Description
'Pieces
of a Rainbow' is a collection of seven short stories, each one based on
a different colour of the rainbow. You will find a full spectrum of
emotions within the stories. Some are sad, some uplifting. There are
not always happy endings, but the tales reflect the real world, and the
forces of nature at work in our lives; sometimes beyond our control.
The stories are diverse in style, and the characters, although
fictional, are true-to-life. There is something for everyone in this
inspired collection.
Excerpt from 'Forever Blue':
'...Some people are lucky; they just carry on going, keeping up
with the current, riding the waves. Others find a ship they can sail
in forever; but some are left to drift alone, battling against the
waves, and hoping they can get to the shore in one piece.'
Praise and Reviews
Two
young girls poison their souls for life by keeping the secret of how
they accidentally burned down a house, with its occupants (a mother and
baby) disappearing in the fire. A single mom struggles to raise her two
children, a boy and a girl, in a neighborhood rampant with gang
violence. A romantic encounter at a beautiful seaside resort between
two hurt and lonely people almost happens, but doesn’t. A woman tries
to trick her girlfriend by bribing her fortuneteller, but is it she or
the fortuneteller who has the “last laugh”? A mother who becomes a
criminal due to her own husband’s influence, goes to jail while he
squeaks by without breaking any laws. What happens when her time is up
in a world where criminals run free while the results of their “lawful”
activities get locked away? A girl’s jealousy for her best friend not
only hurts their friendship, but ruins her own chance for happiness
with the boy whom she loves. A mother loses the confidence of everyone,
even her husband, when her baby is kidnapped while under her care. He
divorces her, taking the children with him, only to run into his own
problems. She eventually recovers all her children, and finds true
happiness with another man, one who will stand by her through thick and
thin.
This is a collection of truly fresh, remarkable and even haunting
stories, any one of which would make an excellent TV drama (or movie).
There is a memorable intensity to all of them, a few of which I can’t
get out of my head. Each story is varied and unique, and I must say I
admire Maria Savva’s writing ability as expressed in the diversity of
her characters. For instance, the character, Savannah, in “Seeing Red”
(the woman criminal) is incredibly realistic in both the limitations of
her intellect (to fully understand what’s going on around her), and in
the depth of her needs and her craving to be loved.
Reading this collection of short stories was a real treat!
Jerry Travis - author of 'The Safety Factor'
"Wonderful"
What a fabulous analogy for the range of emotions that drive us
humans. Loved the easy to follow style and the relationships to which
we can all relate, this in addition to the realistic characters, it can
only be a success.
I loved the lines, '...a blank canvas on which to build her
dreams...' and '...he was a tattoo on her heart that could not be
removed...' from Seeing Red, the first story, and '...leaving a hole
the size of a watermelon in Sally's soul...' from, Envy (story four),
where irony is particularly relevant.
All the stories draw you in and I, for one, couldn't wait to see
what happened. There were many twists and turns and certainly
unexpected events where the themes of responsibility, the ups and downs
of relationships, and parental dilemmas are unmistakeable.
I would have to say that Mystic Purple was my favourite story,
where I thoroughly enjoyed the comedy of small talk between Jen and Amy
- the whole story bringing a smile though leaving a question as to
whether we make our own fate.
This is not the first book by Maria Savva, and Pieces of a Rainbow
is not a disappointment...I really enjoyed it...and I can honestly
recommend that all are worth a look.
Clever, interesting and extremely good...great writing.
Julie Elizabeth Powell, author of Gone, Slings & Arrows, Knowing Jack, The Star Realm and Invasion
In
this collection of short stories, Savva has captured the essence of her
characters in a well-paced, gripping mannerism. One of the most
difficult tasks for an author when writing a short story is to be
compelling enough to complete the story in novel magnitude, but with
minimal words. There's no room for building up the background
surrounding the characters and their stories. Savva has mastered the
technique with ease.
The characters are realistic, the stories are attention grabbing
and the detailed depth of the scenes are by far some of the best I've
seen, and all done with a poetic justice of sorts. Each story is
wrapped around a color found in rainbows, a most unusual and brilliant
concept.
I'd highly recommend this read and give it 5 Stars!
Reviewed by Cindy Bauer
The Memory Box Trilogy (Chasing Memories, Shades of Blue and Crystal Clear)
It's hard to write a really good short story. An entire collection of
them harder still. I'm certain you could rattle off the names of 5
great novelists without stopping to draw a breath -- but how about
naming 5 masters of the short story . . .? I rest my case.
While sweating-out a novel is no stroll in the park, It does afford
one the time and scope to lay the foundation of back story; develop
character; create atmosphere. With the short story, it's strictly a
case of hit the mark or miss the board completely; often with the
literary equivalent of a single dart. Remind me never to play darts
with Maria Savva.
In 'Pieces of a Rainbow', Savva's first collection of short
stories, the British author has demonstrated that she's not only a
first-rate novelist, but a master of the shorter form as well. My
favorite "piece" is a story titled 'Forever Blue': A recently jilted
man and woman, each vacationing with friends at the beach, form a
strange connection -- though they never actually meet. I remember once
being bowled over by a John Cheever story, when the author suddenly,
and seamlessly, shifted the narrative to relate an event still to occur
in a particular character's future; how masterfully juxtaposing present
and future in a few brief sentences, almost magically transformed a
short story into something approaching the depth of a novel. It's a
rare narrative sleight-of-hand which Savva has worked well. But all the
stories in this inspired collection hit the mark.
"One day I will find the right words," Wrote Jack Kerouac, "And
they will be simple." Maria Savva has found the right words. And they
are wonderful.
Reviewed by Quentin R. Bufogle, author of 'Horse Latitudes'