Reviews
The inspiration for this page comes from the fact that it has been said that to be a good writer, one has to have read at least 1000 books. Likewise, to be a good storyteller, it is perhaps necessary to read 1000 stories. I would like to go further than just reading – I think that reading a story alone is not enough. One has to analyse it, review it and be able to critically appraise a story. This, then, will be the aim of this column but with an emphasis on all manner of storytelling. With that in mind, certain things need to be pointed out:
- As this website caters for storytellers, this column will feature all manner of storytelling.
- We accept reviews written by other storytellers as well. Please note that we do not pay for reviews.
- There is no specific genre of stories reviewed here.
If you’d still like us to publish a review you’ve written, please send an email to editor @ howtotellagreatstory.com
Thursday, 15 September 2016 02:59
The Demystification of Stephen by Amina Maikori
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Title: The Demystification of StephenAuthor: Amina MaikoriFile Size: 1468 KBPrint Length: 72 pagesSimultaneous Device Usage: UnlimitedPublisher: BookBaby; 1 edition (March 20, 2016)Publication Date: March 20, 2016Language: EnglishASIN: B01D8WF4IY Amina Maikori's eBook, 'The Demystification of Stephen' is quite the cute eBook. As the blurb suggests, the story is about a chance meeting that one Stephen Duru has with three women. As the story unfolds, the consequences of each of these encounters is told. The three women believe that by meeting Stephen, their dreams can come true. He is, after all, the 'quintessential 21st century gentlemen: well connected, rich and charming to…
Published in
Reviews
Title: AstrayAuthor: Emma DonoghueHardcoverPublisher: Picador (October 25, 2012)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1447209494ISBN-13: 978-1447209492 Emma Donoghue's tightly written offering of fourteen short stories in 'Astray', although small in number, should be read as a considerable contribution to the understanding of what many who venture far away from home experience and endure. As Donoghue says in the 'Afterword', 'Emigrants, immigrants, adventurers, and runaways - they fascinate me because they loiter on the margins, stripped of the markers of family and nation; they're out of place, out of their depth.' Each story has two parts: the fictitious account of the protagonist and the factual information…
Published in
Reviews
Title: The HistorianAuthor: Elizabeth KostovaPaperback: 832 pagesPublisher: Time Warner Books; Later Printing edition (2006)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0316057886ISBN-13: 978-0316057882 ‘The Historian’ is a classified as ‘Historical Fiction’ in Amazon.com. It is the debut novel of Elizabeth Kostova and blends the mystery of Vlad the Impaler, the legend of Dracula and fiction. Briefly, ‘The Historian’ features a nameless narrator who documents her adventure in unraveling a mystery after discovering an odd book. She tells her father, a historian, about this book: it has no words but a picture of a dragon in the middle. The father, Paul, tells her the story of his…
Published in
Reviews
Joseph Anton by Salman RushdieHardcover: 656 pagesPublisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd; First Edition edition (September 18, 2012)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0224093975ISBN-13: 978-0224093972 Sometimes, when a writer introduces himself, he’ll receive a response along the lines of, “Can you help me write my memoirs? You should hear my story. It’s a fantastic story.” Many writers will attest to smiling politely at such a response and moving on. After all, there are more than enough works of self-aggrandizement touted as memoirs. Equally appalling are those that chronicle every detail of horror the author has experienced that makes readers question the veracity of the story. Every…
Published in
Reviews
Sunday, 07 June 2015 17:03
Narendra Modi: A Political Biography by Andy Marino
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Narendra Modi: A Political Biography by Andy MarinoPaperback: 352 pagesPublisher: HarperCollins India (November 1, 2014)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 9351770257ISBN-13: 978-9351770251 On 27 February 2002, 59 people in a train returning from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad were burned to death in Gujarat. Subsequently, there were riots all over Gujarat. In all, close to 900 people died and more than 2,500 were injured. For the next 12 years, almost everyone lay the blame for these riots squarely at the feet of Gujarat’s Chief Minister, Narendra Modi. He has been neither formally charged nor convicted for any of these alleged offences. More than that, since 2002,…
Published in
Reviews
Tuesday, 02 June 2015 00:42
Ruby ShinesBright and the Birthday Cake by RosaBella Bloom
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Ruby ShinesBright - and the Birthday Cake by RosaBella BloomPaperback: 24 pagesPublisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (December 8, 2014)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1505282837ISBN-13: 978-1505282832 Ruby ShinesBright is a very special little girl. She lives in a place called Flooperville and has a red stone on her tummy which shines bright when she is happy and well. She is very excited because tomorrow is going to be a special day for her, it's her fifth birthday. Her granny Ruth has made her a beautiful cake and it's sitting in the kitchen ready, however, Ruby can't wait until her party, and so…
Published in
Reviews
Wednesday, 03 December 2014 04:47
10 Stacks To Success: How to Achieve Success One Goal at a Time by Jerome Jay Isip
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
10 Stacks To Success: How to Achieve Success One Goal at a Time By Jerome Jay IsipFile Size: 4613 KBPrint Length: 111 pagesPage Numbers Source ISBN: 1502960265Simultaneous Device Usage: UnlimitedSold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Language: EnglishASIN: B00OX9V6BGGenre: Self Help, self-improvement, life success, inspirational 10 Stacks To Success is this generation's guide to understanding that there are no limits," explains Isip. "Unleashing the power of your own creativity can be a challenge. But there is nothing more rewarding that rediscovering all of the potential you have had inside of you the whole time. More confidence, more understanding and more freedom…
Published in
Reviews
Wednesday, 20 August 2014 03:54
When the Drum Major Died by Anjuelle Floyd
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
When the Drum Major Died By Anjuelle FloydFile Size: 868 KBPrint Length: 402 pagesPage Numbers Source ISBN: 1938070011Publisher: NOJ Publications (January 25, 2014)Language: EnglishASIN: B00I35FT6YGenre: Fiction, Romance. A fascinating story. When I started reading this book, the first thoughts which came into my mind were that, it’s amazing how ignorant one can be, about events which happened in your own lifetime. Being a British child at the time these events were taking place, somehow they slipped into a hole between the history I was taught at school, from ancient up to and including WWII, and the recent history which I…
Published in
Reviews
Thursday, 19 June 2014 21:32
‘Ssh by John Eliot (Author), Anne Lamali (Illustrator)
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
'SSH by John Eliot (Author), Anne Lamali (Illustrator)Paperback: 50 pagesPublisher: Mosaïque Press (May 1, 2014)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1906852294ISBN-13: 978-1906852290 As explained on the Amazon.com website, ‘Ssh is a collection of poems presented in a chapbook. The poems cover incidents in the poet’s life as well as his memories and thoughts that range from incidents during the First World War gleaned from family photos to the birth of his son. Born in Leicester, Eliot now lives in rural France with his family. 'Ssh is his first collection of poetry. Anne Lamali contributes a number of illustrations in the chapbook. With a title…
Published in
Reviews
Anakara House By Matthew ThomasISBN: 9789833221462Shipping Weight: 0.33kgsPublisher: Silverfish BooksPublished: 2014 In this novel, the first by Matthew Thomas, the central narrative is the fight to gain possession of Ankara House, an ancestral property in Malabar. After Kochachen's death, his son, Chacko, entrusts the property to his Nepali servant, Shastri Bahadur Ram, and continues to live in Myanmar (Burma). He returns to India after ten years only to find that Bahadur Ram had usurped Ankara House. Chacko's brother-in-law, Colonel Titus Mathews, drives Bahadur Ram out. Unfortunately, Chacko decides to go to Malaya and leave Titus in charge of Ankara House.…
Published in
Reviews
More...
