Goldman, Book Pleasures.com
"Unique, captivating and engrossing"
----Dr. Michael Kerner, Springfield, N.J.
"Calvin Barry Schwartz emerges on the scene of accomplished novelists with his debut work entitled Vichy Water, a heavily dense interleaving story of childhood friends of unique backgrounds finding trust and friendship in a changing world..... His work is very complex......... Full of hidden meanings, intricate plots and subplots, views on scores of topics including sexuality, occult powers, extraterrestrial life, religious strengths and conflicts, racial and ethnic coexistence, and basic good versus evil, Schwartz weaves his views into a fabric of his interpretations...... The cover art showing an original composition of a bottle... two mysterious characters on a park bench all through the distorted diffracted light of clear bottle of water is a very appropriate piece of work for the novel, and cradles the 380 pages in the surreal world it creates. This book is for the seasoned reader looking for something different and challenging."
----Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review
"A scintillating read.... Enjoyed development of characters and gradual
unraveling of relationships... Loved Rutgers references and pictures
painted...Rutgers alums will particularly enjoy the read!!"
-----Doug Dolan, Rutgers University
