Hi all:
I bring you a review of a book that I’ve had pending for a while (it isn’t the only one), and I kept seeing great reviews for, so its time came. I also had featured it as a new book and I’ll include a link to that post later on, as it is relevant.
Here is the book:
What Tim Knows, and other stories by Wendy Janes Getting to know the characters, a feeling at a time.
A gallery-owner’s quest for beauty; a dancer in danger; a new mother struggling to cope with her baby; a sculptor’s search for inspiration; a teenager longing to live in the perfect family; a young boy lost and confused by the rules of life that everyone else seems to understand.
Six stand-alone short stories, spanning five decades. Each capturing a significant moment in the life of a different character.
Separate lives linked in subtle ways.
Here my review:
I received an ARC copy of this book and I voluntarily decided to write a review.
I had read some of Wendy Janes’s articles about editing and I was aware of her novel ‘What Jennifer Knows’ although I had not read it. So I came to this book feeling quite curious. I had read some of the reviews, both of the novel and of this book and they were all positive, and after reading it, I can say deservedly so.
The author explains that these “stories” are scenes and background information she had written when preparing her novel, but later they did not seem to fit in with it and she did not include them but thought readers might enjoy them in their own right. Not having read the novel, I can confirm they can be read independently, although I got the feeling that perhaps some of them would be enjoyed more fully by readers who were already familiar with the story, as they would offer further insight into well-loved characters.
They stories are not typical of other short-story collections that I’ve read in the past. Although self-contained, they don’t necessarily tell a ground-breaking story, and have no sting in the tail (we might perceive one, but this is up to the reader, rather than because of an imposed twist in the action). It’s easy to work out as we read that there are connections between the characters, as many of them appear repeatedly in the stories, playing different parts (a bit like in the Seven Ages of Man by Shakespeare), but if something is distinctive about them is that they are beautifully observed. Written in the third person but from different points of view, these are clearly different people with different interests and attitudes, men and women, children and adults, and they vary from the very personal to the professional. If I had to pick up some favourites, without a doubt ‘The Never Ending Day’ (I’ve never had a baby but as a psychiatrist I’ve worked with mothers who became very depressed following the birth of their child and I recognise the themes and the description of her feelings), ‘The Perfect Family’ (where Blythe reminded me of myself, as an only child who always thought that to have a bigger family must be fun) and ‘What Tim Knows’ that is a very successful peep at how an autistic boy sees the world. With regard to ‘The Never Ending Day’, I was aware from exchanging correspondence with the author, that this was a particularly personal piece for her. Check here the post about the book I published where the author explains, for a bit more information.
I hope to read more of the author’s work and I can recommend these stories if you want to make your own mind up about how you might feel about reading her longer fiction.
Links:
https://www.amazon.com/What-Tim-Knows-other-stories-ebook/dp/B01IKYOJLS/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Tim-Knows-other-stories-ebook/dp/B01IKYOJLS/
I couldn’t help add some bonus content (I hope the author doesn’t mind). I came across this video about the magic of books and thought it was perfect for a Tuesday.
Thanks to the author for her book, thanks to all of you for reading, and don’t forget to like, share, comment and CLICK, and check the link to the original post for more information.
I enjoyed What Jennifer Knows and was delighted to read the stories in What Tim Knows to meet up with the characters again. Both excellent books.
Thanks, Mary. I thoroughly enjoyed What Tim Knows and I got the sense that for those who had read What Jennifer Knows it would be an even better experience. I hope to catch up and read it soon. 🙂
Interesting idea for a book. Thanks for this review, Olga. Loved the video too. Have a terrific Tuesday. Mega hugs.
Thanks, Teagan. I’m sure you’d also have enough material for a similar book, as you’ve shared some stories about the Atonement, Tennessee world that you weren’t always sure you’d use in one of the books. Although, who knows? I thought the video was gorgeous.
Thank you for this great review, Olga. I’m so pleased you enjoyed the stories. I find it fascinating to hear which one people like best. What a delightful video.
Thank you, Mary and Teagan.
Thanks, Wendy. It was a pleasure. I hope I’ll get to read your novel at some point soon (but have quite a few projects going on at the moment). I guess the stories they like tell us a lot about the person they are. Like a psychology test. I’m enchanted by the video.
Jennifer is happy to wait patiently. 🙂 Hope your projects are going well, Olga. Yes. Your comment about a psychology test has me wondering whether anyone has ever written a story with the express purpose of using it to identify character traits in a reader. Hmmmm… Is this a light-bulb moment, or not. 🙂
I know there are parts of the IQ test that require you to put stories together. I don’t know if you’ve read ‘Moby Dick’ but there’s a fabulous chapter called ‘The Doubloon’ http://www.bartleby.com/91/99.html, where quite a few of the members of the Pequod crew look closely at the coin Ahab has nailed to the mast and each interprets the gold coin in a different way, according to their personalities. I remember writing about it and I think it’s a wonderfully insightful chapter in a novel full of them. I’m sure it could be done and it would be a wonderful exercise to interpret. I must say I feel I learn a lot from reading other people’s reviews.
I’m pleased to hear that Jennifer is patient. I’ll get there…
I read Moby Dick many, many years ago. Thanks for the link – a fascinating chapter.
Thanks, Wendy. I studied American Literature and I had to read it for several courses. It’s far from a light read but it has incredible moments and very varied writing. Melville was a fascinating writer.
Thanks, Pete. I’ve just hopped over to your blog and read your story about Victor – really enjoyed it.
I hope that Wendy does well with this new book. As someone who prefers to write short stories myself, I generally enjoy reading those written by others. There was a time when short story compilations were very popular. Let’s hope we see them return to prominence again soon.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete. Lots of people think short stories or even micro-fiction will become popular now that people seem to be getting used to reading in small chunks and to read on the go (using phones and tablets). I love short fiction, although I must confess that if I really like the characters I want to know more about them.
And I love your stories, Pete.
As always, Olga, you are very kind.
Well deserved. ♥
I an bet you anyone who thinks of this delightful video will associate it with this book, What Tim Knows. What a fantastic idea. An intriguing review, Olga. 😀
Thanks, Tess. I just saw it over the weekend and had to share it with everybody and I was sure the author wouldn’t mind. I hope I get to read her first novel and hopefully many more to come too. 🙂
Lovely review of a lovely book, Olga. Having read the novel and the short stories I think you could read them quite happily in the order you are. The short stories all tell backstory for the novel’s characters, so I think it would be interesting to read them first.
Thanks so much. Hopefully when I do I’ll be able to report back. 🙂
Hi Olga – nice to meet you – I’m here from Hugh’s blog party. It’s so great to connect with other bloggers. I’m looking forward to seeing your blog posts in my Reader. Happy blogging!
Thanks very much. Hugh is a great guy. I’ll go check your blog too. 🙂
Thank you!
Have a great week!
I absolutely love snippets of stories like this. Love reading it, love writing it. Sounds perfect for me. I do hope short story/micro fiction becomes increasingly popular as you and Pete were saying. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Sarah. I think Wendy had a great idea to share even more about her characters. And I personally think that one needs lots of skill to tell a story and hook a reader in such a short space. It teaches one to write precisely and accurately, a skill more than useful in any kind of writing. I’ll keep an eye on your great blog. 🙂
I completely agree about short pieces. Incredibly enjoyable to read and a fun challenge to write. Also, I love character sketches so am looking forward to Wendy’s book. Thanks! 🙂
Enjoy!
Great review, Olga. This is a wonderful book.
Gorgeous. I hope I get to read her novel soon too.