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Tag: Book Review

Posted
January 6, 2018
Category
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Positivity, Reviews
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A Hundred Tiny Threads

Isn’t it wonderful when a friend tells you about their success? Judith Barrow told me about hers today with her novel, ‘A Hundred Tiny Threads’ and how it is book of the month for January 2018 in Wales. What a great start to the New Year.
“Judith has lived in Pembrokeshire for thirty years. She is the author of three novels, and has published poetry and short fiction, winning several poetry competitions, as well as writing three children’s books and a play performed at the Dylan Thomas Centre. Judith grew up in the Pennines, has degrees in literature and creative writing and makes regular appearances at literary festivals.”
A Hundred Tiny Threads is a gritty family saga set in Lancashire in the 1900s and Ireland at the time of the ‘Black and Tans’. This is the prequel to the Howarth family saga of three titles (Pattern of Shadows, Changing Patterns and Living in the Shadows) set in the years before and after WW1.

Nofel afaelgar am hynt a helynt teuluoedd yn swydd Gaerhirfryn yn y 1900au ac yn Iwerddon yn nyddiau’r ‘Black and Tans’. Y stori hon sy’n rhagflaenu saga’r teulu Howarth (y tri theitl Pattern of Shadows, Changing Patterns a Living in the Shadows) a osodwyd yn y blynyddoedd cyn ac wedi’r Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf.

This is a must read for me because I was born in Lancashire, my family history goes back to Ireland and my knowledge of Irish history could be better. Judith’s eye for detail should be a great help.
The intense details leave little to the imagination as the struggle to survive is real and incrementally built as loved ones go and unyielding hatred makes loss worse. It is a layered view of life as characters find challenges on many fronts. Barrow has a keen eye for detail which builds up a feeling of reality in this chronicle of lives lived in harsh situations. The writing is painfully real and feels just as overwhelming as life; decisions quickly taken lead far into the story as a whole. This is apparently a book which precedes three others relating to the same family through several generations. Certainly it is just as diverse, with as many backstories and complicated feelings as real families tend to inherit. There are many elements of tragedy here as well as determined love and strands of hope. This is a superb book for those who like their novels immersive and intense, real life of people around them in times of trial and progress. (Amazon Review)
If you have success to share, shout it out, I love to share positive news.
Posted
November 22, 2017
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Fiction, Reviews
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Saving Tomorrow – Book Review

Saving Tomorrow by [Meggs, Remmy]

The time does not matter, that is a matter of your beliefs, however the temperature of the earth had risen to average of 59 degrees. The ice age as we know it, was over, and however man survived it, they did.

This is near the beginning of man himself. Pangaea or the “Garden Of Paradise” could have been around for millions if not billions of years. If you believe in the Tree of Knowledge, then you believe in the Tree of Life. If man and animals ate from the Tree of Life, then they too could have lived millions, if not billions of years.

If you believe in evolution, then the same applies.

Meet young Air, he was not a hunter or a warrior, but he had the talent to see what others could not see.

Saving Tomorrow is an epic tale of survival and coming of age adventure story written for young people, 13+.  Set after the second ice age, the story follows a group of friends who learn how to survive despite the harsh realities of their time.

Strong characters lead the way and one in particular stands out. A young boy called Air who doesn’t rise to the expectations of his tribe. Many heroes have started out differently from their peers, Air is no exception, he doesn’t fit in and is intriguing from the start.

Different tribes are drawn in as Air and his friend’s battle to survive against the odds presented by their challenging environment and greater challenges heading their way. Air’s friends also learn of his connections with all living creatures and must learn to accept him as he is. Not so simple for everybody they meet. Air isn’t affected by what people think, rather what is coming. Although, Remmy Meggs keeps us guessing at the specifics of that far into the story.

I enjoyed reading ‘Saving Tomorrow’ although the writer in me wanted to push it along occasionally. Some of the pitfalls of writing a long story came to light with the odd inconsistency but these don’t interfere with readability.

Regardless of technicalities, this was a great story from a young writer I sense will go far. He can certainly tell a great story. If I could award stars for writing and storytelling separately I give three and five respectively. I can’t do that on Amazon so I give a well-deserved four stars.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

It took three years to create this book and another year of editing before it went to a professional editor. I am an author that does not believe a book, or movie for that matter, needs vulgar words nor do I believe a book needs raw sex in it, to be good.

For that I get a young adult (YA) rating which means anyone over the age of thirteen should be able to read this book without trauma. This is not a children’s book although I would like those over ten years of age to read it. However it does have violence and death in it as well as sexual situations. Actually more like a good science fiction book written by the masters. That will be up to parents to decide.

From the Back Cover

In BCE the temperature of the earth had risen to an average of fifty-nine degrees.The second ice age, as we know it, was over and how ever man survived it, they did  We do not know what the birth and death rates were before and during the ice age, but man had come into his own.It had never rained in Pangaea at this time. There was no aging.

Our story begins with the medium-light skinned areas now known as the Middle East. A group of tribes who avoided war as best they could. This enabled them to use their knowledge to improve their way of life. In this area of the world, the night could get very cold, but many days, if the winds were just right, it would be like a modern blast furnace.

Meet young Air. He was not, and never would be, the hunter or a warrior that histribe wanted, but he had the talent to see what others could not see. The war is not with man; it is with the Earth, and the Earth will win at any cost.

About the Author

Remmy Meggs started writing at the age of twelve. His third book, Legacy Grapes of Rome was published first. His first book, Saving Tomorrow was published in 2016. The book he loves most he wrote in the middle of those two and it is called Changes.

Discover Remmy’s books on Amazon

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