AWRW Book Review of Donkey Boy and Other Stories by Author Mary Smith @MarySmithWriter #ENovAaW #BookReview #AmReading #AWellReadWomanBlog

Shot through with flashes of humour the stories here will entertain, amuse, and make you think. Mary Smith’s debut collection of short stories is a real treat, introducing the reader to a diverse range of characters in a wide range of locations. A donkey boy in Pakistan dreams of buying luxuries for his mother; a mouth artist in rural Scotland longs to leave the circus; a visually impaired man has a problem with his socks; and a woman tries to come to terms with a frightening gift – or curse.

Length: 73 Pages

Genre: Short Stories, Literature & Fiction

Publisher: King Street Press; 1 edition (September 21, 2017)

AWRW Rating: 5/5 Stars

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Donkey Boy and Other Stories by Author Mary Smith is a slice-of-life short fiction anthology focusing on a colorful cast of characters from the Middle East and the United Kingdom, as they go about their daily lives, making observations, and just being themselves. The emphasis of Donkey Boy and Other Short Stories is on the moment, told in first person perspective in present tense. I really enjoyed this method of storytelling.

“Drama can be made from everyday life experience.”

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories, but my favorites were Donkey Boy, (about a young boy who struggles with guilt over a generous tip he received), Accidents Happen, ( a young girl who fears ghastly repercussions), Asylum Seekers, (an elderly woman’s prejudicial thoughts on the refugee crisis), and my favorite, The Thing in Your Eye, (a woman who sees more than meets the eye).

While these stories are short they certainly pack a punch. Some will leave you reaching for the tissues, and in the case of Donkey Boy, laughing out loud, (like when Ali doesn’t know how to show his gratitude and ends up babbling nonsense– “I like Mel Gibson!”) I have a feeling that particular story was dramatized non-fiction. 🙂

You can read it in one sitting, or enjoy the stories in installments. Definitely entertaining storytelling and highly recommended to fans of slice-of-life fiction.

5 Stars!

Free on Kindle Unlimited and Only $1 to Buy on Amazon Kindle! (USA LINK)

Amazon, UK

About the Author

Mary Smith has always loved writing. As a child she wrote stories in homemade books made from wallpaper trimmings – but she never thought people could grow up and become real writers. She spent a year working in a bank, which she hated – all numbers, very few words – ten years with Oxfam in the UK, followed by ten years working in Pakistan and Afghanistan. She longed to allow others to share her amazing, life-changing experiences so she wrote about them – fiction, non-fiction, poetry and journalism. And she discovered the little girl who wrote stories had become a real writer after all.
Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni: Real Stories of Afghan Women is an account of her time in Afghanistan and her debut novel No More Mulberries is also set in Afghanistan.

Mary loves interacting with her readers and her website is http://www.marysmith.co.uk.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000934032543
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marysmithwriter
Blogs: http://novelpointsofview.blogspot.co.uk
http://marysmith57.wordpress.com/2014/07

 

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