Book Review: Weight of a Feather and Other Stories by Judy Croome

SYNOPSIS: “The promise implicit in an anthology is that it aspires to present something different, unexpected” Joyce Carol Oates (Introduction to The Oxford Book of American Short Stories) From the classical form of ‘The Weight of a Feather’, first published by The Huffington Post (2013), to the suggestive allegory of ‘The Leopard and The Lizard’, this collection of short stories by South African author Judy Croome is an ideal mix of the familiar and the startling. These vibrant slices of life testify to the mysterious and luminous resources of the human spirit. Whether feeling the harrowing emotion in ‘The Last Sacrifice’ or the jauntiness of ‘Jannie Vermaak’s New Bicycle’, the reader will delight in a plethora of stories that cross boundaries to both challenge and entertain with their variety.

REVIEW: A fellow BLMgirls blogger shared an opportunity to review Judy Croome’s collection of short stories, Weight of a Feather, and I am so glad she did! Reading more fiction in 2014 is on my Create a More Beautiful Life short list so I jumped at the opportunity to get a copy of Judy Croome’s book. I love short stories because, if written well, they will take you from zero to 60 in 3 minutes flat and gently bring you back to 15 by minute 9. With most short stories, the reader is usually left wondering in a good way as she finds her way back to zero.  Weight of a Feather is a collection of short (2-10 pages) and very short (half page) stories mostly about girls and women growing up usually by force a la a slap in the face by bitter beautiful Life. These women and girls usually experience something traumatic or life changing like the death of a pair of friends, a child or a marriage. In some cases they are left to piece together their own life lessons like eight year old Moyra Kincaid in the title story and in others instances they get help from some external, ever present force like Ma in Born Beneath a Balsamic Moon.

Growth and awareness come hell or high-water are the sentiments lingering with me after reading these stories. Definitely worth a read.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Judy Croome lives and writes in Johannesburg, South Africa. Shortlisted in the African Writing Flash Fiction 2011 competition, Judy’s short stories and poems have appeared in various magazines and anthologies, such as the Huffington Post and the University of the Witwatersrand’s Itch Magazine. Her books “The Weight of a Feather & Other Stories” (2013), “a Lamp at Midday” (2012) and “Dancing in the Shadows of Love” (2011) are available. Judy loves her family, cats, exploring the meaning of life, chocolate, cats, rainy days, ancient churches with their ancient graveyards, cats, meditation and solitude. Oh, and cats. Judy loves cats (who already appear to have discovered the meaning of life.) She is currently researching child murders for her next novel and you can visit Judy on www.judycroome.com or join her on Twitter @judy_croome , Facebook and Goodreads.

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Have you read Weight of a Feather or any other fiction lately? Share your thoughts and favorites in the comments below.

for a beautiful life,

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