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
Hardcover: 96 pagesPublisher: High-Pitched Hum Publishing (December 10, 2006)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0977729079ISBN-13: 978-0977729074 Good stories are, by nature, meant to entertain; but, what can make a story great is the added bonus a reader gets when the tale teaches a reader something new; The Stream is a great story. What, you may wonder, did I learn from reading this great tale? I must admit that initially, it was with a little trepidation that I approached this novel. Fishing? What do I know about fishing? I thought. It is neither a hobby of mine and really, I could not very well identify…
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Life of PiYann MartelPaperback: 348 pagesPublisher: Harvest Books (May 1, 2003)ISBN-10: 0156027321ASIN: B0029LHWL8 Pi Patel, an East Indian youngster, has two loves—religions of the world and animals. The son of an owner of an Indian zoo, Pi grows up around the animals of the world. As times worsen in India, however, his father decides it is time to sell the animals and move to Canada. Some of the animals end up being shipped to their new zoos on the same ship as Pi and family are on. Mysteriously, the ship sinks and Pi finds himself on a large lifeboat. He…
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Monday, 01 October 2012 17:22
It Just Occured to Me . . .: An Autobiographical Scrapbook by Humphrey Lyttelton
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
It Just Occured to Me . . .: An Autobiographical ScrapbookBy Humphrey LytteltonHardcover: 224 pagesPublisher: Anova Books (July 1, 2006)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1861059019ISBN-13: 978-1861059017 Humphrey Lyttelton belongs to that section of the UK population (10%, is the generally accepted percentage, so I’m told) which, all these year’s on from Keir Hardie’s flat-cap, persists in laying claim to ownership of some 90% of UK national wealth. Not that Humph’s family is loaded. But certainly they are the sort of toffs for whom life without maids, nannies and unrestricted access to Hackney cabs would be quite unbearable, don’t-cha know? As luck would have…
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Saturday, 22 September 2012 07:27
Cut The Strings: the True Story of a Soul Reclaimed by Lynn Grocott
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Cut The Strings: the True Story of a Soul ReclaimedAuthor: Lynn GrocottForeword by Sir Chris BonningtonPaperback: 152 pagesPublisher: Lean Marketing Press (July 1, 2005)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0954568192ISBN-13: 978-0954568191 I was a little stunned when Lynn sent to me a copy of this ebook. I never expected it and I read it with much interest. My attention was grabbed right from the start. It was these words which set me reading this entire ebook in one go: Bryn Jones, who wrote the Preface used these words when signing off: ‘proud friend to Lynn and Glen Grocott.’ I was intrigued and thought that…
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Memoirs of a GeishaArthur GoldenHardcover: 768 pagesPublisher: Random House Large Print (November 15, 2005)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0739326228ISBN-13: 978-0739326220 At the start of this review, I must admit that I read this book after I watched the movie. Therefore, I found that a lot of the time, when I read the story I was visualising much of what I’d seen in the cinema. Usually, when I’ve watched a movie or read a book, I’ve been disappointed because the stories would never tally but in the case of Memoirs of a Geisha, this was not so. I enjoyed the movie and I enjoyed…
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Friday, 21 September 2012 18:14
Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Awaken the Giant WithinAnthony RobbinsPaperback: 544 pagesPublisher: Free Press (November 1, 1992)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0671791540ISBN-13: 978-0671791544 It surprises me not one bit that this book has sold over a million copies. Briefly, this book has, as its subheading, ‘How to take control of your mental emotional, physical and financial destiny.’ There are four parts to this book:-Part 1 – Unleash Your PowerPart 2 – Taking Control – The Master SystemPart 3 – The Seven Days to Shape Your LifePart 4 – A Lesson in Destiny Thereafter, each Part is divided into chapters and each one paves the way towards the final…
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Thursday, 20 September 2012 20:56
The Compassionate Rebel: Energized by Anger, Motivated by Love by Burt Berlowe, Rebecca Janke and Julie Penshorn
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
The Compassionate Rebel: Energized by Anger, Motivated by LoveBurt Berlowe, Rebecca Janke and Julie PenshornPublisher: Growing Communities for Peace; First Edition edition (February 1, 2002)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0964667649ISBN-13: 978-0964667648 When I finished reading this book, I felt deeply honoured to have been given the chance to review this book and immensely humbled by the stories therein. The immense effort put in by the four people (Berlow, Janke, Penshorn and Cota) is visible from the word ‘Go’. The book begins with an Introduction which is a short essay on the concept of the Compassionate Rebel. Who are they? What do they do?…
