See also the following reviews: Lena Schwartz, "Keeping Up With Folks on the River," in The Anniston Star; Craig Price, in The Southern Literary Review; and Don Noble, on Alabama Public Radio.  

“Marlin Barton’s stories wind through a lush layering of intersecting characters, their truths pushing currents from one generation into another, and into the reader’s heart.”—Suzanne Hudson, author of In a Temple of Trees 

“I suppose a case could be made that every story ever written is about loss in one way or another—lost love or innocence or some bygone way of life—and that’s certainly true of the stories of Marlin Barton’s new collection Dancing by the River. What’s different here is Barton’s voice—direct, lyrical, when it needs to be, tinged with a Southern accent. What’s different is how convincingly he draws his characters, men and women, young and old. This is his third book, maybe his best. I hope it finds the readership he deserves.”—Michael Knight, author of Goodnight, Nobody

“Dancing by the River is a graceful ballet beside an ocean of fabulous stories. The range of characters and plots in these stories truly amazed me. From wagons to pickup trucks to airplanes, Marlin Barton explores complex relationships with humor, compassion, and grace. He’s an extraordinary writer, and I believe that, with this collection of short fiction, Marlin Barton has established himself as one of the best writers living in the South today.”—Bev Marshall, author of Walking Through Shadows 

“Marlin Barton knows people, our histories, our voices, our sad broken hearts, so he knows what we need and is compassionate enough to give it to us in this stunningly graceful collection of connected short stories, Dancing by the River, which is a river itself, a river fed by rivers, a river peopled by rivers; it’s simply a rich, overwhelming force of a book that often comes at you gently, but before you can perceive the depth, the magic, you are carried away, laughing and then nodding along for the truth of it all. Barton has proven yet again he is a master storyteller, one of our very best.”—Jennifer Paddock, author of A Secret Word

“In these finely choreographed stories, Marlin Barton lays claim to something larger than Alabama—the flowing of the human heart. Dancing by the River is at once a window rattling stomp and a stately minuet. Throw your hats in the air over this performance.”—Dale Ray Phillips, author of My People’s Waltz  

“Dancing by the River is striking confirmation that Southern short fiction is alive and well. Marlin Barton has the talent, empathy, and wisdom to reveal the depths of his characters’ hearts. While doing so, he also helps us to better understand our own. It is my hope that this collection brings Barton the wider readership his fiction so richly deserves.”—Ron Rash, author of One Foot in Eden