Kate Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 (edited) Synopsis from www.harpercollins.com: On the verge of giving up—anchored to dreams that never came true and to people who have long since disappeared from their lives—Van Booy's characters walk the streets of these stark and beautiful stories until chance meetings with strangers force them to face responsibility for lives they thought had continued on without them. This book contains five short stories. In all of them the protagonist is lost and looking for love. They all find it, but the journey each take are individual and life-changing. The characters are all likeable, and you find yourself wanting the best for them. The outcomes are not always as you expect, but that just adds to the joy of this book. This is a beautiful book. Everything from the cover design to the stories is just gorgeous. Van Booy explores the power of children, growing up and the power music can have. The sentences are short but the stories just flow from the pages. It is a quick read, gripping and thrilling. This is a real page-turner. As I sit writing this I can't think of a bad thing to say about this book. I was hooked right from the beginning. All five stories are different but with one theme: love. This is an uplifting book, and I highly recommend it. 10/10 Published by: Beautiful Books RRP: Edited July 2, 2009 by Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 Sounds very interesting Kate, good review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 Title: Love Begins In Winter Author: Simon Van Booy Publisher: Beautiful Books Synopsis from the back of the book: On the verge of giving up - anchored to dreams that never came true and to people who have long since disappeared from their lives - Van Booy's characters walk the streets of these stark and beautiful stories until chance meetings with strangers force them to face responsibility for lives they thought had continued on without them. Review: The five stories in this collection are linked by the theme of love, but also by the theme of childhood. With these two themes in common, it's probably not unsurprising that the book is emotional and affecting, beginning the heart-breaking dedication at the start of the book. The collection opens with the longest story, Love Begins In Winter, a tale of grief, and love, and includes an incredible depiction of the recital given by the narrator, a cello soloist. Next is Tiger, Tiger which considers the effects of the relationships of parents on children, followed by The Missing Statues with a different view on a similar theme. The Coming and Going of Strangers is the fourth story, and my favourite in the collection, following Walter who is a wonderfully, romantic hero. Finally, The City of Windy Trees, is another uplifting tale, which shows how seemingly inconsequential meetings make an ordinary life extraordinary. While some of the best novels are the stories of peoples lives, for me, the best short stories are the glimpses and snapshots of the incidents, emotions and relationships that define an individual, and although I haven't read a huge amount of short stories, these are some of the best I've encountered. The writing is beautifully considered, lyrical and expressive. but in the sparse style which suits the short story format. Although it's a short 226 page book, I took a good few days to read it, as it requires the time to savour the words on the page, but I can definitely recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted September 6, 2009 Share Posted September 6, 2009 I forgot to add my own review: Until recently, my only experience of the short story format was within the horror genre, with authors such as Stephen King. I’m glad to say, however, that thanks to fantastic writers such as Sarah Salway and Patrick Chapman, this has now changed. Simon van Booy is an author to now add to this list. This was my first experience of his writing, but I shall certainly be searching out more. To me, there is a real art to sucessfully writing this format. It lacks the luxery of time, to develop both characters and storyline. Obviously short stories within the horror section are plot driven, but once you move into general fiction, there is scope for both. The five stories within this book do have storylines, but the emphasis is on the characters. Within very few words, Simon throws you straight into the character’s personalities, making you feel that you know and understand them. The writing has a wonderful poetic feel to it – the stories all make for fairly quick reading, but they would definitely benefit from a slower re-read. There is an impression that there is more waiting to be discovered the second time round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Info from Beautiful Books.. Simon Van Booy was awarded the world's largest prize for short stories, the Frank O'Connor Award, yesterday at a ceremony in Cork, Ireland.He was the only British writer on the shortlist, and beat off stiff competition, so this is a huge achievement. Read a snippet of the opening story at The Guardian: http://www.facebook.com/l/51f06;www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/21/simon-van-booy-frank-oconnor-award Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I saw an article in the Guardian about that yesterday My congratulations go to him as it was a wonderful book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LosBarbados Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 It sounds nice. I think I read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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