Cornered By Alan BrenhamPaperback: 316 pagesPublisher: Black Opal Books (July 13, 2014)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1626941386ISBN-13: 978-1626941380Author Website: http://www.alanbrenham.comGenre: Crime/Thriller About the Author: Alan Brenham is the pen name of Alan Behr, a Texas criminal law attorney and former law enforcement officer. He was born in upstate New York, in the small Catskill Mountains town of Delhi. He worked as a Texas law enforcement officer for over fourteen years and as a criminal prosecutor and later criminal defense attorney for over twenty-four years. His travels took him from Alaska to Russia, from Norway and Sweden down to Lebanon and Iran plus stops…
Published in
Reviews
Wednesday, 28 May 2014 18:56
For The Love of a Poet by Marilyn Z. Tomlins
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
For The Love of a Poet [Kindle Edition] By Marilyn Z. TomlinsFile Size: 955 KBPrint Length: 497 pagesPublisher: Raven Crest Books (May 14, 2014)Language: EnglishASIN: B00KC8M0DKWebsite: http://http://www.marilynztomlins.com/Genre: Romance/History/Memoir About the author: Marilyn lives and writes in Paris. She writes whatever takes her fancy: spoof news, book reviews, posts for her website, gossip about showbiz stars and royalty, short stories, poetry – and books. She also reports crime. She was born in British Colonial Africa and is a British national. Eight years ago she became interested in the Second World War French serial killer, Dr Marcel Petiot, and she researched him…
Published in
Reviews
My Grandfather's Pants By Tegon MausFile Size: 1745 KBPrint Length: 164 pagesSimultaneous Device Usage: UnlimitedPublisher: Tirgearr Publishing (January 21, 2014)Language: EnglishASIN: B00HZH5A7OWebsite: http://www.tegonmaus.com About Tegon Maus: I was raised pretty much the same as everyone else... devoted mother, strict father and all the imaginary friends I could conjure. Not that I wasn't friendly, I just wasn't "people orientated". Maybe I lived in my head way more than I should have, maybe not. I liked machines more than people, at least I did until I met my wife. The first thing I can remember writing was for her. For the life…
Published in
Reviews
Warning Shot By Tim SmithPaperback: 452 pagesFile Size: 279 KBPrint Length: 122 pagesSimultaneous Device Usage: UnlimitedPublisher: eXtasy Books (September 15, 2013)Language: EnglishASIN: B00FDJPKS0 Author Bio: Tim Smith is an award-winning best selling author whose books range from romantic mystery/thrillers to contemporary erotic romance. He is also an award-winning freelance photographer. About the book: Nick Seven and Felicia Hagens left the CIA for the laidback ease of the Florida Keys, leaving behind a life of intrigue. When Nick's former mentor becomes part of a conspiracy with international repercussions, Nick breaks his self-imposed exile to stop him. The case throws Nick and…
Published in
Reviews
Latest Posts
-
Sakshi
Written by Aneeta SundararajI have been in a state of ‘emotional unwell-being’ for seven years. There, I’ve said it. Why? Well, after my father died, I believed that if I reached out with love to ‘good friends’, counsellors, suitors, and relatives, there could be pockets of joy to offset my grief and loneliness,…
-
The Creative Industry Needs to Look at Things Differently Post Budget 2022
Written by Aneeta SundararajOn 29 October 2021, the Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz tabled Budget 2022 in the Malaysian parliament. RM50 million has been allocated for the arts and culture industry. This comes after a year and a half after the entire industry came to an absolute standstill. With…
-
‘The Covid Positives’ – life lessons learnt from the pandemic by Phanindra Ivatury
Written by Aneeta SundararajAfter a long drawn battle with the biggest catastrophe in our living memory, global humanity is finally getting to see some quintessential ray of light at the end of the treacherous tunnel in the form of COVID-19 vaccines, currently being rolled out to all parts of the globe. A ‘COVID-19…
-
Chaos of Whole Books
Written by Aneeta SundararajIs it possible to read several books at once? Aneeta Sundararaj finds out.When I was a child, my cousin used to boast that he could read four storybooks at a time. As an adult, when he invested in an e-Reader, he continued to boast that he could…
-
Writing for You? Or for Me?
Written by Aneeta SundararajWriting for You? Or for Me? ‘You must always write with your reader in mind.’ This was one of the first pieces of advice that I received when I began my writing career. Honestly, I found this extremely hard to do because more often than not, I couldn’t picture my…