jenknox's Reviews (494)

Short story collections are difficult to rate because as a package, the book has to work as well, if not better, than a novel. At the same time, each story is judged on its own merit. The Theory of Light and Matter works as a package, thematically, and eight of the ten stories blew me away. I was particularly drawn into Azul, River Dog and Coyotes because these stories are so unique, unpredictable and subtlely profound. Moreover, it was in these three stories that I found the narrator to be most vulnerable and inclusive. Oddly, I didn't find the book's namesake to be the strongest story at all, not because it wasn't extremely well-written but because I've read the intellectual love story, older teacher, younger student, so many times the the very concept seems cliche unless it's done with more complexity (this narrator seemed too simplistic). All in all, however, I was blown away, and I look forward to reading more of Porter's work.

Prose: 5 stars
Topic/character development throughout: 5 stars
First story: a million stars
Collection (consistency): 3 stars
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Total rating: 4.5 stars

(I'm no good at math.)

This book is a treasure, as much for the story of Crane's trying to get it published as for the story itself. I am always drawn to authors' first books. There's often an energy there lost in latter books. The energy and intensity of this story made gave it a momentum that wasn't lost on The Red Badge of Courage but was toned down. I admire the raw honesty of the prose here; there's something alive in it that refuses to be toned down for the audience's sake.

Heaven is a bold story about a stripper who finds spirituality through her dancing. It's an interesting, unique idea, and I applaud Kimberly Cain because she doesn't play it safe, doesn't portray strippers as pathetic, victims of society or weak-willed woman who should be ashamed of their sexuality; Cain actually tells a story of empowerment in an unorthodox but very real setting. Bravo for that. The writing style was hit and miss, but I applaud the idea and effort--this story is no easy sell, but I bought it willingly.

One of my favorite plays. Genius.

Enter George: Serenity graces a facility for the criminally insane.

This plot sounds familiar enough, I thought, when I fist opened the book. Who hasn't read the tale of a messiah entering a place in which depravity and confusion thrive... And yet Song of George is surprisingly nuanced, reaching out beyond the obvious nature of the characters' desperation and potential for renewal and faith, the text reaches beyond the obvious cliche of a messiah leading those astray. Rather, Song of George was outlined thoroughly and yet with enough subelty to allow for characters that exemplify nuances of humanity. This book was no easy feat to pull off; it would have been very easy for the subject to seem cliche or the characters to fall into stereotypical holes, but Song of George worked as a literary piece, in the most important way. Hanson created a journey that tackles the intimidating subject of spirituality with philosopher's pragmatism and a mystic's acceptance of the unknown. A curious and beautiful book.

I'm already a fan of Maria Savva's work, so I was excited to win a free copy of Coincidences, and I wasn't surprised to find the story engaging, the characters believable and the action to move me from page one.
The story is one I related to on a personal level as what propells it forward is a young girl(Alice)'s search for identity as those around her attempt to protect her from reality. Alice is haunted and intrigued by a photograph of her father, a man who left his family when Alice was just a baby.
Savva creates a poignant portrait of Alice, who has fantastical ideas about her true identity and the secrets her family has kept. As Alice begins to uncover the secrets of her mother had tried to shelter her from, she undergoes an internal battle and must reconcile her desire for truth with the reality of what she finds.
I enjoyed this story, and the only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I felt that the prose, in places, became clunky and slightly distracting. As a whole piece, however, Coincidences was a remarkably strong work, and Savva's unique depiction of Alice's internal struggles and the consequences of her family's well-intended dishonesty made for a work that is idea-driven and profound. Its one that I would heartily recommend to anyone who thinks they know what's best for another person, who thinks that they can offer protection of this person if only they keep her sheltered. What Savva's story proves is that sometimes such shelters can cast a shadow that proves far more destructive than any reality.