Official Review: April showers bring May flowers
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SparklingOne
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Official Review: April showers bring May flowers
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "April showers bring May flowers" by Lathish Shankar.]
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April Showers bring May Flowers is a fictional short story by author Lathish R. Shankar. The book is quite short and was a quick read.
It is the account of a woman who makes a pilgrimage back to a special place from her childhood. The story begins with a woman boarding a bus, and where she begins reading a letter, this later turns out to be a diary. The diary entries are in the point of view of one particular child named Ashitha, who is later identified as our traveler. The book ends with her reaching her destination and reuniting with those who still remain there.
The storyline moves back and forth in time between the years 1987 and 2005. The diary portions of the book are in the past (1987). The diary language is presented in slang English spoken by Indian children who are still learning English in school. The child and her family live in an apartment style rooming house. This place seems to be some type of temporary housing for workers and their families. This part of the story ends with the child’s birthday and the news that the family would be leaving the area. The book then goes back to the present day (2005). Where the woman completes her trip and reunites with some of the people who still remain there.
I did like this short story, but I am giving it a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. There are several reasons for this rating. I felt there was not enough emphasis placed on identifying the areas the woman was travelling to and from. As a reader I like being transported to a place and being able to visualize it. The Indian culture seems so rich, and beautiful that I wish some of that was woven into the book. The place names given in the book made me think of England, instead of India. I also was confused by the diary at first, since it looked like a letter to someone named Sophie, this wasn't clarified until later in the story. The children’s relationships should have been given more attention to better illustrate how close they were. It seemed odd that she read about her friends wedding instead of being invited to it. The author also left me wondering what happened to the main character at the end of the story. After telling this tale about her journey I expected there would have been a hint of what would happen next for her.
I believe the author might have been trying to keep the story short. Perhaps the end product should be a bit longer so there was more detail which to add a sense of place to the reader. I could identify with the nostalgic feelings of Ashitha re-visiting her childhood home, and seeing some of the people who were dear to her then. Perhaps my understanding of how this traveler must have felt making her journey, made the story enjoyable for me in the end.
***
Buy "April showers bring May flowers" on Amazon
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It is the account of a woman who makes a pilgrimage back to a special place from her childhood. The story begins with a woman boarding a bus, and where she begins reading a letter, this later turns out to be a diary. The diary entries are in the point of view of one particular child named Ashitha, who is later identified as our traveler. The book ends with her reaching her destination and reuniting with those who still remain there.
The storyline moves back and forth in time between the years 1987 and 2005. The diary portions of the book are in the past (1987). The diary language is presented in slang English spoken by Indian children who are still learning English in school. The child and her family live in an apartment style rooming house. This place seems to be some type of temporary housing for workers and their families. This part of the story ends with the child’s birthday and the news that the family would be leaving the area. The book then goes back to the present day (2005). Where the woman completes her trip and reunites with some of the people who still remain there.
I did like this short story, but I am giving it a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. There are several reasons for this rating. I felt there was not enough emphasis placed on identifying the areas the woman was travelling to and from. As a reader I like being transported to a place and being able to visualize it. The Indian culture seems so rich, and beautiful that I wish some of that was woven into the book. The place names given in the book made me think of England, instead of India. I also was confused by the diary at first, since it looked like a letter to someone named Sophie, this wasn't clarified until later in the story. The children’s relationships should have been given more attention to better illustrate how close they were. It seemed odd that she read about her friends wedding instead of being invited to it. The author also left me wondering what happened to the main character at the end of the story. After telling this tale about her journey I expected there would have been a hint of what would happen next for her.
I believe the author might have been trying to keep the story short. Perhaps the end product should be a bit longer so there was more detail which to add a sense of place to the reader. I could identify with the nostalgic feelings of Ashitha re-visiting her childhood home, and seeing some of the people who were dear to her then. Perhaps my understanding of how this traveler must have felt making her journey, made the story enjoyable for me in the end.
***
Buy "April showers bring May flowers" on Amazon
Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Latest Review: "I AM GOD" by Shawn Dall
