Friday, December 22, 2017

Review: You. I. Us. by Annalisa Crawford


Genre: Short Story Collection

Description:

“In You. I. Us, Annalisa Crawford captures everyday people during poignant defining moments in their lives: An artist puts his heart into his latest sketch, an elderly couple endures scrutiny by a fellow diner, an ex-student attempts to make amends with a girl she bullied at school, a teenager holds vigil at his friend’s hospital bedside, long distance lovers promise complete devotion, a broken-hearted widow stares into the sea from the edge of a cliff where her husband died, a grieving son contacts the only person he can rely on in a moment of crisis, a group of middle-aged friends inspire each other to live remarkable lives. Day after day, we make the same choices. But after reading You. I. Us., you’ll ask yourself, ‘What if we didn’t?’”

Author:

“Annalisa Crawford lives in Cornwall UK, with a good supply of moorland and beaches to keep her inspired. She lives with her husband, two sons, a dog and a cat.”

For more, visit her blog.

Appraisal:

As the description says, each of these short stories focus on “everyday people during poignant defining moments in their lives.” Sounds serious, doesn’t it? And some of them are. But I found my emotions or reaction to the stories were more varied than that. Some got a laugh, maybe a sympathetic laugh or an I’m-glad-that-isn’t-me laugh, but still a laugh. While some stories are better than others, none are bad and your list of the best and worst would be different than mine. These are the kind of stories that which ones resonate with you are going to be dependent on your attitudes and experiences as much as the character’s. Those who like short stories and characters who feel real life, you’ll find plenty to like in this collection.

Buy now from:            Amazon US        Amazon UK

FYI:

Uses UK spelling conventions and slang.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four Stars

Reviewed by: BigAl

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

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