Roberta Writes – Book reviews: Menagerie by Joan Hall and Slivers of Life by Beem Weeks #bookreviews #fiction #readingcommunity

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Menagerie by Joan Hall

Picture caption: Book cover of Menagerie featuring a glowing streetlight against a dark background

What Amazon says

King’s. The Tower of London. Glass. What do these have in common?

Each is a famous menagerie.

While this Menagerie doesn’t focus on exotic animals, it does contain a collection of stories that explore various trials people face and how their reactions shape their worlds.

Survivors of a haunted bridge. Women who wait while their husbands fight a war. Former partners reuniting to solve a cold-case murder.

These are just three of the thirteen stories in this compendium, encompassing past and present, natural and supernatural, legend and reality. The genres and timelines are varied, but there’s a little something for everyone who enjoys reading about simpler times and small-town life.

My review

I am a fan of short stories as I like their concise use of words and fast pace. Of course, short stories still need to have a proper story line, and the reader needs to be grounded in the setting and engaged with the characters. This is not always easy to achieve in a short story format, but Joan Hall has managed to do it well in this interesting and well written collection of short stories.

This collection is varied and explores a number of topics and situations with the common thread of all being set in small towns in North America. The descriptions of life and relationships in small towns in the USA were fascinating for me as I have always lived in a big city. There was just enough detail to steep me in the setting without it bogging down the stories.

I enjoyed the large variety of characters, some of which are strong and enterprising women which I always value in a book. The characterisations demonstrate the author’s deep understanding of the type of people populating her stories and their thought patterns, way of life, and anxieties.

It is difficult to choose favourite stories from this collection as they are all engaging, but the following three stand out in my mind:

A Moment in Time: A dual timeline story set approximately 100 years apart and featuring two wars, two men fighting in the wars, and two young women waiting anxiously for the return of their men. I am partial to dual timeline stories and plots involving war, so this was right up my street.

Lone Wolf – A wonderful story of friendship between a wolf and a man and how they are able to help and care for each other.

Without a Trace – This story was filled with mystery and angst as the tale of a family that disappeared without a trace unfolds. As a person who moved continuously as a child, I related strongly to the main character, Rick, and his struggle to fit into a new school environment and manage the continuous changes to his life.

If you enjoy short stories with interesting and varied storylines and great characterisations, you will love this collection.

Purchase Menagerie from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRL4Y5NL

Slivers of Life by Beem Weeks

Picture caption: Book cover of Shivers of Life by Beem Weeks featuring a face shape constructed of broken glass/mirror shards

What Amazon says

These twenty short stories are a peek into individual lives caught up in spectacular moments in time. Children, teens, mothers, and the elderly each have stories to share. Readers witness tragedy and fulfillment, love and hate, loss and renewal. Historical events become backdrops in the lives of ordinary people, those souls forgotten with the passage of time. Beem Weeks tackles diverse issues running the gamut from Alzheimer’s disease to civil rights, abandonment to abuse, from young love to the death of a child. Long-hidden secrets and notions of revenge unfold at the promptings of rich and realistic characters; plot lines often lead readers into strange and dark corners. Within Slivers of Life, Weeks proves that everybody has a story to tell-and no two are ever exactly alike.

My review

Slivers of Life is an apt title for this collection of short stories that cover a wide variety of topics and colourful characters of different ages, occupations, and intentions. Despite the short length of the stories, the author has created compelling characters whose behaviours, although not always exemplary, are very relatable.

I find the best way I can review a short story collection is by sharing insights into a few of the stories that have stayed with me the longest. My most memorable stories are as follows;

A Match Met – an intriguing peep into betrayal and revenge that will have your wondering whether the end justifies the means.

Lost Boy – a truly compelling read about a grumpy old man who finds fault with the noise generated by the little boy next door. Mr Spellman does everything he can, internally and externally to stop the irritation, but sometimes what we think we want turns out to be the opposite.

Night Flight – a poignant look at life for young boys being raised by a single parent and the pressure it puts on both the parent and the child. The story delves into the ease with which rejected and/or neglected youngsters can slip into crime and drug taking. There is a supernatural element which leaves you wondering if it actually happened or not. Was the narrator reliable?

And a little child shall lead them – this story talks to the invisibility of homeless and unfortunate people and the judgement that more successful people immediately pass on them due to their circumstances. A poignant story of caring.

Remaining Ruth – a peep into depression, teenage angst and cutting. Very scary for any parent who struggles to reach and understand their teenage child.

On the whole, an intriguing and well written collection of short stories that I really enjoyed reading.

Purchase Slivers of Life from Amazon US here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1936442205

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Published by robertawrites235681907

I am a writer of young adult fiction and poetry

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55 thoughts on “Roberta Writes – Book reviews: Menagerie by Joan Hall and Slivers of Life by Beem Weeks #bookreviews #fiction #readingcommunity”

  3. Strangely, I never read short stories between leaving school and starting to write short stories. Now I am never without a new collection on my Kindle to dip into and read between novels. These two books look very interesting.

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  6. Many thanks for posting your reviews, Robbie. I wasn’t familiar with either of these great sounding books. Congrats to Joan and Beem!

    The word “menagerie” has captured my attention from the first time I heard it as a child. I was sitting in the living room floor, watching old movies when the announcer spoke the words “The Glass Menagerie.” I was enthralled before the film even started. Hugs all around.

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  16. I read Joan’s book and enjoyed it a lot, Robbie. Beem’s collection sounds intriguing and I’m going to pick it up. Thanks so much for sharing your reviews. I’m a fan of short stories too! Congrats to Joan and Beem.

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  18. Hi Robbie – it’s nice to see you review these collections of short stories – I’ve always been a fan. I love the economy of words, suspense, and surprise. You, being an author, have a good understanding of what makes a compelling short story.

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