Author David Hartshorn

David Hartshorn grew up in Lancaster, New Hampshire, and is an honors graduate of Middlebury College with a degree in American Literature. He currently lives in Burlington, Connecticut where he is a practicing trial attorney. The Life That Follows is his second novel. Reviewers have called it “truly compelling” and “a profoundly empathetic and keenly observed meditation on how the human spirit can endure.” His first novel, More Than Halfway There, recently placed third among thousands of entries in an international book contest in the category of literary fiction. Both novels fondly examine the lives of characters living in small towns nestled in the mountains of northern New Hampshire and Vermont.

Having retired from the practice of law at a relatively early age, Owen McGivney has his future happily mapped out. But as often occurs, life has a different plan in store for him. Unexpectedly widowed and living alone without direction or real purpose, he’s thrust by circumstance into the lives of three strangers who, as it turns out, need as much from him as he needs from them. The Life That Follows is a story of connections made and bonds formed between the young and old, and of lives irrevocably altered. Set in the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, it finds both joy and tragedy in the passage of time. And throughout, its sharply-drawn characters add wisdom and humor to the heartwarming narrative. Owen’s journey in search of an acceptance of life and hope for the future is a trip the reader will greatly enjoy taking.

 

“The Life That Follows elegantly traces Owen’s path from grief to healing, and the remarkable and often surprising ways that losing a loved one shapes and reshapes the human spirit . . . Hartshorn deftly manages the novel’s various plot threads, from the depiction of Owen’s journey through trauma and sorrow, to the twists and turns of a suspenseful courtroom drama . . . a profoundly empathetic and keenly observed meditation on how the human spirit can endure . . . [Hartshorn has] a marvelous ear for realistic dialogue and witty banter. His beautifully crafted novel, The Life That Follows, is steeped in sadness, but is ultimately a hopeful story of resilience and survival.” –  4.8 of five stars – IndieReader

International Award Winner!

“More Than Halfway There” won the Bronze Award out of thousands of books submitted worldwide!
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~ Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite