Showing posts with label Short Story Read in 2012. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Short Story Read in 2012. Show all posts

Monday, September 3, 2012

The Zenner Trophy by Gore Vidal



I thought I would review another story from the short story collection Clouds and Eclipses, today.  

In the Zenner Trophy two students of a boys school, Sawyer and Flynn, are caught doing something.  Sawyer has run off without even packing up his belongings, while Flynn sticks around to hear what will happen. 

The Principal and Flynn's advisor, Mr. Beckman,  discuss the problem.  They need to expel him but there is a slight complication.  Flynn is the star athlete of the school and it was already announced that he would win the Zenner Trophy this year.  He was also supposed to be graduating in two weeks.  Nonetheless, it is decide he must not receive the trophy and will be expelled.

It is clear that Mr. Beckman has mixed feelings about it but he is given the unpleasant task to tell Flynn.

The entire time I was reading this story, I was wondering what actually happened between Sawyer and Flynn.  I guessed a couple scenarios but it was never made clear to me.  I finally had it confirmed when I read the back cover of the book.  Even though I couldn't confirm what had happened from reading the story, I really enjoyed the story and it was easy enough to guess.  It was a  well written in the sense of plot and characters.




Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:30 AM 3 comments  

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Monday, August 27, 2012

The Robin by Gore Vidal


Early in July, a friend and I were having a discussion about Gore Vidal and his writing.  I had never read anything by him but always meant to.  My friend has read many of his books and is a great fan.  Is it coincidence that a few days later Mr. Vidal died?

 Of course, I had to run to the library and get one of his book and I( thought that short stories would be a good place to start.

 The Robin is from the Short story collection Clouds and Eclipses.  The narrator is an adult recalling what happened when he was a nine year old and I assume him to be a boy.  He explained how tough he use to be.  He liked "magazines sold in drug stores, with pictures of young women."

 In fourth grade he had a friend, Oliver.  The both loved violence and torture and sometimes even stole things from stores.  He described what his country school was like.  One day in October they were walking in the school yard and spotted a robin on the ground with a broken wing. They knew that the bird wouldn't survive and thought they should put it out of it's misery.  They discussed how to do it.  They decided..

 The Robin is both a coming of age story and a story of two boys learning about ethics.  I found it deeply moving and am looking forward to reading more of the stories in this book.



Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:00 AM 5 comments  

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Monday, July 9, 2012

The Yellow Eye by Brayden Hirsch

John of The Book Mine Set reviewed this story back in April, 2010.  I had added it to my TBR and finally read it last night.

The Yellow Eye is written like a type of urban legend. Willow, an 11 year old girl has been on the road all day with her father when they run out of gas.  Her father sees lights up ahead and tells Willow that he is going to walk there to try to get help.  She is afaid to stay in the car alone but he tells her to go to sleep and that he would be back soon.  Soon she spots a wolf that comes to try to get into the car through the windshield and then..

What happens seems to be a product of the girl's wild imagination, but is it?  Brayden Hirsch writes a creepy story that reminds me of stories we use to tell each other, as children at slumber parties.  You know the ones, where the flashlight comes out and you know it's time for scary stories. 

I can certainly see this story working for children at a slumber party but for me, there was too much suspension of belief involved to begin with. What responsible parent would leave his terrified 11 year old alone in a car, rather than bring her with him.  Also, he left the trunk open and didn't even tell her to lock the doors.  Other than that, Hirsch did a great job bulding up the tension to the climax.

Unfortunatly, the story doesn't appear to be available on the internet any longer.  The author's wordpress blog is gone.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.
 




Posted by Teddy Rose at 11:12 PM 3 comments  

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Monday, June 4, 2012

Bip, Bip, Bip by Dennis E. Bolen


A few months ago I won the book/ short story collection, Anticipated Results by Dennis E. Bolen from John at The Book Mine Set.  He hosts the Canadian Book Challenge and had a mini challenge that I won.

In Bip, Bip, Bip, the un-named narrator hosts a dinner party for friends.  She carefully selects who she invites. For instance, she chooses Nick because he is good at keeping conversation going.  She recruits her friend Paul to cook the meal because he had gone to chef school. 
Paul tells her how to get the main course started  on her own.  Things start to go wrong from the start.  Her friends start arriving before Paul shows up to finish cooking the meal.  Then she is told that Nick will be late and the conversation is awkward without him.

Paul finally shows up but doesn't stay long, he just tells her how to tell when the lamb is done and leaves.  Nick does show up but the evening went south already.  The guests gossip about Paul and what might be wrong with him.  Then the host figures out that one of her other guests, Damian was snooping in her office and she confronts him.
I really liked this story of quirky and damaged people.  It was different then just about anything I've read and I mean that in a good way.  I am looking forward to reading more of the stories in the book.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.




Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:10 PM 3 comments  

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Monday, May 14, 2012

Brittle by Latha Viswanathan


I recently received the short story collection Lingering Tide and Other Stories by Latha Viswanathan for review.  This is my review for the second story in the collection, Brittle.
A fourteen year old girl is the un-named narrator of the story.  She is good friends with  Ammini, the  "old woman" across the street from her grandmother's house.  They use to play house and other games as well as cook together but this year Ammini is tired most of the time.  Her husband, who the narrator calls "Dragon" for his meanness, keeps asking the girl to leave saying that Ammini is tired and needs her rest.

One day the grandmother told her 14 year old granddaughter, Ammini's story:
"Married at nine, she came to the dragon’s house in the village with festive pomp and fanfare. She chattered and laughed with abandon, played pranks on her doting father-in-law. They played hide and seek in the garden, the old man gasping for breath as he ran. “In a year’s time, the old man died. With the father-in-law gone, the elders in the house unleashed their pent-up anger. They snatched her toys; they took away all privileges. They drummed wifely sense through a routine of penance. No more sweets.  A Hindu wife learns to shed attachments from her past. She learns to please, prepares to be a mother."

Ammini was treated even more poorly by her mother-in-law,  as the years went by because she couldn't get pregnant.  She wasn't even getting enough to eat as punishment so the grandmother use to sneak food to her.
The writing of this story is beautiful and so descriptive and the characters are well drawn out.  I started to care for them in a very short time.  I really didn't want this story to end.  Highly recommended!  I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the stories.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.





Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:58 PM 6 comments  

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Monday, May 7, 2012

Why You Don't Dance by Raymond Carver


I learned of this short story over at Read Handed last year and finally read it.  I have never read anything by Raymond Carver before this.

All of the characters are un-named as I found out is a characteristic of Carver's stories.  They are referred to as "the girl", "the boy", and "the man".  The girl and the boy happened across a yard that was full of the house belongings.  They were set up like they were still in the house.  Even the appliances, lamp and TV were all plugged in and working outside.   
"This girl and boy were furnishing a little apartment."

The man who owned the furnishings wasn't there when they arrived but soon the man cam walking on the sidewalk with "sandwiches, beer, and whiskey. "  The three discussed prices and then had a whisky together and another.  Then the man encourages the boy and girl to dance together, after he puts a record on.  Then he dances with the girl. 
Later the boy gives the man a check to cash and the boy and girl take their new stuff to their apartment.  After, the girl wonders what the man's story was, why was he getting rid of all his stuff?

I really liked this story, the writing was simple yet thought provoking and though the characters didn't have names, I could picture them clearly in my mind.  I would love to read more stories by Raymond Carver.  You can read the story here.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.


Posted by Teddy Rose at 11:15 PM 6 comments  

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Monday, April 9, 2012

The Maladjusted by Derek Hayes


I received a new collection of short stories last week titles The Maladjusted by Derek Hayes.  Derek Hayes is a Canadian writer and the collection has received very positive reviews, so I couldn't pass it up.

This is my review of the title story, The Maladjusted.
Mike lives in a small apartment by himself.  He has a mental illness and doesn't get out a lot.  For about the first 15 days of every month he gets pizza from the vender below his apartment.  He lowers a basket with money in it, with a rope and when he pulls it back up the pizza is in it.

He doesn't like to leave his apartment because he feels anxious when he does but he does go to the grocery store on occasion.  He always tells the cashier that he has a mental illness.  The reply is always, "I'm sorry."
Sometime he plays chess with Kim, his social worker when she comes to check on him.  She really wants to get him out in the community and have a more active life. She comes up with the idea to bring him to a local chess club with the end goal of Mike playing chess with someone there.  They work it out in steps. 

"First step: Kim and I go to the local chess club by bus, look at the entrance, then return."
As Mike gets less anxious with a step, they move on to the next.  Does he succeed? 

This is a well written story with a bit of humor.  As a social worker in mental health, it is a familiar one to me.  It brought back memories of some of the people I have worked with over the years and the steps they took toward recovery.  Some partial success, some full successes and some not at all.  However, the motto is never give up, try to create different steps and smaller steps, towards the end goal.  Great story!
Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.



Posted by Teddy Rose at 2:55 PM 4 comments  

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Monday, April 2, 2012

The Geranium by Flannery O'conner


I want to thank Joann at Lakeside Musings for bringing my attention to this story and author.  I had not heard of Flannery O'Conner until she reviewed The Geranium.

Old Duddly lives in a southern boarding home in the U.S.  He is always busy with visiting with the ladies who live there, and fishing and hunting with a African American man.  I think perhaps the man is paid to keep him company  but it isn't totally clear.  It is clear that Old Duddly thinks him, after all it is the 1920's south.
Old Duddly reluctantly moves to live with his daughter and her family in New York.  It is clear that he is bored and does not like it there.  He is afraid to go out by himself and his daughter rarely has time to do anything with him.  He mostly sits and passes the day looking at the geranium that is put out on the balcony across the way every morning.  However, one day it's not there and he finds out that it fell down to the ground from the 6 floors up.

To top that off Old Duddly is shocked to find out that a black man is living right next door!   
This is a story of how things change for a person when they grow old but it is also about racial attitudes and how they differ so much depending on where you live.  It is quite good and moving.  You can read it here.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.



Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:00 AM 4 comments  

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Monday, March 19, 2012

The Young Girl by Katherine Mansfield


I have reviewed 3 short stories by Katherine Mansfield before, all really good shorts. They are The Doll's House, The Fly, and Bliss. The Young Girl is my fourth.

The Young Girl's was home visiting from boarding school and spending the day with her brother and mother. Her mother wanted to take her into the casino but they wouldn't let a minor inside. The man escorting them said that he would take the children to tea, while she went inside. She thanked him and said she would be outside to meet them in one hour.

The girl was very upitty, like she was better than everyone else. Something we come to expect from other portrayls of righ young women from movies and books. She had quite the attitude. However, her mother appears to have a gambling problem so perhaps the girl doesn't have it so easy.

I didn't enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed the other three stories I reviewed by Mansfield. The writing felt a bit stale to me and I didn't care for any of the characters. If you would like to read it, you can find it here.

Also reviewed by:
The Eye of Loni's Storm

 Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.



Posted by Teddy Rose at 4:15 PM 3 comments  

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Sunday, March 11, 2012

The Farmer's Children by Elizabeth Bishop


Back in February JoAnn of Lakeside Musings reviewed The Farmer's Children by Elizabeth Bishop and I was quite intrigued.  The story isn't anywhere on-line but likely my library had the book JoAnn had found it in, The Best American Short Stories of the Century, edited by John Updike. It originally was published in Harpers Bazaar in 1949.

A farmer and his second wife live on a farm with three girls and two boys the famer had from a previous marriage, Cato and Emerson.  The farmer and the hired hand, Judd are in town for the night, most likely drinking.  Judd normally sleeps in the barn to keep vandals away but  tonight that responsibility is for Emerson and Cato.  After dinner there step mother  sends them on their way.
They want to gather up blankets to bring because it is bitterly cold but their step mom tells them there are already blankets that Judd uses, in the barn.  However, when they arrived, the blankets are nowhere to be found.  Instead the boys cover themselves with hay and cuddle up for the night.

In the morning, the farmer finds them, still cuddled up under the hay.
The story starts out innocent enough but as the boys walk to the barn, leaving a trail of bread combs to find their way back in the early morning before barn, the story turns foreboding.  You can tell the boys are scared and the barn doesn't provide much protection from the cold.  Elizabeth Bishop is subtle yet effective in her written and in building up the tension.  Recommended!

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.



Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:00 PM 7 comments  

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Monday, February 20, 2012

Loose End by Ivan E. Coyote


As I said last week, I am spotlighting Ivan E. Coyote for the entire month of February, for short story Monday.

I just finished reading her collection of shorts titled Loose End.  All the stories in Loose End are about 2-3 pages long.  I am really impressed by this collection.  Ms. Coyote is a master storyteller.  Usually when I read a collection there are some stories I love, like, or hate.  This is not the case with Loose End, I loved every one!
There is one common theme through the collection, that of homosexuality and identity.  Ivan has been through her fair share of gay bashing but even so, she embraces who she is with style, grace, and dignity.  Her writing is fresh and crisp and easy to relate to.  I may not be gay but I have been through of my share of bigotry as a Jew, at least as a child.  I also have a cousin who is gay and he use to have a hard time of it.

 I really don't get it at all.  It's not like heterosexual people have to go into the bedrooms and watch or experience "gay sex."  I think it's crazy that it is 2012 and there are still people who are discriminated against.  Are you listening U.S. Republicans?  It's crazy!  Perhaps if you could be more comfortable with yourselves, you could stop focusing and even blaming others for your problems.  Yes, I'm advocating that you get a real life and leave others out of it.
Well written, provocative, sad, and funny, Loose End has it all!

5/5
Did you review Loose End?  Please leave a link in the comments.

Stories in Loose End that I reviewed:
Saturday and Cowboy Hats
Fish Stories by Ivan Coyote

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.


Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:42 PM 8 comments  

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Fish Stories by Ivan Coyote


Last week I reviewed Saturday and Cowboy Hats by Ivan E. Coyote.  I decided to devote this month of Short Story Monday to Ivan E. Coyote short stories because I am so impressed with what I have read so far.

In Fishing Stories, the narrator, I'm guessing Ivan herself, likes to go to a neighborhood coffee shop where mostly men, sit around in conversation.  They often tell fishing stories, which she loves.  She joins in, just like one of the guys.  There's a friend of one of the regulars there, he's about 75 but looks 60. 
"I told them I was on my way back from camping in Squamish, where the springs are running."  Mike said, "The best whore that ever works in Squamish lives out near there.  I should take you out to meet her."

Ivan supposes Mike thinks she is a young guy but doesn't say anything about it.  They continue their conversation.
This is another great story.  What I like so much about Ivan Coyotes stories is that they seem so genuine.  I often wonder how much is autobiographical.  I would guess quite a bit.  She doesn't just touch on gender roles in her stories, her writing is all encompassing.  For instance, in Fish Stories, Mike talks about memory and age.  If you haven't read anything by Ivan E. Coyote, you really should give her a try.  I dare you!

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.



Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:01 AM 3 comments  

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

This is All the Orientation You Are Gonna Get by John Jodzio


Back in October, Kinna Reads reviewed this interesting titled short.  The title itself, grabbed my attention, which is unusual for me. 
The title is an apt description of what the short story is, a job orientation.  However, we find out right away it is for a new employee of a nail salon.  The new person is told to be sure to tell the customers that they have pretty hands, even if they don't.  There are some funny parts in the orientation too.

"Good breath means good tips. If you get sad, go into the break room and stick your head in the pickle bucket filled with the Mexican nail polish and you’ll get happy real quick."  When a customer tells you a story about her dead husband that reminds you of your dead husband, use the bucket. When a customer asks you to add a decal of a bomb on her middle finger to compliment her road rage, use the bucket. When the diabetic with the missing toes comes in for a pedicure say “Back in one sec,” and bury your head in the bucket."
There is actually an entire list of things that are explained that you would expect to get for an orientation to a new job as well.  We also learn that the new person has suffered a loss in her life.  It is implied that the other workers have had problems as well.
I could tell from reading the story that the boss, Charles, can be an ass.  This 500 word story is so well written.  It had me laughing out loud and feel for the new employee.  I just wish it would have been longer to get some of the other back stories of the other employees in the salon.  I will be seeking out more by John Jodzio.  This is short fiction at its finest and freshest!  You can read it here.

John Jodzio is a winner of the Loft-McKnight Fellowship. His stories have appeared in One Story, Barrelhouse, Opium, and various other places in print and online. A collection of his short stories, “If You Lived Here You’d Already Be Home” is available from Replacement Press. His collection, Get In If You Want To Live is forthcoming. More details can be found here: http://www.paperdarts.org/independent-book-publisher/. He lives in Minneapolis. Find out more atwww.johnjodzio.net.


Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:30 PM 1 comments  

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Sunday, January 22, 2012

Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne



When I was in high school I read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and The House of the Seven Gable.  As in both of those novels, the Puritan religions plays a crucial role.

Young Goodman Brown's wife Faith did not want him to leave her at home alone that night.  She was frightened of something, though could not say of what.  He left her anyway for some "important business."  

"Poor little Faith!" thought he, for his heart smote him. "What a wretch am I to leave her on such an errand! She talks of dreams, too. Methought as she spoke there was trouble in her face, as if a dream had warned her what work is to be done tonight. But no, no; 't would kill her to think it."

He meets up with a strange man and together they proceed to walk through the forest on their "devil's errand".  As they get near to their destination, they meet up with other's from the town, including Goodman Browns wife, Faith.  

What Brown witnessed at this meeting is really hard to say, except that it's was a statement on Puritan religion and sin.  It was written as a dream like sequence and Brown isn't sure himself, if it was real or a dream.

I think Hawthorne, in all of his literature that I have read is trying to say that nothing is cut and dried and to be judged too harshly.  Those who practiced the puritan religion, like other organized religions judge others harshly.  Is it sin to believe in something different?  You can read the story here.

Also reviewed by:
Read Handed

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 11:16 PM 5 comments  

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