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Bonds of Love & Blood
by
Whether far from home or longing to escape, the people in these stories find themselves displaced from their normal routines. They misread the signals and wind up stranded on lonely beaches or seizing the moment before happiness flits away.
"MacDonald applies insight, power, and delicacy to create characters between whom the psychic space virtually sizzles." —FOREWORD REV ...more
"MacDonald applies insight, power, and delicacy to create characters between whom the psychic space virtually sizzles." —FOREWORD REV ...more
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Kindle Edition, 238 pages
Published
December 3rd 2015
by Summertime Publications Inc
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Start your review of Bonds of Love & Blood
I loved the writing style of this novel. I enjoyed 'Pancho Villa's Coin'. 'Almost Paradise' is highly amusing; a person feels a little sorry for Walter, although I found he has a real intellectual personality that I enjoyed reading about. In 'Key West', I got the feeling that Lana Buskirk brought up a spoilt brat. And I wan't really fond of 'Tom Jovanovich in 'Proud to be American'. With 'Finding Peter' I felt sorry for Anna Ringaard who was looking for her son; but I didn't agree with the choic
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Bonds of Love and Blood is a stunning collection of MacDonald's previously published and award-winning short stories. More than half her compilation have either received high recognition or won titles. Among a list of accolades, MacDonald's awards include the Barry Hannah Prize, Jeanne Leiby Award, the Ron Rash Award, the Matt Clark Prize, and the American Literary Review Fiction Prize. Aptly titled, MacDonald's latest literary work presents humanity in its visceral form—the depth of characters'
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I was elated to read Bonds of Love and Blood by Marylee MacDonald. The short stories were adventurous, fascinating and relatable. What a delightful treat to read such a great book.
Bonds of Love & Blood provides a compelling short story collection that weaves together disparate lives in many different places and moves across emotional landscapes of connection and alienation alike in the process of exploring the bonds that bind and caress.
Twelve stories center on various forms and aspects of love and their transitional powers: each protagonist faces something different, reacts in a singular manner, and ultimately changes enough to realize either a clearer purpose in life or ...more
Twelve stories center on various forms and aspects of love and their transitional powers: each protagonist faces something different, reacts in a singular manner, and ultimately changes enough to realize either a clearer purpose in life or ...more
Travel exposes us to ourselves. We visit other places to get away from the everyday. But stripped of the props of habit, our fears and foibles come to the fore. Marylee MacDonald holds up a mirror of self-discovery for the varied and idiosyncratic characters in this magnificent collection of short stories, many of which are set in exotic locales.
From Angela, a postal inspector, who left “an absolutely dead and vacant life” to vacation in Istanbul, where a Turkish friend tries to part her from he ...more
The one thing that stands out in Marylee MacDonald’s collection of short stories is…well, there are a lot more than one. Its wry humor, its investigation of the cracks between who we want to be and who we are, its unflinching scrutiny of the desires and betrayals that make us human.
Each story resonates with us on some visceral level. We’ve all succumbed to passivity for the sake of tranquility, we’ve felt the gravity of an unhealthy relationship pulling us back into its dysfunctional orbit, we’ ...more
Each story resonates with us on some visceral level. We’ve all succumbed to passivity for the sake of tranquility, we’ve felt the gravity of an unhealthy relationship pulling us back into its dysfunctional orbit, we’ ...more
A collection of short stories that centered around travel and getting a new sense of direction whether
it be in your familiar neighborhood or in distant lands.
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads.
it be in your familiar neighborhood or in distant lands.
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads.
These are powerful stories pulsing with life, going deep into the veins, the heart and head. I haven't read such muscular prose in years. Some of the stories are visceral, others take a longer view. They deal with the divides between men and women, young and old, Western and Asian cultures. The misunderstandings in these divides are clearly shown in the characters' actions and thoughts. At the same time, it is in exploring the chasm that greater understanding occurs. What seems to be compromise
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These twelve short stories by Marylee MacDonald are marvels. Each is dryly humorous. Each resonates with the reader. Each explores the underlying viscera of relationships whether between parent/child, employer/employee, or lovers. Some I liked; some I re-read as soon as I finished the first reading. MacDonald is masterful at creating or recreating a setting whether the US, Mexico, Turkey, or Thailand.
I am so much in awe of Marylee MacDonald's uncanny skill with characterizations. So diverse but absolutely 'real' people. Loved every story. Great reading!
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Excellent!
purplemanatees.org
purplemanatees.org
Title: Bonds of Love and Blood
Author: Marylee MacDonald
Pages: 225
Genre: Short Stories, Fiction, Interpersonal Relations
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
In a way, these stories were all created with a purpose and a location in mind. Each story carried some sort of moral or understanding to be found in the end. They each felt so unique and the plot felt complete for each of them.
One of the Book club questions in the back of the book posed this great question that accurat ...more
purplemanatees.org
Title: Bonds of Love and Blood
Author: Marylee MacDonald
Pages: 225
Genre: Short Stories, Fiction, Interpersonal Relations
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
In a way, these stories were all created with a purpose and a location in mind. Each story carried some sort of moral or understanding to be found in the end. They each felt so unique and the plot felt complete for each of them.
One of the Book club questions in the back of the book posed this great question that accurat ...more
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer for Reader Views (11/16)
“Bonds of Love & Blood” by Marylee MacDonald is an excellent book of short stories that will capture reader’s hearts and stay with them even after reading.
