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Our Long Road to Happiness

by Dianne and Vincent Barnes

270 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #05-0009; ISBN 1-4120-5114-2; US$28.00, C$27.04, EUR23.00, £16.50

Our escape from abuse, death threats and harassment of a vindictive ex-husband. Our travel to Canada and Mexico to escape. Compelling reading for all ages struggling with problems caused by misaken ideas about marriage.

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About the Book

About the Author

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Excerpts

About the Book

This book is compelling reading for all ages struggling with problems caused by mistaken ideas about marriage:

This couple's great love for each other and determination to stay together against all odds, the least of which being age, (Diane is 63, Vincent 83).When they met in 1997, Diane lived in body, but not in spirit, with Gord. Vincent had three previous marriages, including one to a Jamaican woman who wrongly charged him with sexual molestation. Neither party was looking for love--it just happened with a wallop that caught them both by surprise.

Dianne left Gord, taking the RV, and met Vincent in Killbear Park, Ontario. They moved on to visit her family in Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories; Gord turned ugly. They were up against a vengeful ex-husband who pushed them to the limits of tolerance. Gord played games with the bank account, filed a missing persons report and stole Dianne's belongings. He also muddied Vincent's reputation and managed to turn some of Dianne's family against the couple. The ex-husband also threatened to stalk and kill them. He stalled divorce and court proceedings. When the court day finally came, Gord represented himself and succeeded only in revealing his true psychopathic nature. this story is one of all-encompassing, long-standing ritual abuse; Gord used Dianne as a virtual slave in his auto-repair business. However, the story is also one of redemption and metamorphosis as two bruised people show each other how to love again and fight to keep their love from harm.

This memoir is unusual because it is written by two people in their own styles. Vincent gave Diane the story to read and she immediately jumped in with her own opinions. Vincent handed her the clipboard and said: "Here, you write it." So she did, and the couple in love began another collaboration.

The male and female voices remain distinct, as do their emotions. Both strive to explain what love is; they learn that true love enhances the sexual act as nothing else could.

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About the Author

Vincent Barnes was a columnist for an industrial union newspaper, The Voice of the Worker, where he wrote the "Doings From Davenport" column for ten years. topics he covered included grievances, safety, health problems, workers' rights, and why workers should join a union. Because of his nose for news, his column was the most read in the newspaper. Barnes put his writing and research interests on the back-burner until 1994 when he bought a computer. Since then he has written a proliferation of slice-of-life short stories, poetry and books. his short story, Frozen Roots, was published in the Wordscape 4 Anthology, and his poem, The Beauty of Writing, was published in Wordscape 2.

Vincent has written two solo memoirs, specific to time periods in his life: The River Otonabee of My Boyhood and What Was That War All About, Anyway? Both are in the pre-publishing stage. Vincent and Dianne Barnes are currently putting the finishing touches on their second collaborative memoir, Adventure on a Frozen Island.

Dianne Barnes is a unique writer in that she only began writing after Vincent handed her the original excerpts from Our Long Road to Happiness to read. Instead of just reading, Dianne started recreating and writing and came up with the he said/she said approach to the book. She uses her secretarial background and good command of the English language to nit-pick through the practical, but uses her experiences and emotions to write from the heart.

Vincent Barnes is a member of the Canadian Authors Association.

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Excerpts

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Reviews

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