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Bringing Vincent Home
Though a novel, Bringing Vincent Home reads like the finest memoir, so authentic and convincing that at times I found myself turning back to the title page to be sure it was a work of fiction. Rarely does a book of any sort touch me as this one did. Madeleine Mysko has created a vivid, beautifully written, and deeply personal piece of literature.
Tim O'Brien, author, The Things They Carried, and Going After Cacciato (National Book Award Winner)
Madeleine Mysko's portrayal of the burn ward, of the suffering soldier, and of the afflicted families and efficient caregivers, are real and riveting. As more and more soldiers are injured and disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan, as more and more families are called upon to tend to or bury their loved ones, Mysko's novel comes not only as a wake-up call but also as a soothing balm. This is a viscerally wrought and redemptive tale, difficult to put down, and impossible to shake from the memory.
Cortney Davis, author, Leopold's Maneuvers and I Knew a Woman, editor, Between the Poetry and Prose by Nurses and Intensive More Poetry and Prose by Nurses
Madeleine Mysko writes evocatively about the virtues of a cradle Catholic who deals with an alcoholic husband, a politically energized daughter, an unjust war, and a changed church. With an eye for the telling detail and a great compassion for all her characters, Mysko traces the journey of a woman who struggles with tragedy and gains wisdom.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lieutenant Governor, the State of Maryland, author, Failing America's How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing their Way.
Tim O'Brien, author, The Things They Carried, and Going After Cacciato (National Book Award Winner)
Madeleine Mysko's portrayal of the burn ward, of the suffering soldier, and of the afflicted families and efficient caregivers, are real and riveting. As more and more soldiers are injured and disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan, as more and more families are called upon to tend to or bury their loved ones, Mysko's novel comes not only as a wake-up call but also as a soothing balm. This is a viscerally wrought and redemptive tale, difficult to put down, and impossible to shake from the memory.
Cortney Davis, author, Leopold's Maneuvers and I Knew a Woman, editor, Between the Poetry and Prose by Nurses and Intensive More Poetry and Prose by Nurses
Madeleine Mysko writes evocatively about the virtues of a cradle Catholic who deals with an alcoholic husband, a politically energized daughter, an unjust war, and a changed church. With an eye for the telling detail and a great compassion for all her characters, Mysko traces the journey of a woman who struggles with tragedy and gains wisdom.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lieutenant Governor, the State of Maryland, author, Failing America's How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing their Way.
184 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2007
12 people want to read
About the author
Madeleine Mysko
6 booksMadeleine Mysko is the author of two novels, Bringing Vincent Home (Plain View Press, 2007) and Stone Harbor Bound (Bridle Path Press, 2015).
Her poetry, reviews, essays, and short fiction have been published widely in literary journals that include Shenandoah, Commonweal, River Styx, and The Hudson Review. As a peace and justice activist, she has also contributed op-ed pieces to venues including The Baltimore Sun and The Veteran.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Madeleine Mysko attended parochial schools and graduated from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in 1967. During the Vietnam War, she served in the Army Nurse Corps on the famous burn ward of Brooke Army Medical Center, an experience out of which she later wrote her first novel, Bringing Vincent Home. When she later returned to college, she majored in literature and writing. She received a bachelor’s degree in English from Rosemont College, and master’s degrees from both The Writing Seminars of The Johns Hopkins University and The George Washington University.
In 2015, she published her second novel,Stone Harbor Bound, a lyrical novel set in Stone Harbor. New Jersey.
For years she has taught creative writing, both poetry and fiction, in the Baltimore-Washington area. As a nurse, she has worked in Assisted Living at a Baltimore retirement community. She has also worked as a waitress—a short career she wrote about in The Baltimore Sun when her “Real Life” pieces would appear regularly in the Modern Life section. Presently she serves as coordinating editor of the Reflections column for The American Journal of Nursing.
Among her awards are two Individual Artist grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, a Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award, and an Artscape Prize for Fiction from the City of Baltimore.
Her poetry, reviews, essays, and short fiction have been published widely in literary journals that include Shenandoah, Commonweal, River Styx, and The Hudson Review. As a peace and justice activist, she has also contributed op-ed pieces to venues including The Baltimore Sun and The Veteran.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Madeleine Mysko attended parochial schools and graduated from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in 1967. During the Vietnam War, she served in the Army Nurse Corps on the famous burn ward of Brooke Army Medical Center, an experience out of which she later wrote her first novel, Bringing Vincent Home. When she later returned to college, she majored in literature and writing. She received a bachelor’s degree in English from Rosemont College, and master’s degrees from both The Writing Seminars of The Johns Hopkins University and The George Washington University.
In 2015, she published her second novel,Stone Harbor Bound, a lyrical novel set in Stone Harbor. New Jersey.
For years she has taught creative writing, both poetry and fiction, in the Baltimore-Washington area. As a nurse, she has worked in Assisted Living at a Baltimore retirement community. She has also worked as a waitress—a short career she wrote about in The Baltimore Sun when her “Real Life” pieces would appear regularly in the Modern Life section. Presently she serves as coordinating editor of the Reflections column for The American Journal of Nursing.
