4 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link)
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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.
In a Nutshell: an anthology of short prose, on the subject of health.
Sarah Brentyn has edited as well as contributed to this collection; other contributors are D Wallace Peach, Georgia Bell, Ruth Daly, Ali Isaac, R A Kerr, S Mitchell-Jackson and Allie Potts.
The first part is 'flash' fiction - short stories of 500 words each. All were emotive and beautifully written, my favourites being Sanity by D Wallace Peach, Bar Made by Sarah Brentyn, Barbed Wire in the Palm of my Hand by Ruth Daly and Extended Performance by Allie Potts. They cover subjects of both physical and psychological health, as do the shorter pieces.
The second part is a section of 'micro' fiction: snappy 50 word stories. My favourites were The Fall by Sarah Brentyn and Reflection by Ali Isaac. After this is a collection of very clever 'microbursts' - stories of just 10 words. The group wrote with these prompts: Never, Insignificant, Discover, Lose, Reach, each of the microbursts including the relevant word. In a way I felt that these showed off the talent of the authors most of all; to be able to tell a story in such a controlled fashion is quite a feat, and so strongly illustrates the power of words.
This is a lovely book to read all at once or dip into. There is not one weak contribution and it is beautifully presented, with a photo and bio of each author at the end. Well done, ladies!
Thank you Terry.
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