Review of Tales of the Seventies
Posted: 16 Sep 2021, 04:42
[Following is a volunteer review of "Tales of the Seventies" by David Done.]
Tales of the Seventies is a collection of seven short stories and a novella written by David Done. The running theme in this book is that these stories are set in the 1970s. David Done takes us through a variety of topics ranging from love, alienation and drugs to crime, sexuality and violence. In all of his short stories, Mr. Done has indited the protagonists in a very detailed and relatable manner. One can’t help but empathise with characters such as Zhen, Councilman Griley and Mack. Jeff’s character in the novella “Yesteryears Snows” is based on the life of a dear friend of Done’s, who unfortunately succumbed to suicide. The uniqueness of this book lies in the fact that each story is distinctive yet beautifully woven together to portray a time in the 70s, which was free from technology, computers and smartphones. The author has tried his best to emphasise the simplicity of life in San Francisco in the 70s.
"Point to Point After" and “Mack the Knife” really stood out to me. These two stories were so well written that they made me empathise with the main characters Zhen and Mack respectively. Although “Point to Point After” is a short story, it had ample details and the storyline did not feel incomplete. Furthermore, in the story “Mack the Knife”, one can’t help but sympathise with Mack. His yearning for acceptance and deeper relationships is expounded superbly by Mr. Done.
Other noteworthy mentions are the stories “The Cat Burglars” and “The Three Card Shuffle”. These stories revolve around the themes of theft and deception. I was shocked yet amused to read that “The Cat Burglars” was in fact a true story! David Done also showcased his fine storytelling skills in “The Three Card Shuffle”, which has an unexpected twist in the end. In my opinion, this can be a standalone short story filled with suspense. David Done has proven himself to be an excellent author by paying close attention to the characters in his stories. They were well thought of and the dialogs and slangs were written to suit the character’s ethnicity. This attention to detail makes the book all the more interesting.
“The San Francisco Adventure” fell flat in comparison with the other stories in this book. It talks about the adventures of a man in his 60s and his attempt at finding true love. I personally did not find this story interesting and found myself being easily bored. “The Short Unhappy Life of Terrence McAkers” has ample instances of sex, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, violence and drug use. Although the overall plot is good, these instances of violence and suicide were a little too much for me to process. “Yesteryears Snows” was oddly placed after a series of interesting short stories. This novella explains the bleary adventures of a guy named Jeff who encounters drugs, sex and infidelity. His experiences are totally out of context and there is no background information provided by Done. Unfortunately, this novella did not have a defined beginning or an end and was very abrupt.
Overall, majority of these stories were written keeping the readers’ interests in mind. I would rate this book a total of 4 out of 4 stars as I enjoyed most of the stories in this book. It is a matter of personal preference that I did not enjoy “The San Francisco Adventure” and “The Short Unhappy Life of Terrence McAkers”. However, readers who do not mind sensitive topics will enjoy these plots as a whole. Given the fact that this book has a lot of references to sex and violence, and many instances where profanity is used, I would not recommend this book to young readers. Adults who are sensitive to topics such as suicide and violence should also steer clear of this book. The book was edited professionally and there were no typos. All things considered, Tales of the Seventies was captivating and worth reading.
******
Tales of the Seventies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Tales of the Seventies is a collection of seven short stories and a novella written by David Done. The running theme in this book is that these stories are set in the 1970s. David Done takes us through a variety of topics ranging from love, alienation and drugs to crime, sexuality and violence. In all of his short stories, Mr. Done has indited the protagonists in a very detailed and relatable manner. One can’t help but empathise with characters such as Zhen, Councilman Griley and Mack. Jeff’s character in the novella “Yesteryears Snows” is based on the life of a dear friend of Done’s, who unfortunately succumbed to suicide. The uniqueness of this book lies in the fact that each story is distinctive yet beautifully woven together to portray a time in the 70s, which was free from technology, computers and smartphones. The author has tried his best to emphasise the simplicity of life in San Francisco in the 70s.
"Point to Point After" and “Mack the Knife” really stood out to me. These two stories were so well written that they made me empathise with the main characters Zhen and Mack respectively. Although “Point to Point After” is a short story, it had ample details and the storyline did not feel incomplete. Furthermore, in the story “Mack the Knife”, one can’t help but sympathise with Mack. His yearning for acceptance and deeper relationships is expounded superbly by Mr. Done.
Other noteworthy mentions are the stories “The Cat Burglars” and “The Three Card Shuffle”. These stories revolve around the themes of theft and deception. I was shocked yet amused to read that “The Cat Burglars” was in fact a true story! David Done also showcased his fine storytelling skills in “The Three Card Shuffle”, which has an unexpected twist in the end. In my opinion, this can be a standalone short story filled with suspense. David Done has proven himself to be an excellent author by paying close attention to the characters in his stories. They were well thought of and the dialogs and slangs were written to suit the character’s ethnicity. This attention to detail makes the book all the more interesting.
“The San Francisco Adventure” fell flat in comparison with the other stories in this book. It talks about the adventures of a man in his 60s and his attempt at finding true love. I personally did not find this story interesting and found myself being easily bored. “The Short Unhappy Life of Terrence McAkers” has ample instances of sex, abuse, suicide, alcoholism, violence and drug use. Although the overall plot is good, these instances of violence and suicide were a little too much for me to process. “Yesteryears Snows” was oddly placed after a series of interesting short stories. This novella explains the bleary adventures of a guy named Jeff who encounters drugs, sex and infidelity. His experiences are totally out of context and there is no background information provided by Done. Unfortunately, this novella did not have a defined beginning or an end and was very abrupt.
Overall, majority of these stories were written keeping the readers’ interests in mind. I would rate this book a total of 4 out of 4 stars as I enjoyed most of the stories in this book. It is a matter of personal preference that I did not enjoy “The San Francisco Adventure” and “The Short Unhappy Life of Terrence McAkers”. However, readers who do not mind sensitive topics will enjoy these plots as a whole. Given the fact that this book has a lot of references to sex and violence, and many instances where profanity is used, I would not recommend this book to young readers. Adults who are sensitive to topics such as suicide and violence should also steer clear of this book. The book was edited professionally and there were no typos. All things considered, Tales of the Seventies was captivating and worth reading.
******
Tales of the Seventies
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon