Reviews for 7 Voices
A friend loaned me this book for my vacation. I have enjoyed reading it over the past few weeks, a few stories at a time. They are all so well-written and so different. Many of them felt like a first chapter of a longer story and I found myself wishing it would go on The first three stories ended on an upbeat note. I began to think this is how they would all be, but the fourth story took a turn, so I was kept on my toes. Some of the stories unfolded in a dialogue between two characters which was so authentic, at times funny, but always well told. There were a range of settings, some from centuries ago, others in the future and many in present time. It became fun to turn the page to a new story because I had no idea what I would find. Most short story collections are by the same author and many have a connecting theme. It was refreshing to find that because there were seven different writers, I enjoyed a variety of approaches. I noticed that even the same author who contributed three or four stories to this collection didn't approach his or her craft in the same way each time. So bravo to the North Fork Writers Group. I hope to hear more from them.
~Anonymous (7.6.2016) |
I'm not usually inclined to pick up a book of short stories to read, especially different authors telling different tales, but I found this collection is a treasure. All "7 Voices" in this rich little volume have real stories to tell that are surprisingly engaging. Several have poignantly memorable themes and characters, while some are so gently amusing that they leave delightful images that still dance around in my mind. The biggest surprise for me was that this collection actually changed how I feel about short stories, both my reading of them and how they can be written. "7 Voices" is a book that will stay on my nightstand to re-visit and enjoy. ~C. Dursi (10.29.2015)
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Yes! You know that person. You have been in that room. You smell that salt air again. You worry for that child. You mourn for brave defenders. Seven Voices takes you through life as you remember it — and as you feel it. It is an extraordinary buffet. Here are sumptuous samples. The Karate Sensei draws out his young client’s story of an angry, abusive father. The title Survival suits well. Is the planet getting dangerously warmer? In Senecide - Chapter One discover a shocking solution. Years before we called it PTSD, wars brought the same sad, forgotten stories. Powerful ones are told in God In Applewood.
They learned about life with pennies on the tracks, exploration of old buildings and joy rides in “borrowed boats.” The Neighborhood makes you wonder what adventures are out there for today’s kids. A veteran remembers the grinding certainty of death on Iwo Jima and Saipan. You weep for the tragedies of war in Silence And Cool Breezes. With fun and charm, Agatha reveals a universal encounter — nailed by an obsessive talker. It tests our character. Woe to the husband who doesn’t get it. If “the wife” starts to wear a baseball hat, perhaps he must get off the couch, leave the tv and actually discover her. What can it all mean? A Hat Of Her Own is a gem. Her grandmother’s “lemony embrace” sends us through the mixed memories of a four-year old. I’d Like You To Know is a fine desert to end the buffet. Seven Voices is twenty-five exquisite short pieces that challenge the mind and stir the soul. Be sure to read the author biographies to ponder the joyful sources. ~Lawrence Presby (9.30.2015) |
This anthology truly has something for everyone and is written by writers with a wide range of experiences, imaginations and points of view. While I appreciated every story, my favorites were The Neighborhood, a great reflection of life in Flushing, Queens in the early 40s by Gene Racovitch, An Offering, by David Porteous about a young boys’ lesson from an elderly churchgoer, God in Applewood by Kit Storjohann, an intriguing tale of a relationship between an orderly, a patient and the changing times in an asylum, Senecide, the first chapter of a story by Joyce DeCordova that although it is told in the future, has an eerie resonance to things happening now, Dick and Jane by Jean Schweibish, a haunting story of a marriage impacted by mental illness with a chilling ending, and speaking of marriages, A Hat of Her Own, is a humorous and subtle story of one man’s acceptance of his wife’s new choice of hats and finally, the anthology ends with I’d Like You To Know by Susan Rosenstreich, a well observed and moving reflection told from a child’s point of view. These are just a few of the stories in this anthology of writers that offer unique glimpses into new worlds and ways of seeing. I highly recommend it! ~Teri Coyne (10.6.2015)
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