Among her awards are two Individual Artist grants from the Maryland State Arts Council, a Howard Nemerov Sonnet Award, and an Artscape Prize for Fiction from the City of Baltimore.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 2, 2019
This book reads a memoir rather than a work of fiction. However, the author was an Army nurse during the Vietnam War at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX so I am sure she knows first hand of what she writes.
Emotional and heart breaking but at the same time a hopeful account of what war does to the folks who fight them and those who love the warfighter.
Emotional and heart breaking but at the same time a hopeful account of what war does to the folks who fight them and those who love the warfighter.
November 16, 2007
Okay, blatant plug of my mom's book, but I am not the only one who thinks she is immensely talented...
"Though a novel, Bringing Vincent Home reads like the finest memoir, so authentic and convincing that at times I found myself turning back to the title page to be sure it was a work of fiction. Rarely does a book of any sort touch me as this one did. Madeleine Mysko has created a vivid, beautifully written, and deeply personal piece of literature."
Tim O'Brien, author, The Things They Carried, and Going After Cacciato (National Book Award Winner)
"Madeleine Mysko's portrayal of the burn ward, of the suffering soldier, and of the afflicted families and efficient caregivers, are real and riveting. As more and more soldiers are injured and disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan, as more and more families are called upon to tend to or bury their loved ones, Mysko's novel comes not only as a wake-up call but also as a soothing balm. This is a viscerally wrought and redemptive tale, difficult to put down, and impossible to shake from the memory."
Cortney Davis, author, Leopold's Maneuvers and I Knew a Woman, editor, Between the Heartbeats: Poetry and Prose by Nurses and Intensive Care: More Poetry and Prose by Nurses
"Madeleine Mysko writes evocatively about the virtues of a cradle Catholic who deals with an alcoholic husband, a politically energized daughter, an unjust war, and a changed church. With an eye for the telling detail and a great compassion for all her characters, Mysko traces the journey of a woman who struggles with tragedy and gains wisdom."
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lieutenant Governor, the State of Maryland, author, Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing their Way.
"Though a novel, Bringing Vincent Home reads like the finest memoir, so authentic and convincing that at times I found myself turning back to the title page to be sure it was a work of fiction. Rarely does a book of any sort touch me as this one did. Madeleine Mysko has created a vivid, beautifully written, and deeply personal piece of literature."
Tim O'Brien, author, The Things They Carried, and Going After Cacciato (National Book Award Winner)
"Madeleine Mysko's portrayal of the burn ward, of the suffering soldier, and of the afflicted families and efficient caregivers, are real and riveting. As more and more soldiers are injured and disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan, as more and more families are called upon to tend to or bury their loved ones, Mysko's novel comes not only as a wake-up call but also as a soothing balm. This is a viscerally wrought and redemptive tale, difficult to put down, and impossible to shake from the memory."
Cortney Davis, author, Leopold's Maneuvers and I Knew a Woman, editor, Between the Heartbeats: Poetry and Prose by Nurses and Intensive Care: More Poetry and Prose by Nurses
"Madeleine Mysko writes evocatively about the virtues of a cradle Catholic who deals with an alcoholic husband, a politically energized daughter, an unjust war, and a changed church. With an eye for the telling detail and a great compassion for all her characters, Mysko traces the journey of a woman who struggles with tragedy and gains wisdom."
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, former Lieutenant Governor, the State of Maryland, author, Failing America's Faithful: How Today's Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing their Way.
April 21, 2010
In her short novel, Bringing Vincent Home, Madeline Mysko has presented a portrait of a family brought together by adversity, despite mixed and far-ranging views on the difficult subjects of religion and war.
Though this is a work of fiction, the story is narrated as if it is a memoir by Kitty Duvall, through whose eyes we see a stateside military burn ward in all of its drama. At the start of the story, Kitty is a very strict Catholic with strong pro-war feelings. She is not one to question what she is told, either by church or state. In fact, Kitty doesn’t even seem to give any thought to why she believes what she believes.
Read more at http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.co...
Though this is a work of fiction, the story is narrated as if it is a memoir by Kitty Duvall, through whose eyes we see a stateside military burn ward in all of its drama. At the start of the story, Kitty is a very strict Catholic with strong pro-war feelings. She is not one to question what she is told, either by church or state. In fact, Kitty doesn’t even seem to give any thought to why she believes what she believes.
Read more at http://rantsravesreviews.homestead.co...
July 9, 2009
A poignant, moving story about a mother and her son, who was burned in Viet Nam. Set in San Antonio, Texas at the Brooks Army Medical Hospital which is the major burn treatment unit of the military. At BAMC, they treated soldiers from Viet Name and are treating soldiers from the Middle East conflicts today.
As a result, the novel feels fresh and historic.
If you know San Antonio, the details are accurate.
As a result, the novel feels fresh and historic.
If you know San Antonio, the details are accurate.
February 22, 2013
Much better than I expected. Touching and a good story. Worth the read
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews