This review of How Joyous Effort Works was a fun surprise as the reviewer compares my book’s first sentence to T.S. Eliot’s writing – not knowing that T.S. Eliot was a cousin.

“When I read the first sentence of Janet Ettele’s newest book How Joyous Effort Works: “There is something sacred about rivers–the way they carry life within them like a mother carries her children in her heart all breathing the same loving essence no matter how distant they flow.” I immediately thought of the opening of T.S. Eliot’s poem, The Dry Salvages. “I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river Is a strong, brown god—“
This resonance is apt, I feel, because both works convey deep spiritual truths. Ms. Ettele’s book seamlessly blends two distinct threads. One is the evolving story of a young man, Troy, as he continues to work at both living in the world and feeding his desire for spiritual understanding. The other is the Buddhist wisdom taught to him by his teachers Abe and Jules, and the way that Troy learns to integrate the teachings into his ongoing life.

Even more so than in her earlier books, Ms Ettele’s writing glows. Her descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of the New England countryside powerfully evoke the extraordinary beauty of the natural world with an almost palpable feeling of how all beings and objects in the world are interconnected. The plot itself has nice suspense, a slightly surprising ending and characters painted with Ms Ettele’s loving touch, all of which allow the book to depict emotions from deep grief to boundless joy. The warm and sweet developing love between Troy and his girlfriend, Maggie is tender and a delight to read. And paralleling that growth, is the wisdom he acquires from his mentor Abe and the Buddhist teacher Abe introduces him to, the luthier Jules. Ms. Ettele’s writing also carries within it, its own wisdom that serves to focus the meanings of the book. This wisdom is greatly enhanced by her use of original quotes and ample, interesting footnotes.

How Joyous Effort Works is a book for this time that should be read everywhere.”
—Jeff Fookson, retired physicist

Huge gratitude to Nina Müller, MA, ACC for her insightful and beautifully written review in the summer 2025 issue of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review for How Joyous Effort Works.
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Read my guest post on Patheos.com blog: The Creative Power of Mindfulness

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