Timothy Stelly Sr (goodreadscom_stellbread)

Timothy Stelly Sr is now friends with Helen Marshall

Timothy Stelly Sr made a comment on his review of Champagne, Jellybeans and Chocolate

"I will be f9nishing it soon. I have been hard at work on my own novel, HUMAN TRIAL II."

Timothy Stelly Sr is currently reading:

The Turn of the Karmic Wheel
by Monica M. Brinkman

My rating:

Timothy Stelly Sr gave

to:

Human Trial II: Adam’s War
by Timothy N. Stelly Sr.

read in June, 2010

My rating:

Timothy Stelly Sr made a comment on his review of Peach Seeds

"Minnie wrote: "Love her poems. And your metaphor.

This is work that oils the mental gearworks, but she is not so complex where the message is lost. She...more"

Timothy Stelly Sr gave

to:

Peach Seeds
by Peggy Eldridge-Love

read in August, 2010

My rating:

Peach Seeds is an intriguing chapbook, a potpourri of blank verse and flash fiction by Peggy Eldridge-Love, one of the Grand Dames of the Prolific Writers’ Network. The book opens with a melancholy tale of love (and even mind?) lost. Circle of the Mu...more

Timothy Stelly Sr gave

to:

Sacrifices In The Name of Love
by Vanessa A. Johnson

My rating:

Seldom have I run across a romance novel that holds my interest beyond a half-dozen pages. Vanessa Johnson’s Sacrifices In The Name Of Love is the exception, as it goes beyond being merely a love story written in the girl-meets-boy-loses-boy-regains-...moreSeldom have I run across a romance novel that holds my interest beyond a half-dozen pages. Vanessa Johnson’s Sacrifices In The Name Of Love is the exception, as it goes beyond being merely a love story written in the girl-meets-boy-loses-boy-regains-boy model so many others in this genre follow. No, Johnson walks us through the nuances of race and relationships, bringing us a story with heart and where you root for all characters involved. The issue of race is handled deftly and delicately, without polarizing readers.

The book centers on teenagers Tessa and Trey, neighbors whose fathers have no love for “others,” in this case, anyone out of their race. But as teens are wont to do, the two characters defy their parents not out of rebellion, but fierce desire and curiosity. As their relationship blossoms, the need to keep things secretive becomes foremost.

Desire leads to carelessness, and when Tessa becomes pregnant, dread fills her to the marrow of her bones, as she is fearful how her parents will react to her being impregnated by a black kid. Meanwhile, both are worried that Trey’s plans for college might be dashed. All the while Johnson uses first-person narrative to perfection as she weaves back and forth, from Trey to Tessa, and we feel their angst. The contrast is not so blatant to the point of disbelief, but rather quite plausible that teenagers might endure such psychological conflict. For example, Tessa is guilt-ridden because she cannot tell her mother the truth about her pregnancy, fearful of the shame and heartache her parents would endure.

Tessa’s support system consists of Trey and her best friend, Van, who tries to serve as Tessa’s conscience, to no avail. When it becomes obvious that Tessa is pregnant, she concocts a story that she was raped and was too ashamed to say anything. Her dread intensifies as her due date nears and the day of the event, Tessa panics and signs away her child and flees.

Years later Tessa returns home to find that things have changed. Her father has passed, her mother appears to be unforgiving for her daughter’s desertion, and Trey has moved on. However, he has custody of his child and has since married. Tessa hires a detective to track down her ex-lover.

Without giving away the ending, Tessa finally has closure, but Ms. Johnson delivers it in such a way that isn’t forced, nor does she shock us with an unrealistic twist; but a stark reminder that life moves on and sometimes the mistakes we make in youth are corrected in a fashion never considered. As for the story of Tessa and Trey, there is no need for a sequel. Like a great movie, this story leaves our stomach for reading button-popping full.(less)

Timothy Stelly Sr gave

to:

Widow's Walk
by Kenneth Weene (Goodreads Author)

My rating:

Ken Weene’s story Widow’s Walk is a slowly unfolding trek that gives us a look at an Irish matriarch named Mary Flanagan, whose belief in God remains steadfast even after she loses her husband, is emotionally separated from her enigmatic daughter, ...moreKen Weene’s story Widow’s Walk is a slowly unfolding trek that gives us a look at an Irish matriarch named Mary Flanagan, whose belief in God remains steadfast even after she loses her husband, is emotionally separated from her enigmatic daughter, and then loses her quadriplegic son to a cross-country move, before she becomes enamored with a man whose idea of a Godhead is pessimistic at best.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Mary is lonely. After the loss of her husband, her daughter (Kathleen) moving and her son (Sean) being relocated to a center for independent living, she is unsure of what to do with what’s left of her life. Never having given intellectual pursuits much thought, a serendipitous trip to Northeastern University changes that. It is where she meets Professor Arnie Berger.

