Review of Tales of the Seventies
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Grace Victor
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Review of Tales of the Seventies
[Following is a volunteer review of "Tales of the Seventies" by David Done.]
Tales of The Seventies by David Done is a fictional novel. It is a combination of different short stories made by Done in his younger years. It consists of seven short stories and a novella. The first short story "Point to Point After" centers on a couple and their reactions to life situations. Not all goes well, just like the reality we live in. Suspicions from different factors arrive. Is the truth afar off or is it close? That is something only the story might disclose. The next short story "Blind San Franciscans" centers on a man named Don. A middle-aged man with a job he found pleasing. He was supposedly known for charity services but only him knows what he was truly up to.
The third story has a title of "The Cat Burglars". This is a captivating piece of cat Burglars as revealed by the title. It is an adventure of two friends who found it rather interesting to steal a cat. Not just any cat, but a rare specie that was newly acquired by the zoo. What is the possibility of them accomplishing my mission successfully? Inspired by an actual history, the author renovates the idea to a masterpiece work of his. The next short story "Mack The Knife" is a story featuring Mack as the main character. Mack was blessed to look ten years younger than his actual age. How much of a blessing can that be when he sounds ten years younger too. A blessing or a curse in disguise. Mack faced life from a different angle because of these features of his. Not being tall either may not have done good to him. The journey of Mack's life is all detailed in the story. Next, still a short story is "The Three Card Shuffle". It is told in the eyes an ordinary passenger with no extraordinary details. What he bears witness to is where the details lie. He sees the tricks and temptation of gamblers and it does not matter to him, not until his interest is peaked.
Still on Done's list of short stories is "The San Francisco Adventure". This is a thrilling short story of Griley. Griley was a married man. An older man with an old wife both entangled in a loveless marriage.Griley's wife is oblivous to the fact that she's aging as she sees her youth self as her reflection in the mirror. Living in her fantasy of being a stunning beauty rather irritated Griley. Griley is definitely in love, or so he thinks. Certainly not with his wife, but instead an imaginary being he crafted in his head. How does he finds satisfaction with this imaginary person he admires and adores. The last of Done's short stories is "The Short Unhappy Life of Terrence McAckers. Terrence is the main character in this piece. He enjoyed being a 'bad boy' throughout high school until his mates graduated. He did not join in the graduation ceremony to prove his point. Thus, prior to the event, he did deeds that got him expelled. Growing to be a man, his mentality remains unchanged. This unfortunately leads to his demise as he still feels the need to prove his point in his daily life.
Done's last story, a novella was inspired by the life of an old friend of Done who sadly passed away. It bears the title "Yesteryears Snows". It has it main character as Jeff a young man who seems to be misled in his journey of life. He sees the world from a strange view and unfortunately no one around him has a similar view. He is usually left alone, and thought to be strange and confusing. He embarks on his journey of life with people trooping in and out. His journey has different people at different stages for different purposes. He sought what he could never find until he found what he eventually sought.
This book is an interesting novel. What makes it even more fascinating is the combination of several short stories all merging to form a book. Done's abandoned work of his younger years that got recovered and publicized in his later years is really worth having a peak. The stories are not linked, they all have their separate tales. Crowning his short stories with a novella is like an icing on the cake. While reading this stories, you never know when you're done until you see 'The End'. It is like moving from one world to another. You get to see different worlds with different people. It is indeed a very brilliant work made by Done.
The combination of several short stories of Done is a fantastic idea. The unlinked nature of each of them makes it even more fascinating. My dislike is the abrupt endings. Sometimes the ending may lack a definite conclusion. It makes it all wavy and uncertain. It would probably not be so bad for those who have no problem with abrupt endings, or unconcluded endings but I'm certain it could have been made much better.
After reading this piece, I find it just giving this book a 2 out of 4 stars. Due to all the amazing contents and unfortunately, unapproving nature, my rating is justified.
This book is recommended to lovers of short stories. To those who are in a haste to meet the ending of a story, this book is for you. If you are looking for many stories in one book, then this book is also for you. If you are a fan of unexpected endings, then I'll recommend this book to you. Due to contents, it is suitable to a mature audience.
******
Tales of the Seventies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Tales of The Seventies by David Done is a fictional novel. It is a combination of different short stories made by Done in his younger years. It consists of seven short stories and a novella. The first short story "Point to Point After" centers on a couple and their reactions to life situations. Not all goes well, just like the reality we live in. Suspicions from different factors arrive. Is the truth afar off or is it close? That is something only the story might disclose. The next short story "Blind San Franciscans" centers on a man named Don. A middle-aged man with a job he found pleasing. He was supposedly known for charity services but only him knows what he was truly up to.
The third story has a title of "The Cat Burglars". This is a captivating piece of cat Burglars as revealed by the title. It is an adventure of two friends who found it rather interesting to steal a cat. Not just any cat, but a rare specie that was newly acquired by the zoo. What is the possibility of them accomplishing my mission successfully? Inspired by an actual history, the author renovates the idea to a masterpiece work of his. The next short story "Mack The Knife" is a story featuring Mack as the main character. Mack was blessed to look ten years younger than his actual age. How much of a blessing can that be when he sounds ten years younger too. A blessing or a curse in disguise. Mack faced life from a different angle because of these features of his. Not being tall either may not have done good to him. The journey of Mack's life is all detailed in the story. Next, still a short story is "The Three Card Shuffle". It is told in the eyes an ordinary passenger with no extraordinary details. What he bears witness to is where the details lie. He sees the tricks and temptation of gamblers and it does not matter to him, not until his interest is peaked.
Still on Done's list of short stories is "The San Francisco Adventure". This is a thrilling short story of Griley. Griley was a married man. An older man with an old wife both entangled in a loveless marriage.Griley's wife is oblivous to the fact that she's aging as she sees her youth self as her reflection in the mirror. Living in her fantasy of being a stunning beauty rather irritated Griley. Griley is definitely in love, or so he thinks. Certainly not with his wife, but instead an imaginary being he crafted in his head. How does he finds satisfaction with this imaginary person he admires and adores. The last of Done's short stories is "The Short Unhappy Life of Terrence McAckers. Terrence is the main character in this piece. He enjoyed being a 'bad boy' throughout high school until his mates graduated. He did not join in the graduation ceremony to prove his point. Thus, prior to the event, he did deeds that got him expelled. Growing to be a man, his mentality remains unchanged. This unfortunately leads to his demise as he still feels the need to prove his point in his daily life.
Done's last story, a novella was inspired by the life of an old friend of Done who sadly passed away. It bears the title "Yesteryears Snows". It has it main character as Jeff a young man who seems to be misled in his journey of life. He sees the world from a strange view and unfortunately no one around him has a similar view. He is usually left alone, and thought to be strange and confusing. He embarks on his journey of life with people trooping in and out. His journey has different people at different stages for different purposes. He sought what he could never find until he found what he eventually sought.
This book is an interesting novel. What makes it even more fascinating is the combination of several short stories all merging to form a book. Done's abandoned work of his younger years that got recovered and publicized in his later years is really worth having a peak. The stories are not linked, they all have their separate tales. Crowning his short stories with a novella is like an icing on the cake. While reading this stories, you never know when you're done until you see 'The End'. It is like moving from one world to another. You get to see different worlds with different people. It is indeed a very brilliant work made by Done.
The combination of several short stories of Done is a fantastic idea. The unlinked nature of each of them makes it even more fascinating. My dislike is the abrupt endings. Sometimes the ending may lack a definite conclusion. It makes it all wavy and uncertain. It would probably not be so bad for those who have no problem with abrupt endings, or unconcluded endings but I'm certain it could have been made much better.
After reading this piece, I find it just giving this book a 2 out of 4 stars. Due to all the amazing contents and unfortunately, unapproving nature, my rating is justified.
This book is recommended to lovers of short stories. To those who are in a haste to meet the ending of a story, this book is for you. If you are looking for many stories in one book, then this book is also for you. If you are a fan of unexpected endings, then I'll recommend this book to you. Due to contents, it is suitable to a mature audience.
******
Tales of the Seventies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Phobia Relief by Kalliope Barlis
