Thursday, March 5, 2015

Intermezzos / Ida Tornovski


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Short Story Collection

Approximate word count: 15-20,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“Ida Tornovski was born into a politically divided Europe. Writing only in English now, she spends her time between the 'Old Country' and the United States.”

Description:

“Ida Tornovski's satirical love stories are told with dry wit and humor, sprinkled with a generous dose of skepticism about that romantic notion we call Love. The three main romances are Interludes, Intermezzo, and Intercourse; stories about Life, Lust and Love.

Interludes are dating spoofs of one woman's trysts and tribulations with would-be and has-been lovers whose actions and reactions are lacking a certain truthfulness and romance.

Intermezzo takes you into 1965 the spy-laced Vienna of the Cold War era. Three sexy adults role-play with humorous romance turning into fantasy, jealousy and betrayal. They call it Love. As the action takes place in a hotel across from the Vienna Opera house, the conclusion of this parody is reinforced by the last words of Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci."

Intercourse explores dictionary definitions of the very word that evokes such imagery. A girl with the unfortunate name of Fata Morgana morphs from a shy and pimply cygnet into a nubile swan. This is achieved only via teenage angst and the learning curve from three other young women. Their fancy Swiss academy is an all-girl school; however, there is the young Italian gardener.”

Appraisal:

I stole (okay, borrowed) this quote from the “prelude” or introduction of this short story collection.

We all dance to the same fiddles playing that thing we like to call Love. Once in a while, however, there is a tone-deaf maestro in the pit.

I laughed, being familiar with the work of the maestro in question. Chances are you are too. While these stories might not feel like your story, they might, and I’d bet you’ll find something familiar in them. Just like the quote, they’re serious on the surface, but have a bit of subtle humor at work as well. A fun, quick, and quirky read.

FYI:

Some adult themes.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I am so glad you enjoyed my stories of wicked humor - and I thank you for your review.

BTW, with Life, Lust and Laughter, there is always Hope--even for a sometimes wayward maestro.