Annette Spratte's Blog, page 3

Fun Fact about "The Way of Life"

I wrote a scene about Josie suffering heavily from drug withdrawal symptoms. Upon reading through it afterwards it occurred to me that I have absolutely no idea what withdrawal symptoms are like - as I have never taken drugs. So I started to research and guess what?
Everything I described was perfectly correct.
I have no idea how that happened!

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Survivor

Review Walls of Silence

Walls of silence by Helen Pryke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is amazing. The topic is not something you want to think much about. It is mostly hidden behind a wall of silence and if it gets public attention, it’s usually garish sensationalism. Not so in this book. It is completely beyond me how the author managed to write about severe abuse – both as a child and as an adult woman – without it being garish and shocking. The atmosphere is one of quiet pain and that gets under your skin. I could not put the book down and read it in one go deep into the night. I have read things like this before, but usually I either mentally squeeze my eyes shut and hurry through to get it over with or I want to scream with outrage. Here, I found myself trapped right along with Maria in the wide-eyed disbelief that this could really be happening, enduring the suffering with her.
***SPOILER ALERT***
If there are any complaints I have – and I am complaining on a very high level – it’s that there is a rift at the end when Pietro takes over the telling of the story. Maria’s narrative stops at the most dramatic point and I would have expected Pietro to pick it up there, to tell how he got out of the car, how he scrambled over to Maria just in time before Matteo could see him, how he found her unconscious and accompanied her to his father’s house. But nothing like that happened. His narrative drifts on rather superficially and doesn’t carry the same intensity that the first part of the book has.
Then there are a few questions that I have. How come Pietro fell in love with Maria? In the story it doesn’t take very long for Maria to start trusting him. How can that be if she only shortly before that decided never to trust anyone ever again? And how did she manage to enjoy sex with him when all her experience in that field was painful and abusive? Those things are not resolved to my satisfaction, but it doesn’t bother me enough to reduce the rating. The book is truly a piece of art.




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LAUNCH

I'm proud to announce that "Survivor", my new short story has hit the digital bookshelves on Amazon and Kindle. It is free on Kindle Unlimited. The story serves as a prequel to "The Way of Life".
http://mybook.to/SurvivorAnnetteSpratte

Here's the blurb:
You won’t find out what happened to her. But you will find out how she handles it.
19 year-old Josie is stuck in boarding school and there are only two ways out: graduate - or commit suicide.
It’s not the school that troubles her, but what happened before. And now she has to find a way to live with it. Walk with her through the hallways of the school she calls “the bitch kennel”, through emotional turmoil, unexpected friendship and a passion for painting that leads to the discovery of a strength she had only guessed at before.

Review "Topaz and Lace

Topaz and Lace by Amber Laura

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When I first came across this novel, the title didn’t appeal to me. The blurb didn’t really catch my fancy either. I shrugged and turned away from it. But then I read a few lines of writing by the author from another work, and I was immediately impressed. There was so much atmosphere there in those few sentences that it made me check the novel again. I took a peek in the book. After reading the first pages, I knew I wanted to read it all.
I still don’t know what the title as to do with the book, but I found it nigh on impossible to put down. The author certainly has a knack for creating an almost palpable atmosphere in her story that makes you feel as if you were right there in the midst of it. Cassie’s thoughts and feelings are transferred in such an honest, humorous way that makes it easy to identify with her – even if my own character differs widely from Cassie’s. But I understand how she feels, I hope with her, I tremble with her, I’m embarrassed with her and my stomach tingles with hers when she brushes up against the mysterious Brannt. His character is portrayed through the eyes of Cassie and the people around them and I am amazed at the depth that is conveyed through these indirect means. He’s got his rough edges and his soft sides, his mysteries and flaws and you start liking him as the story unfolds without really knowing why (because he mostly acts like a jerk). And of course you start hoping that they will get together because anything else is just unthinkable!
The side characters also unfold their own charm in witty dialogues, helping Cassie along as she struggles with small-town gossip as well as supporting her in her development from a homesick college graduate to an independent veterinarian.
The only criticism that I have is that the change of heart Cassie shows in the end seems rushed and might have been worked out a bit more. Apart from that, I absolutely loved that book and tore through it within three days.




