I found this book through one of
my reader's services and it looked intriguing so I ordered it. I
wasn't sure what I was getting into but thought it might be interesting
to read something from a British novelist.
I will say that it was rather confusing in the sense that none of what was included in The Long and The Short of It was ever really complete. I get the fact that it includes some short stories and a first chapter from each of Ms. Ruth's novels. However, the short stories seemed incomplete; rather, they just abruptly ended leaving the reader wondering what happened. I was highly disappointed and would have rather the author come full circle and include a few more pages to really finish each of the individual shorts.
I will say that it was rather confusing in the sense that none of what was included in The Long and The Short of It was ever really complete. I get the fact that it includes some short stories and a first chapter from each of Ms. Ruth's novels. However, the short stories seemed incomplete; rather, they just abruptly ended leaving the reader wondering what happened. I was highly disappointed and would have rather the author come full circle and include a few more pages to really finish each of the individual shorts.
In
terms of the first chapters, I have to admit that I didn't quite
understand what I was reading until after the fact and I did some
further research on what The Long and The Short of It was really
supposed to be. Had I have known, perhaps I would have had a better
appreciation of what I had read. Nevertheless, since I didn't I can only
say I was disappointed because I felt "cheated" in the sense that these
stories again seemed incomplete.
Frankly,
I'm not sure what the point of this book was really. I would have
rather seen a collection of just the short stories (full and complete
ones that is) than what was presented in this anthology. That way, I
could choose to continue on with the rest of her novels and would
probably liked them better than just reading a single chapter of each.
To me, presentation is everything, and this book really lacked in the
category. Rating:
Wishing you moments of great reading!
Like anything you see here? Then contact me, Susan Dusterhoft at todaysworkingwoman@hotmail.com. I am always looking for more books/products to review. I can also provide assistance with blog writing!
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