Rebekah Matthews

I had to take a few days to think about how I should review this book. I received it in a Goodreads Giveaway, which I entered based almost entirely on the cover design and title. I knew nothing of the subject matter or format and that would have greatly affected my desire to pick it up in the first place. Next, I should be clear that my rating is, and must be, true to my own experience in reading the book. It does not necessarily depict the independent value or quality of the writing, the impact of the themes or subjects, or any other fancy writing concepts. On Goodreads, two stars means, "It was ok," and that is exactly how I felt after reading it. I suspect that those who pick this book up based on its content with an honest desire and interest in it will find the book much more enjoyable. The format is also very hard to critique. This is a collection of extremely short stories. Some are no more than a single scene. It felt, at times, like the author was sharing a bunch of writing experiments with us. I can't very well critique them on lack of character development or anything like that because that's not the form of writing we're dealing with. For what they are, they are very well written. In a few stories the use of the second person perspective is a bit annoying and feels like the type of gimmick I'd expect from a college-level writing class. There are a few moments of clear inspired writing in here, which is commendable. My overall impression was that of a small art exhibit in a big city, which spends more effort on being different and niche than on the craft itself. The jacket notes mention that Ms. Matthews is currently writing a novel. I'd be interested in reading that to see how she handles the larger work and the many aspects of writing that come with it.… (mehr)

As usual, this book was sent to me as part of a GoodReads drawing.

This little work is really more of a pamphlet and tips the scales at a scant 35 pages. The writing is engaging and does get one's attention in a hurry but by the time you've wrapped your mind around what's going on (well, around the several things that are going on) the book is over. That said, I'm not sure I could have stuck through it for another 200 pages. Written from the perspective of an adolescent girl the author does a good job of portraying the emotions of her protagonist but as a guy I felt I was squirming a bit uncomfortably as if I was privy to something I shouldn't necessary see and something that I didn't entirely understand. This is probably a fitting tribute to the author's skill rather than a criticism but it didn't quite strike me as something I'd want to sit through for a longer period of time than was required for the tiny offering to be digested.

If anything, perhaps too well written for my demographic. Probably approaching perfection for the opposing one.… (mehr)