Dreaming Big
  • Home
    • Staff
    • Members Only
  • Contact
  • Our Books
    • Non Fiction
    • Fiction
    • Poetry
    • Children's Books
    • Audio Books
  • Coming Soon
  • Blog
  • Opportunities
    • Call For Submissions
    • Submissions Guidelines
    • FAQ
  • Gifts and More

Book Review for 'Fate and Fortune: A Collection of Stories' by Deniz Besim

1/20/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Book Name: Fate and Fortune: A Collection of Stories
Author Name: Deniz Besim
Publisher Name: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Reviewed By: Jessica Bucci
 
ABOUT THE BOOK
Twenty-first Anniversary - Anne forgets an important day in her life but can she convince her husband that she's remembered? Mother Snowman - Amy designs a stunning snowman who comes to life and shows her a world she has never seen before. A Love Despaired - Calum has a secret he intends to tell Marissa. But will revealing his secret destroy their relationship? The Paper - A couple of girls visit a gypsy, both receiving a paper and strict instructions that if not followed, can have dire consequences. Caroline's Witness - The Old Farmer has lost his other half but only his dog knows what's really going on. The Curse of the Stone Statue - A young girl makes her way to an old castle hoping that she'll be the one who can break its haunted spell. The Government Boycott - Miri is in a fight to the death to do something about the oppressive government but when all is said and done will it go her way? A Day in the Life of Malcolm - A homeless man is suspicious of the charity of a well meaning stranger. Lord Medley - An important man is almost burnt to a crisp and Ellie has to find out what is going on.
 
MY REVIEW
Rating: 2/5    
Although the topic of each of the nine stories is unique and different, the plotlines seem underdeveloped, even for short stories. The details are far and few between, leaving the reader unable to fully grasp the message and intent of the stories. The concepts are interesting, especially when new worlds are created for the piece, but the lack of explanation causes some confusion. Some possess interesting twists and turns, but the endings feel incomplete. The length of each story varies drastically, and while I am normally a fan of varying sentence and story length, it was distracting. Now maybe I, as a reader, do not quite understand the nature of short stories or the author’s writing style, but it didn’t work for me. That is not to say that others would not enjoy the stories. As individual pieces the stories might be more appealing, but as a collection it feels random.
 
With that being said, I did enjoy the second story entitled ‘Mother Snowman (a Christmas story).’ This story felt whole and complete, from its characters to its plot to its ending. ‘Mother Snowman’ is a cute Christmas wish tale that reminded me slightly of ‘Toy Story.’ It was my favorite out of the collection. ‘Caroline’s Witness’ and ‘The Curse of the Stone Statue,’ caught my attention in terms of the concepts and point of views.
 
This collection is an interesting read, but may leave readers with an incomplete and confused feeling. Perhaps reading each story individually, in distinct settings, would help the reader to better understand each topic and outcome.
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deniz Besim is a thirty-two year old lady who lives in London and used to teach creative writing to adults. She enjoys reading fiction and sometimes enters short-story competitions. She self-published two poetry books in 2014 (http://poetry-heaven.my-free.website). She enjoys walking, swimming and playing tennis in her spare time and sometimes attends author readings.
 
Amazon Link

DISCLAIMER: I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for writing a review. I was not obligated to give a positive review, and all thoughts are my own.
 
 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    January 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Challenge Participant
    Parajunkee Design
    I review for BookLook Bloggers
    Professional Reader
    Book Reviewer Sign Up

    1888PressRelease
    YA Bound Book Tours

Services

Ask A Therapist
Blog
Our Books
Coming Soon

Company

About Us
Staff
​

Support

Contact
FAQ

Find and follow us on social media 
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.