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The Siege and Other Award Winning Stories
Freelance writer and The Writers Bureau tutor, Esther Newton brings twelve of her award winning short stories together in a collection for the first time. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat one moment as a woman is held hostage at gunpoint, smiling the next at a tale of a Fairy Godmother with a difference, before rooting for a young girl who’s cornered by a school bully and then reaching for the tissues, along with a mother whose daughter has been missing for days.
'The Siege and Other Award Winning Stories' whisks you away on an exciting expedition of ups and downs. There’s drama, action, humour, intrigue and plenty of emotion to take you from one story straight into the next.
The collection includes prize winning short stories from Writing Magazine, Writers’ News, The Global Short Story and Ouse Valley Writers competitions, amongst others.
Paperback edition features six extra stories!
'The Siege and Other Award Winning Stories' whisks you away on an exciting expedition of ups and downs. There’s drama, action, humour, intrigue and plenty of emotion to take you from one story straight into the next.
The collection includes prize winning short stories from Writing Magazine, Writers’ News, The Global Short Story and Ouse Valley Writers competitions, amongst others.
Paperback edition features six extra stories!
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 26, 2014
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Esther Newton
15 books38 followersEsther Newton is currently Term Professor of Women's Studies at the University of Michigan, and Professor Emerita of Anthropology and Kempner Distinguished Professor at Purchase College, SUNY. She is the author of Margaret Mead Made Me Gay: Personal Essays, Public Ideas, published by Duke University Press, Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America, coauthor of Womenfriends: A Soap Opera, and coeditor of Amazon Expedition: A Lesbian Feminist Anthology.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 14, 2014
A lovely collection of short stories by Esther Newton.
December 31, 2019
What a wonderful collection of short stories.
Little snippets of brilliance and you can tell why they were award-winning, or certainly worthy.
Using just a few words, Esther is able to reduce you a gibbering wreck, tugging at heartstrings, that even the coldest of hearts has.
I loved each and every story, but those that dealt with parenting and losing a child were really emotive.
If you are a short story fan, you MUST read this book. You won't regret it. Whether it is devoured in one sitting or read leisurely, savouring each story individually, it will stay with you.
Little snippets of brilliance and you can tell why they were award-winning, or certainly worthy.
Using just a few words, Esther is able to reduce you a gibbering wreck, tugging at heartstrings, that even the coldest of hearts has.
I loved each and every story, but those that dealt with parenting and losing a child were really emotive.
If you are a short story fan, you MUST read this book. You won't regret it. Whether it is devoured in one sitting or read leisurely, savouring each story individually, it will stay with you.
October 16, 2019
An excellent book. Esther is my tutor and I have never had a tutor who had released a book so I wanted to see what it was like.
I had read other reviews but when I read the paperback version I was amazed. The stories were full of emotion and informative in their description and dialogue. Each story was different in its own right and literally had an emotive story to tell.
Excellent read, would highly recommend and Esther has given me renewed hope that I too can publish as book as good as hers.
I had read other reviews but when I read the paperback version I was amazed. The stories were full of emotion and informative in their description and dialogue. Each story was different in its own right and literally had an emotive story to tell.
Excellent read, would highly recommend and Esther has given me renewed hope that I too can publish as book as good as hers.
August 8, 2020
A book of short stories about loss and the effect it has on individuals. Some happy, some sad, some hopeful and some amusing. Whether it is a heartbreaking story of the loss of a child who leaves a thoughtful will, a bonfire night that goes wrong in a good way, the loss of a loved pet, or the loss of innocence, these stories are a slice of life to savour.
June 17, 2016
The Siege is a collection of short stories. On the face of it, there is no theme, and certainly the author doesn’t make any claims to that effect. There is, however, a melancholic feel to the book, with personal and family tragedies recurring, as well as the exploration of subjects such as bullying, homelessness and stalking.
Far from being melodramatic, though, the narrative is, if anything, understated. Perversely, that has more of an impact. As I finished each story, I found myself reflecting on what I’d just read as opposed to simply moving on to the next one.
With the subject matter covered, it would be easy to expect The Siege to be a depressing read. It isn’t. The style of writing allows you to experience the sorrow and pain of the characters depicted, whilst also sensing the hope that still exists within them.
There seems to have been something of a renaissance in short stories in recent years, and this is a great example of why.
My only disappointment, having finished reading the Kindle version was to discover that the paperback contains a further 6 stories. As a devoted Kindle reader, I would urge the author to make the extras available on e-book.
Far from being melodramatic, though, the narrative is, if anything, understated. Perversely, that has more of an impact. As I finished each story, I found myself reflecting on what I’d just read as opposed to simply moving on to the next one.
With the subject matter covered, it would be easy to expect The Siege to be a depressing read. It isn’t. The style of writing allows you to experience the sorrow and pain of the characters depicted, whilst also sensing the hope that still exists within them.
There seems to have been something of a renaissance in short stories in recent years, and this is a great example of why.
My only disappointment, having finished reading the Kindle version was to discover that the paperback contains a further 6 stories. As a devoted Kindle reader, I would urge the author to make the extras available on e-book.
March 6, 2016
Esther Newton, is a master at the short story. She's the kind of writer that makes crafting a short look as effortless as breathing.
I don't cry. But this book had me sobbing like someone had died. This book is a serious rollercoaster of emotions. From roaring and having to put the book down because I was laughing so hard, to a proper lump in the throat.
If you're a writer, and want to enter competitions, this is the kind of collection of stories you need to read and devour every lesson you can from it.
Highly recommended read, easy to breeze through, and a delightful Sunday afternoon read.
I don't cry. But this book had me sobbing like someone had died. This book is a serious rollercoaster of emotions. From roaring and having to put the book down because I was laughing so hard, to a proper lump in the throat.
If you're a writer, and want to enter competitions, this is the kind of collection of stories you need to read and devour every lesson you can from it.
Highly recommended read, easy to breeze through, and a delightful Sunday afternoon read.
January 16, 2016
A book full of emotions. Be ready for them. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews