Showing posts with label Short stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Short stories. Show all posts

1/16/2010

Review of Bleed into Me: A Book of Stories (Native Storiers: A Series of American Narratives) (Hardcover)

stephen jones, the author of three previous novels, THE FAST RED ROAD, ALL THE BEAUTIFUL SINNERS, and THE BIRD IS GONE as done it once again. time and time again jones manages to blow me away with his vision of the world around us. BLEED INTO ME is a collection of stories, some have been published previously while others this is their first time seeing print. nobody puts together scenes like stephen jones. nobody takes ordinary events and flips them on their head like he does. the characters that roam the pages of this collection are 'real' people, people we all know. to steal a line from another review that sums it up best, "Jones sees this world, its parallels between beauty and despair, grace and turmoil, and describes it with originality and stylistic flair. Jones's vision is unflinchingly peculiar. It's also a vision like no other.

(...)



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1/12/2010

Review of Our Father: Recollections of a Small Town Boy (Paperback)

What a wonderful book. I have never felt that wonderful feeling of going back to my childhood to explore all the pranks and laughs all over again.I think of the Wonder Years, Dennis the Menace and That 70's show when I flip through these great pages.It is important not to go into this book looking for a begining, middle and end but to just read it as a type of journal documenting the best parts of a someones life. Joe Brucato is a well kept secret in the author business.Be looking for his latest book A Rose in Feilding....gonna be a good one im sure!!

Product Description
For a third generation Italian-American boy life takes on a number of twists and turns as he matures from a child into a teenager. He must cope with the pressures imposed by a strict dad and a younger brother whose antics are intolerable. In his journey into adulthood Nicholas D'Napoli encounters a number of bizzarre people and episodes that will leave you laughing or crying. The characters are hilarious. In this walk down memory lane you'll witness the escapades and pranks of people that defy normalcy, like the transvestite who dresses like Greta Garbo, or the voyeur who plays peek-a-boo while hiding in the neighbor's bushes. Through Nick we're reminded of our first kiss or the embarrassment of blowing that special moment with the love of our dreams. D'Napoli guides us through our own youths; old friends, the bully in the schoolyard, first loves and broken hearts.

About the Author
Joseph Brucato holds a B.A. degree in History from the College of the Holy Cross and a M.Ed. from Worcester State College. He is presently a Social Studies teacher and its department chairman at Milford High School where he has worked for the past twenty-two years.

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12/28/2009

Review of Reflections in My Mind's Eye (Paperback)

As a person who hardly reads,I couldn't believe it the moment I realised I had started reading this book for the second time.The few stories in this book sum up to provide a summary of all that human life is practically about.Thus,the confirmation of the author's ingenuity and decision to write about everything is brought up.It's difficult to tell which of the stories is not a true one,though the author said some are not,because each story conveys a practical knowledge and account of crucial experiences in life.Since I read this book,I've been looking forward desperately to owning the author's next work to be published.

Product Description
My Mind's EyeAll the stories, the portrayals in Reflections are so honest and open, it seems to be too much for one to absorb. There are so many hard, sensitive, troubled and decidedly blunt characters to open up one's imagination. You take in vivid images of siblings realizing their differences, women in charge of their destinies and children in conflict. You get lasting impressions of a God- fearing man on a misguided mission, a teenage girl and her after school activities, and a young mother too afraid to leave her child alone. The illusions are just that, illusions to drift in and out of your subconscious. Little voices calling your name after ten to give you a little cheering up.

About the Author
Romee Trofort was born in Haiti 28 years ago. She came to America at the age of three with her parents and her older sister. Ms. Trofort was raised and Americanized n New York. She has three beautiful children, Lalah, Myles and Michelin. She is enlisted in active duty with the U.S. Army and is presently stationed in Fort Stewart Georgia.She has been writing for years and has kept a personal diary for over ten years. She is currently working on two novellas and three novels.Besides Reflections, the author has also published a small book of poetry titled 'Come Here, Let me Show You' and has had individual short stories and poetry published in magazines. She is confident about the success of this book.

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12/25/2009

Review of A Private State (Awp Award for Short Fiction) (Paperback)

Like E. Annie Proulx, Charlotte Bacon's writing is fresh and compelling, sprinkled liberally with incandescent imagery.Like Cheever, seemingly small events, like a weekend in the country, a troubling discovery made by a daughter in her father's apartment, or a whale-watching trip, all mark tidal points in the lives of her characters. With nary a false note, this young writer carries us through the lives of men and women facing the end of marriage, the beginning of a pregnancy, the repercussions of the loss of a job on a wealthy family.Such grace and assured prose is rare in young writers, and I'm already waiting for her next.An excellent collection of stories (and prize-winning, too, if you check the book jacket).



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12/08/2009

Review of Unified Field Theory: Stories (Paperback)

Many short story collections contain a few gems (one at the beginning, usually, and maybe one at the end) with a lot of filler, but this collection is strong from start to finish. Although they often deal with uneducated down-and-out characters the stories have an intellectual and philsophical bite that is hard to ignore. Complicated, well-written fiction.





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11/12/2009

Review of Human Resources: Stories (Tin House New Voice) (Paperback)

I'm not your typical short story fan, but got a tip from a friend that one of these "Nautical Intervention", had been optioned for a movie by someone she knew so I took a read. I couldn't believe this was a first book. The stories and the construction pulled me in and I read every story and each was more delicious than the last. No formulaic first time writer stuff here. Each stands alone and left me with the satisfied feeling that I usually don't get from short stories, which is why I usually avoid them. Hate that contrived "left hanging" feeling.

Can't wait to see what else this young writer has to offer.



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10/24/2009

Review of The Collected Short Fiction of Bruce Jay Friedman (Paperback)

Long ago and far away (when I wore a younger man's thong) I partook of fine quality entertainment of the likes of Terry Southern's stuff & Sid Perelman's feuilletons & the Evelyn Waughwerks. And then I discovered my spiritual doppelganger. Bruce. He touched me---and suddenly---nothing was the same.

Look. I'm not gonna mince words. This is the single greatest short-story collection in the history of the universe. Although then again, I'm not gonna overpraise Bruce's later stories and say that they're as fab as the early stories. But let me thrustfully insist on the weird idiosyncratic brilliance of those early stories. This book is arguably better than beer, possibly better than sex, and definitely better than sex with Bruce Jay Friedman.

Unfortunately, one of those early stories is missing from this collection. Presumably due to sheer carelessness, a story called THE BIG SIX was omitted. My fave story is WHEN YOU'RE EXCUSED. Or possibly THE SUBVERSIVE. About the narrator's wholesome midwestern friend who turns out to be a full-tilt wackaloon. My other favorite is 23 PAT O'BRIEN MOVIES. A satire of suicide-prevention cliches which could've been easily transposed into a 2-character stage-skit. (And what a missed opportunity for Brando & Olivier.)



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