Arnie is not without his own emotional suitcases. He has desire for Mary, but is certain that Mary would prefer they wed before anything of a sexual nature takes place. However, for Arnie it’s been a long time since he’s been in love, but Mary’s plain sensibilities have won him over.

Meanwhile Mary struggles in her relationships. The rift between she and her daughter Kathleen, whom feels God has forsaken her, has widened—emotionally rather than geographically. Kathleen is not impressed that her mother has started life over, especially since her own has been in shambles since a miscarriage and broken marriage. However, Kathleen is not without a strong sense of introspection and a burgeoning wisdom as she converses with Max, a defrocked priest. This changes her attitude about her mother’s relationship with Arnie.

But no sooner do things between mother and daughter begin going well, when Mary is thrown into another emotional pit. Sean is returning with Karen, the woman who took him to the center. Mary assumes that Karen is till his assistant and Sean might again depend on his mother for physical and emotional support. This leaves her confused as to how it will impact upon the relationship she has established with Arnie.

Weene tip-toes through an emotional minefield, not weighing down the reader in cynicism, nor setting up a rose-colored finale. He merely brings us the lives of conflicted people, struggling to find love and bring meaning to their lives.

Weene’s writing gives us a literal feel for the New England setting. We can smell the smoke from chimneys in the dead of winter and we can hear the rustling leaves as the seasons change. If there is one drawback, it is the frequency of tense changes; but this does not distract from this carefully-crafted and heartfelt story.

Somber and provocative, Widow’s Walk nudges us to consider not only old age and our mortality, but the question of what do we do with our lives when it loses its serene predictability?(less)

Timothy Stelly Sr wrote Baby Love: Baby Love

"Baby Love

“The fourth time around has to be the charm," Deon whispered, then h" …more

Timothy Stelly Sr added a quote

"Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music." — George Carlin

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Timothy Stelly Sr is now friends with Helen Marshall
Jul 22, 2011 01:56pm
Timothy Stelly Sr made a comment on his review of Champagne, Jellybeans and Chocolate "I will be f9nishing it soon. I have been hard at work on my own novel, HUMAN TRIAL II."
Apr 16, 2011 12:16am · see review
Timothy Stelly Sr is currently reading: The Turn of the Karmic Wheel by Monica M. Brinkman	My rating:
Nov 22, 2010 09:49pm
Timothy Stelly Sr gave to: Human Trial II: Adam’s War by Timothy N. Stelly Sr. read in June, 2010	My rating:
Nov 22, 2010 09:31pm
Timothy Stelly Sr made a comment on his review of Peach Seeds "Minnie wrote: "Love her poems. And your metaphor. This is work that oils the mental gearworks, but she is not so complex where the message is lost. She...more"
Sep 06, 2010 12:25pm · see review
Timothy Stelly Sr gave to: Peach Seeds by Peggy Eldridge-Love read in August, 2010	My rating:
Peach Seeds is an intriguing chapbook, a potpourri of blank verse and flash fiction by Peggy Eldridge-Love, one of the Grand Dames of the Prolific Writers’ Network. The book opens with a melancholy tale of love (and even mind?) lost. Circle of the Mu...more
Aug 21, 2010 02:13pm · see review
Timothy Stelly Sr gave to: Sacrifices In The Name of Love by Vanessa A. Johnson	My rating:
Seldom have I run across a romance novel that holds my interest beyond a half-dozen pages. Vanessa Johnson’s Sacrifices In The Name Of Love is the exception, as it goes beyond being merely a love story written in the girl-meets-boy-loses-boy-regains-...more
Jun 27, 2010 03:30pm · see review
Timothy Stelly Sr gave to: Widow's Walk by Kenneth Weene (Goodreads Author)	My rating:
Ken Weene’s story Widow’s Walk is a slowly unfolding trek that gives us a look at an Irish matriarch named Mary Flanagan, whose belief in God remains steadfast even after she loses her husband, is emotionally separated from her enigmatic daughter, ...more
Jun 27, 2010 03:23pm · see review
Timothy Stelly Sr wrote Baby Love: Baby Love "Baby Love “The fourth time around has to be the charm," Deon whispered, then h" …more
May 10, 2010 06:15am · like
Timothy Stelly Sr added a quote "Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music." — George Carlin
May 10, 2010 06:06am · add quote added! · more quotes by George Carlin

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