Book Blurb:
In this collection of short stories the reader encounters ordinary people struggling with a variety of extraordinary problems that threaten to change their lives: an elderly widower confronting a life of regrets, precocious children threatened with separation, a middle-aged couple facing the loss of their generations-old general store, and many others. Read Town and Country and meet the people of the Mid-Ohio Valley—people you may very well recognize from your own hometown.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/tmk8D
Author Bio:
Carl Parsons is an author with a diverse background in both the sciences and humanities. After spending 22 years in management roles at TRW Automotive, he shifted his focus to teaching English and pursuing his passion for writing. His short stories have appeared in publications such as The Broadkill Review, The Raven Review, Scars Publications, and Spillwords Press, while his poetry has been featured in Literary Yard and Plum Tree Tavern.
Carl has been recognized for his contributions to literary fiction, receiving honors such as Contributor of the Year by Spillwords Press and a Best Political Thriller Award from Literary Global for his novel Trios: Death, Deceit, and Politics. He also moderates a local book club. Carl holds a BA and MA in English from West Virginia University as well as a MS in Manufacturing Management from Kettering University and is a member of West Virginia Writers, Inc.
Editorial Review:
Sure, maybe folks do live in big cities, those hubs of steel and glass that are homes to millions of people. Maybe some of those folks might even enjoy it. But big cities cannot boast of being the state of the great river, of being Thomas Edison’s birthplace, or, even, heck, the installation of the world’s first electric traffic signal! No, indeed, those accomplishments belong to the good state of Ohio. So turn away from the yellow cabs, the soy lattes, the traffic jams and hectic pace of big cities. We’re going rural, to the towns and countryside of Ohio, to a range of stories about everyday people and the happenings of everyday lives, some of them with a bit of a twist in the tale! “Town and Country: Voices from the Mid-Ohio Valley” by Carl Parsons is a collection of short stories.
So fix a coffee in your favourite mug (with real milk, none of that dairy free nonsense – we’re in Ohio now!) take a seat on the porch, and read away. Turns out that interesting things happen when and where we expect them least; in the stories of neighbours and friends, in visiting an elderly parent, in a solitary widower, in marriage and babies. The short story format means that some of the stories are episodic, and they will definitely leave the reader thinking!
The dialogue is a treasure; conversations leap off the page and each story has its fair share of emotion, a gentle tug reminding all of us about the way life actually is, not the way its portrayed in big cities. Each story is written in a different style; all are highly relatable. If anything a criticism may be that the stories are too short, but surely that is the measure of a great read, abbreviated or otherwise. Readers familiar with the genre will know that part of the attraction to such narratives are the gaps and hints that the reader must wonder about and fill in for themselves.
“Town and Country: Voices from the Mid-Ohio Valley” by Carl Parsons is a compelling collection of short stories, each set in modern Ohio. These stories are about people, and the everyday emotions and twists and turns of daily life. An absorbing read (or reads!) with wonderful dialogue that will leave the reader wanting more.
*****
“Town and Country: Voices from the Mid-Ohio Valley” by Carl Parsons receives 4 ½ stars from The Historical Fiction Company
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