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Story Spotlight
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Title : Fat Chance Read Feed: "I felt dirty from travel, dirty from lying, dirty from sinning. She looked so fresh, so fragrant, so slim and lovely. The exact opposite of me." Author : Michelle Rose Genre : Short Story, General Fiction Review Excerpt: Hi Miro. There is so much to love about this story - it's hard to know where to start. It felt so well-balanced, understated, poignant and funny. The characters were all very real to me, including the dog: I felt I've known them all (well, Andre was a bit nebulous, but then, he was meant to be, wasn't he). I loved the way a few more serious observations were dropped, very naturally, into the narrative: one of my favourites being the paragraph about "le temps".
I could identify with many of the narrator's feelings, as my own mother died of cancer at a relatively young age, and, like the narrator's mother, I also had a (accident/miracle) daughter at an advanced age. Even the driving - I could well remember the very first time after passing my test, the sheer terror of driving alone, so it didn't take much of a leap of imagination to imagine driving in a foreign country without a licence after only three weeks of lessons!
I loved the rather threatening and totally repulsive figure of Marcel. He was almost sinister as only a child can be and I felt he was wonderfully described.
Ok, what could improve? The word "butt" appears at least 4 or 5 times. There are numerous alternatives to this and I felt a bit of variety was in order here.
"She lived alone after I’d left" - I felt this should have been pluperfect, "She'd lived alone after I'd left."
Loved the verb, graunch. Am going to start using it immediately …
 Synopsis In this short story, Millie attempts to make a new start in life following the death of her mother and a failed suicide attempt. She gets a job as a nanny, but her employer’s husband upsets her plans.
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clairewhatley
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I recommend this story - it's beautifully written, enigmatic and entertaining. Loved it!
nil desperandum
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crc
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Quote: clairewhatley, Saturday, 23 Apr 2011 08:41I recommend this story - it's beautifully written, enigmatic and entertaining. Loved it! Hi Clair I'd like to read this story, but under author's profile it doesn't show anything uploaded. How did you access it? I never read a book before reviewing it. It prejudices a man so. Rev. Sydney Smith 1756-1845
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willow55
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Quote: crc, Saturday, 23 Apr 2011 10:37Quote: clairewhatley, Saturday, 23 Apr 2011 08:41I recommend this story - it's beautifully written, enigmatic and entertaining. Loved it! Hi Clair I'd like to read this story, but under author's profile it doesn't show anything uploaded. How did you access it? I never read a book before reviewing it. It prejudices a man so. Rev. Sydney Smith 1756-1845 I think her pen name is Miro - try that. I loved it too. It's definitely worth a read.
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clairewhatley
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Yes, the username is Miro and the story is currently at no.21.
nil desperandum
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crc
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Quote: willow55, Saturday, 23 Apr 2011 11:56Quote: crc, Saturday, 23 Apr 2011 10:37Quote: clairewhatley, Saturday, 23 Apr 2011 08:41I recommend this story - it's beautifully written, enigmatic and entertaining. Loved it! Hi Clair I'd like to read this story, but under author's profile it doesn't show anything uploaded. How did you access it? I never read a book before reviewing it. It prejudices a man so. Rev. Sydney Smith 1756-1845 I think her pen name is Miro - try that. I loved it too. It's definitely worth a read. Thank you Willow and Claire. I'll try that.
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philsmith1972
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Or go to search and type in Fat Chance.... worked for me!
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