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Review "The Seas Come Still"

The Seas Come Still by J.P. Jamin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


First of all, I have to state that my deepest respect goes to the author for an incredible range of story, imagination and deeply philosophical ideas. For that alone the book deserves a 5 star rating.
To me personally, “The Seas Come Still” has a number of flaws that reduce my rating to 3 stars.
When checking whether to buy the book, I read the first pages and was intrigued. Unfortunately, the Japanese side of the story described therein is not taken up again until the very last pages, which left me a bit frustrated.
The Bronze Age part of the story was very confusing for me in the beginning. It is full of an amazing amount of information, both nautical and historical, but the acting characters remain undefined, making it hard to relate to them. Only as the story proceeds and one gets to know them better, learns more about the sisterhood and their beliefs and traditions, one is drawn into the story. So the first half of that story reads like a history book, through which I stoically plodded in hopes of improvement. This improvement definitely took place and the storyline picked up considerably, even if some of the developments seemed not quite plausible to me and the end showed a few inconsistencies. The character developments certainly served the story, but from experience I must say that such development takes years and cannot be accomplished within a few days or weeks. But perhaps this mysteriousness was intended by the author to support the magical strength of the secret order described.
The Singer part of the story hampered me right from the start due to its form. No parent of my acquaintance would write like that to a child. For another thing, no person could possibly tell in such detail things pertaining to his parents that happened before his lifetime. Leaving this aside, the story was quite clever and held the intended surprise for me, which I had not guessed at before.
Overall, the philosophical ideas transported in the narrative are well worth considering, though I have to admit that I was not capable of doing so while reading, due to an overall fatigue. But that is certainly not the author’s fault. The story is fascinating, producing a feeling of connectedness over centuries which is quite comforting.




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New Writing Project

I'm happy to announce that I have started in on a new writing project.
I intend to make it a short story (knowing me it will probably be the longest short story in history, haha!) and it will be a prequel to "The Way of Life", dealing with Josie's time in boarding school.
I want to portray how she reached her decision to leave her former life behind and start all over.
My working title is "Survivor". At this point I cannot estimate a release date, but I'll let you know as soon as I can.
What do you think of this project?

Sale has started!

The Way of Life

Get the e-book now for 0,99 € (shouldn't be much more in dollars!) on Amazon in Europe or Kobo/Apple ibooks in the US.
Read and enjoy!

Valid until June 14th, 2017

Review "Freiheit, Kunst und Hühnermägen"

Freiheit, Kunst und Hühnermägen by Petra Herrmann

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Dieses Buch ist nicht nur sehr unterhaltsam und flüssig geschrieben. Es hält einem auch in ganz sympathischer Weise einen Spiegel vor und regt zum Nachdenken an - nicht nur über die Flüchtlingsfrage, sondern auch über andere alltägliche Dinge in unserer Gesellschaft.
Da ich selbst einen Flüchtling bei mir beherberge, sind viele im Buch beschriebenen Dinge sehr vertraut, von Verständigungsmöglichkeiten mit Händen und Füßen bis hin zum Behördenfrust. Das Buch hat mich an mancher Stelle zu Tränen gerührt und an anderen herzhaft zum Lachen gebracht und spiegelt damit eigentlich das wider, was ich tagtäglich mit Flüchtlingen erlebe: Ihre Schicksale sind erschütternd, aber ihre Herzlichkeit ist etwas, wovon wir Deutschen noch viel Lernen können.



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Ebook "The Way of Life" on Sale

Get an e-copy of "The Way of Life" for 0,99 € from June 8-14!
Available on Amazon in Europe,
Kobo and Apple ibooks in the US.

Check out www.annettespratte.jimdo.com for blurb and reviews!