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Spiritual ClarityBy Jackie WellmanPaperback: 158 pagesPublisher: PublishAmerica (July 25, 2005)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 141377654XISBN-13: 978-1413776546 This is Jackie Wellman’s first book and in one sentence, I found the book informative, entertaining and in many parts funny. The book is divided into five sections which demonstrate the manner in which Ms. Wellman has conducted her study. It follows the natural progression when a study is made and this aids in making the book a pleasurable read. In Section 1, Ms. Wellman begins by explaining the purpose of this work. She clearly states that it is a personal quest – one that began when…
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The RomanticsPankaj MishraPaperback: 288 pagesPublisher: Anchor (February 20, 2001)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0385720807ISBN-13: 978-0385720809 Touted prior to its release a few years back as the Next Big Thing in South Asian literature, Mishra’s “The Romantics” fails to live up to its promise. Told through the eyes of Samar, an undergraduate at the Benares Hindu University at the end of the 1980’s, “The Romantics” takes a look at the reality that is India and the romantic preconceived notions of it that Samar sees in his foreign artisan friends, in particular the beautiful French girl Catherine who, unfortunately for him, is already involved with…
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The Compassionate Rebel: Energized by Anger, Motivated by LoveBurt Berlowe, Rebecca Janke and Julie PenshornPublisher: Growing Communities for Peace; First Edition edition (February 1, 2002)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0964667649ISBN-13: 978-0964667648 When I finished reading this book, I felt deeply honoured to have been given the chance to review this book and immensely humbled by the stories therein. The immense effort put in by the four people (Berlow, Janke, Penshorn and Cota) is visible from the word ‘Go’. The book begins with an Introduction which is a short essay on the concept of the Compassionate Rebel. Who are they? What do they do?…
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FuryBy Salman RushdiePaperback: 272 pagesPublisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (August 6, 2002)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0679783504ISBN-13: 978-0679783503 Set in contemporary New York City, the somewhat familiar character of Professor Malik Solanka has abandoned his wife and three-year old son without a word, fleeing from England to NYC in the hope of escaping his rather enviable life, with all its rather enviable trappings. A former dollmaker and creator of the phenomenal Little Brain doll, to which he owes his fortune, and erstwhile academic, to which he owes his social circles, Solanka finds himself unable to make peace with neither his circumstances nor his…
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Ranch Boyby H. Steven RobertsonPublisher: Rutledge Books Inc.ISBN: 1582442169Type: FictionCategory: Action/ThrillerPages: 293ISBN No: 1-58244-216-9 One of the purposes of reading is to discover new and exciting places. A story well told, will take you on a journey far beyond your land to meet people who are exciting and complex all at once. Yet, you must not be taken too far away that you are not able to understand the conflicts, the interests and the plot of the story. In essence, a great story is one that strikes this balance. This is precisely what Ranch Boy achieves. I would call this…
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Thursday, 20 September 2012 07:57
Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Autobiography of a Yogiby Paramahansa YoganandaMass Market Paperback: 604 pagesPublisher: Self-Realization Fellowship (December 12, 1946)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0876120796ISBN-13: 978-0876120798 When writing an autobiography, the challenge for the writer, I would imagine, would be to write a story that everyone would say, “I want to read that!” More often than not, autobiographies of celebrities, statesmen and others can be deadly dull. I found, however, that Autobiography of a Yogi is anything but dull. In so writing his autobiography, I would say, Paramahamsa Yogananda has probably fulfilled his life’s mission and that was to introduce Eastern philosophy to the Western World. He writes…
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Thursday, 20 September 2012 07:48
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Notes from a Small IslandAuthor: Bill BrysonFormat: PaperbackISBN: 0-552-99600-9Publishers: Originally published in Great Britain by Doubleday, a division of Transworld Publishers Ltd. On the back cover of the copy of this book I was given to read, this was stated: “After nearly two decades in Britain, Bill Bryson took the decision to move back tot the States for a while, to let his kids experience life in another country, to give his wife the chance to shop until 10 p.m. seven nights a week, and, most of all, because he had read that 3.7 million Americans believed that they had…
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