The Complete Short Stories of A. A. Milne by A. A. Milne - Introduction by Gyles Brandreth #bookreview #blogtour

 

The publication of this complete collection of his short stories would have given A. A. Milne so much pleasure.

***

A new collection of A. A. Milne’s short stories and sketches for grown-ups. Collected in full for the first time, they are an epiphany, and show Milne’s renowned charm, concision and whimsical flair in all their brilliance.

He paints memorable scenes, from a children’s birthday party, to an accidental encounter with murder, and a case of blackmail – often with an unexpected twist. But he also deals in poignancy, from the girl who pulls the wool over her boyfriend’s eyes, to a first dance and first disappointment or family reunion and domestic dissonance.

Beguiling and evocative, Milne’s thought-provoking stories will make you see his works for children in a whole new light.

***

What a varied and delightful collection of short stories, some of which are being published for the first time.

Whilst A. A. Milne is most famous for his Winnie the Pooh stories, this collection demonstrates that he was an accomplished writer of stories for adults too. All of the stories in this collection are very different. Printed in chronological order there is an element of the development of the author with each story.

Having been written from 1914 - 1953, plus a few undated fragments of stories, there is a wonderfully traditional feel to them. They are very much tales of their time.

Throughout the stories the reader meets some interesting characters. Coupled with their individual stories, I was delighted to make their acquaintance. I particularly enjoyed the story, A Rattling Good Yarn. I also enjoyed The Secret and C.O.D. There was sufficient in each story to get my teeth into, although at times I would have liked the story to be developed further but alas, such is the nature of the short story.

With an introduction by Gyles Brandreth, this is a book well worth seeking out. It would be a wonderful book to dip in an out of from time to time, and I can see myself coming back to it time and time again.

ISBN: 978 1788424493

Publisher:  Farrago

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages:  448 (paperback)

About the Author:

A. A. Milne (Alan Alexander) is best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh. Prior to the First World War he worked as a young man as Assistant Editor of Punch magazine. After leaving the army, he began to write plays, short stories and novels; and then later works for children, including the poetry collection When We Were Very Young and the storybook Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926. Milne continued to be a prolific writer until his death in 1956.

(book and media courtesy of Random Things Tours)

(all opinions are my own)

The Story of Babushka by Catherine Flores - #BookReview #BookTour

 

"In the light-flooded forest where the birds sang, the brook rippled, and the wind swept through the trees, there lived a beautiful matryoshka called Babushka."

The Babushka doll, also known as a "Matryoshka" or "Russian Nesting Doll," is a traditional Russian toy first made over 100 years ago. The doll has come to symbolize Russian folk culture, as well as the complex and beautiful layers of women.

Babushka dolls are made of wood and painted in bright colours and patterns. Each Babushka is made in a set of many round dolls, each a little smaller than the last. They separate at the middle so that each doll can be placed inside the one before it. There are some Babushka dolls with as many as fifty dolls nexted inside her.

This is the story of one very special doll, with five bodies that together make the Babushka.

***

This is such a lovely book for children and I cannot wait to share it with my grandchildren.

Before I even began reading I was impressed by the beautifully stylised illustrations by Ana Beatriz Marques. In that aspect, even a pre-reader will enjoy poring over this book and it would be a lovely book to read to children too. It is also ideal for slightly older children to read for themselves.

Each one of the dolls represents a different personality feature and has an individual name. The outermost body, called Antonia, represents beauty, the second body, Loretta, wealth, the third body, Paula, represents talent, the fourth, Viola, wisdom and the innermost body, Mary, represents compassion and understanding.

As each individual body goes out into the world  to seek the meaning of life they learn that there are no easy answers. Acutely observed, Ms Flores has depicted an age old desire whereby, at some point in our lives, we ask ourselves who we really are and seek to find an answer to that question? 

The moral of this story is that, actually, we were there all the time and that we have to look into ourselves for an answer to that question.

This is a lovely book which I highly recommend.

ISBN: 978 1527260290

Publisher: ACL Creative Studio

About the Author:

Catherine Flores is a children's author and graphic designer. As she wrote about Babushka's journey, she was embarking on her own, which delayed the completion of this book for some time.

In October 2017, she emigrated with her partner Aaron to Portugal. In March 2018 their son Kiasmos was born. And after three years, Babushka is finished in early 2020 allowing Catherine to begin planning her next adventure.