5⭐️ A short way from home: Jan Ruth

Book blurb

What to do About Clara? The certainty of old love, or the uncertainty of new? Frankie has two women in his life and he needs to make a choice.

Over The Moon. It’s Pattie’s birthday, but will all her wishes come true? Events are planned, but Pattie simply longs to escape, preferably to the man next door!

There are five more stories each as delightful as the rest. 

My review 

There are so many good books out there that short stories normally fall outside of my reading radar: that was my first mistake.

I bought this on a whim a few months ago. Something as a go to reliable on my Kindle when I had a few minutes in the schoolyard between pick-ups: therein lay my second mistake. 

These stories aren’t to be read in short spurts like a dripping tap they are good enough to be savoured with a decent cup of coffee and perhaps a smidgen of cake (chocolate preferably).

The first story ‘What to do about Clara’ is well written but that’s a given with my book reviews. As you know if I can’t get passed page five I don’t read and I therefore don’t review. 

Clara’s story made me want to fling my Kindle across the room in disgust. The indignity of her story heartfelt. So many relationships end up in this mire of misunderstanding and angst but it takes a writer with Ms Ruth’s skill to deliver feelings like this, taut anxious feelings delivered by a consummate wordsmith.

‘Over the moon’ had me laughing out loud, in fact between you, me and the bedsheets I now have a tea stained white duvet cover because of it. What with tastefully arranged carrots and turnips I was beside myself after the first page. And yet there’s pathos here to. My mother counts her birthday cards each year and woe betide anyone that forgets to send her one. To her, birthdays are everything as they are for most of you. For me they mean nothing, they mark yet another tragedy – but that’s another story. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You can buy ‘A short way from home’ here

About the author 

Jan Ruth writes contemporary fiction about the darker side of the family dynamic with a generous helping of humour, horses and dogs. Her books blend the serenities of rural life with the headaches of city business, exploring the endless complexities of relationships. ABOUT JAN RUTH:The real story began at school, with prizes for short stories and poetry. She failed all things mathematical and scientific, and to this day struggles to make sense of anything numerical. 

 

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