Thursday, April 3, 2014

Everyone But Us, Tales of Women / V.S. Kemanis


Reviewed by: Sooz

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Short Story Collection

Approximate word count: 70-75,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: NO  Smashwords: NO  Paper: NO
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

V.S. Kemanis is a California native. She’s an attorney with a background as a criminal prosecutor. Kemanis is also an accomplished dancer. Kemanis currently resides in New York.

You can learn more about her at her website.

Description:

Seventeen stories about women from all walks of life.

Appraisal:

V.S. Kemanis offers short, yet remarkable glimpses into the lives of women. Her group of short stories reflects women of all different types of backgrounds, socio-economic statuses, and ages.

Kemanis does a nice job of getting into the heart of a moment. Since these are short stories, they usually focus on a certain time and place, a turning point in their lives. One of the most interesting aspects, however, is how the stories are so different and yet similar.

Stories include an elderly woman who has difficulties at the grocery store, a woman who uses her looks to her advantage as she seeks her identity, and another who gets her wrinkles surgically removed. There is also a young girl who thinks of her friend as immature as she wants to leave with a stranger and another who thinks about her live-in boyfriend’s male co-worker only to discover a big secret.

Not all the stories are impactful. Some are too quick to consider or not relatable, maybe even a little confusing. But the overall impact of the stories shows tales of how lives can be so interesting and unique if we just take a moment to stop and listen – which became an overriding theme in the final story in Everyone But Us.

Format/Typo Issues:

No issues.


Rating: ****Four Stars

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