Showing posts with label
stories about mothers and daughters.
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Showing posts with label
stories about mothers and daughters.
Show all posts
3.5 out of 5 stars
On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: I've read quite a few of Jenny Twist's short stories and novellas before, and liked them.
Genre: Short stories, miscellaneous drama.
These five stories are grouped together under the loose theme of mother love, and they are all very different. Two are flash fiction, one page long each, and I liked both of those. The others are long-short stories. The middle one is an amusing fantasy about the possible existence of fairyland (note for author: I liked the last paragraph very much). The last is the best one, I think, a piece of romantic suspense with the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War; I particularly liked the authenticity of the setting. The first is about a 1960s mother and baby home, which I was slightly less keen on, as I kept expecting a dark twist that never came. I am not, of course, criticising the author because she didn't write the story I wanted to read; this is just personal taste, and I am sure many would prefer the more promising outcome.
It's a nice collection for a couple of undemanding hours' reading.
5 out of 5 stars
Short Stories, Mothers and Daughters
Originally posted on Amazon HERE on 15 June 2014
Get this book!
Aside from the fact that it benefits a charity, and is terrific value - NINETEEN short stories, and they're all a very decent length - it's one of the best short story collections I've come across.
It starts off with a perfect choice for opening act - HIDE AND SEEK by Samantha Stroh Bailey is an interesting look at the mother-daughter relationship from two angles, as the mother discovers much about herself as a daughter, as well as a mum, when the three generations spend some leisure time together... (no spoilers here!)
Hide and Seek was one of my favourites ~ the other highlights for me were:
AUTUMN'S EYES by Regina Cash-Clark ~ the tale of a reluctant mother; I think this was my tie for first place!
THE SACRIFICE by Elke Feuer ~ a jolly tale about domestic violence.....
VERITY by Wendy Janes ~ my other joint favourite! So touching, really moving, I loved it.
LADY IN RED by k c wilder ~ just something about this one. Very atmospheric, and stayed with me for a while afterwards
BECKY'S MUM by Louise Wise ~ A first person tale from the point of view of a rebellious teenager, very clever because the reader can see immediately that what's really going on is, like, SO not how Becky tells it (addition of teen speak there for extra effect!)
They are all very good, though, with not one single weak one, and I think your favourites will depend on which aspects of the mother-daughter relationship interest you, and your own experiences, I imagine.
Well done, ladies, highly recommended!
5 out of 5 stars
Chick Lit
Originally posted on Amazon HERE on 17 March 2014
Contrary to popular belief, there is more to writing a good chick lit novel than sticking in a few mentions of cupcakes and Jimmy Choos, and having a ditzy girl breaking her heel on the first date with the lush guy you just know she'll end up with - with Mother of the Year, Karen Ross shows how it's done!
It's INTELLIGENT chick lit - not predictable, and a storyline based around so much more than romantic disasters. The parts about heroine JJ's copywriting, and about Rob's business were interesting as well as being amusing. I came across none of the cliches of plot or dialogue so often found in this genre; it's all new, fresh, really 'now', and the popular culture references were all spot on rather than seeming self-conscious, as they so often can. The humour worked, too - wait for the Molotov cocktail....!!
I liked very much how Ms Ross showed the points of view of both JJ and her mother, Beth; Beth's outlook was unexpected, and gave more depth to the story. I'm finding it difficult to say more without giving spoilers, so I won't - I'll just finish by saying that if you're an avid chick lit fan you will LOVE this, and even if you're not you'll probably still like it as much as I did!
