Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus More


Oct 10

26

That Time a Year by Terence Young

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 26, 2010
Posted in Short Story Read in 2010 

In continuation a reviewing short stories by authors who participated at the 23 Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival, this is a review on a story I read from Terence Young’s latest short story collection, ‘The End of the Ice Age.’

‘That Time of Year’ is about a unnamed couple who go for a swim in the lake by their cabin.  It was the last day of the summer. The husband was splashing loudly, near by.  The wife saw some owls and asked her husband if he saw them but he did not answer.  She hated it when she saw something that no one else has, “to see something wondrous by herself was not to see it at all.”

She asks her husband again, if he saw the owls but there is still no answer and she no longer hears him.  She starts to panic an envisioning his death.  How she would run to the cabin and call the police and how they wouldn’t search for him until the morning because it was getting too dark.

I won’t tell anymore because I don’t want to risk spoilers.  I really liked this story.  It was well written and I could picture the landscape and lake the pair were in.  I look forward to reading the rest of the collection.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Oct 10

18

Do Not Touch by Billie Livingston

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 18, 2010
Posted in 23rd Writers Festival • Short Story Read in 2010  | 5 Comments

This is the second in a series of short story reviews of authors I will be seeing at the Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival.  The event I will see them at is #64 Short Stories, Varied Voices, on Sunday, October 24th.

This short story by Billie Livingston appeared in The Walrus and is from her new book Greedy Little Eyes.  You can read it here.

The first sentence of this story is, “You are never as lonely as when you are lonely in the company of your lover.”  This sets the tone for the entire story.

The narrator of the story is a un-named woman who has a boyfriend, Thomas.  She was working in a record shop and because of a comment he made about her, she was promoted to assistant manager.  She said, “Thomas has clout in the music world.”   

Soon after that she moved in with Thomas.  She said, “I should have known something was wrong when Thomas sucked back the better part of a twenty-sixer of Glenlivet before he could kiss me the first time.”  There was something wrong however, I wont tell you any more because I don’t want to risk spoilers.

The story feels a little choppy and rushed to me but does reach a surprising conclusion.  From reading this very short story, all of eight pages, I can tell Billie Livingston has the gift of prose.  I look forward to reading the rest of this short story collection.

Please stay tuned tomorrow, for my review of ‘Bow Grip’ by short story writer Ivan E. Coyote.  She has done several short story collection but Bow Grip is her first novel.  She will also be appearing at event #64 Short Stories, Varied Voices, on Sunday, October 24th.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Oct 10

11

Paul Farenbacher’s Yard Sale by Sarah Selecky

Posted by Teddyrose@1 on October 11, 2010
Posted in 23rd Writers Festival • Short Story Read in 2010  | 2 Comments

This is the first in a series of short story reviews of authors I will be seeing at the Vancouver International Writers & Readers Festival.  The event I will see them at is #64 Short Stories, Varied Voices.

This short story by Sarah Selecky appeared in The Walrus.  You can read it here.

The story starts with Meredith, the narrator saying, “Paul Farenbacher always told me, Never call yourself a salesperson. What you do isn’t sales, he’d say. You aren’t in sales. What you are doing is providing people with an opportunity.” 

Paul was not only her mentor but also her neighbor where she grew up.  He gave her, her very first job.  

When Paul died, his wife, Margaret had a yard sale because she has sold the house, to move in with her boyfriend Bruce.  Bruce attended Paul’s funeral with Margaret just two months before the yard sale.  Meredith, Bruce, and Margaret’s son Trevor are helping with the sale.  t is apparent that Trevor isn’t too keen on the sale.

The story takes place mostly at the yard sale but the story focus on the characters relationship with Paul.  It was a bit quirky but also quite touching.  This is a story that I highly recommend.

Copyright 2007-2010: All the posts within this blog were originally posted by Teddy Rose and should not be reproduced without express written permission.

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