Through MacDonald’s writing readers are transported through a variety of plots, some which they have or may encounter that will give them the opportunity to decide on the endings. The short stories carried one from another with great ease and a seamless flow. The plots span around the world and t ...more
“Bonds of Love & Blood” by Marylee MacDonald is an excellent book of short stories that will capture reader’s hearts and stay with them even after reading.
Through MacDonald’s writing readers are transported through a variety of plots, some which they have or may encounter that will give them the opportunity to decide on the endings. The short stories carried one from another with great ease and a seamless flow. The plots span around the world and t ...more
I have enjoyed short story collections for years by authors as well known as Carver, Munro, and Wolff and found Bonds of Love & Blood equally engaging and well written. In fact I can’t think of a single collection that matches this collection for its breadth of settings: Turkey, Mexico, Thailand, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Prague, San Francisco, Key West, and the American Midwest. In each story, loyalties and love built through family ties or friendships are tested under the strain of circumstances,
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Seldom have I read stories with the staying power of these. The characters in these twelve stories and their situations continue to resonate in my thoughts long after I came to the end. These stories involve a “stranger in a strange land,” the American woman seeking romance in Istanbul, a mother looking for her lost son in Prague, a Japanese man hoping to secure his daughter’s marriage to an American scientist, and more, but the real terrain is the human heart. With uncommon insight and profound
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I received a copy of this collection of short stories in exchange for an honest review. I would give this short story anthology 4.5 stars. The only thing that would add to this anthology in my opinion would be some type of introduction by the author that gives you an understanding of her inspiration and motivation for writing these incredible short stories focused on travel experiences and relationships.
Although there is not a formal introduction (at least in the version I read), the author does ...more
Although there is not a formal introduction (at least in the version I read), the author does ...more
I love these stories. MacDonald masterly drawls us into the inner realm of a variety of individuals. I empathized with the mother searching for her son, the daughter of an abusive father, the young man with a noticeable birthmark, the young man searching for his place in the world, the American woman married to an Indian (Asian) man. The settings are as varied and rich as the characters: Cuba, Turkey, the Czech Republic, the U.S. These stories deserve a slow reading: the savoring of descriptive
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The stories in Bonds of Love & Blood are set in many countries with interactions between people who have cultural differences. In every story, Ms.MacDonald's descriptions use meaningful detail to enhance the themes. We learn that people have similar concerns wherever one may go and we puzzle with the narrators over such questions as "What are our obligations to others?" I enjoyed this collection very much.
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This book is a collection of stories by MacDonald that deal with the differences in thinking between genders and also between the world views of Western and Asian cultures. It also sets up situations where people try to seize the day and make the most of the moment for happiness before it may be gone. Her characters are interesting, intriguing, and complex. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and look forward to reading more MacDonald's books. Check it out.
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I have always loved short stories. I learned in school that short stories are supposed to have a punch at the end. MacDonald delivers her punches in the beginning, the middle...I love the details she just tosses in that hardly anyone ever writes about. No spoilers here, but besides the topics that the other reviewers have mentioned, I enjoyed many little "haha" moments at some unexpected discussions. Very enjoyable (yes, that's an odd word for some heavy issues) read.
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Exceptional collection of short stories. The range of characters is startling. It was like people watching at the airport or bus station. Across the country and around the world, MacDonald takes the reader inside the head of the average, everyday person and gives us an unflinching glimpse of what being human really means today. These are stories about relationships in all their complexity of emotions and hidden agendas.
Lovely stories about travel and yet about home - and the interlinking human emotions tied to both. As with all great short stories, Marylee MacDonald has folded whole worlds into the space of a few pages. Her stories are poignant and strong at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed reading her characters as they explore new worlds (from Turkey to Key West) even as they come to terms with old hurts and struggles. Highly recommend!
May 21, 2020
Josephine Briggs
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
short-stories
This book contains twelve short stories scattered in different parts of the world. Different people, different ages, different, yet the same. Bonds because we are all humanity, blood, we all bleed, we are all the same, yet all different.
The first story is set in Istanbul, Turkey. Angela is on vacation. She is friends with two Turkish men and one's wife. One has a brother in prison, he needs to buy him out. The two try to talk Angela into giving the money. Angela is too wise to be taken in. She l ...more
The first story is set in Istanbul, Turkey. Angela is on vacation. She is friends with two Turkish men and one's wife. One has a brother in prison, he needs to buy him out. The two try to talk Angela into giving the money. Angela is too wise to be taken in. She l ...more
MacDonald brings some compelling and authentic characters to life in this stellar collection of stories. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the relationships, and also the foreign places, she takes her reader in this book. Love it!
Surprising good collection of writings, all previously published in literary magazines. Author is able to create a range of believable narrators and protagonists, and in vastly different settings and scenes.
thank you for letting me review
loved it the writeing style was very good
I liked al the storys in in it
and I hope everyone gets a chance to read it
loved it the writeing style was very good
I liked al the storys in in it
and I hope everyone gets a chance to read it
Started reading the first exotic story and cannot put the book down. Best read in 2016. These stories set in various locations throughout the world explore the bleakness of the human heart.
Each short story is unique and transports the reader to places unexpected. The characters are crafted with such precision and love to make this collection of short stories a truly fascinating read.
Marylee MacDonald is really a great american author and I hope her books will be translated into Italian sooner or later!
Marylee MacDonald's stories are poignant and well-crafted. Each character portrayed in this collection had a unique voice and personal struggle, and all the settings were vivid and captivating.
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Are you looking for info on how to write fiction and get it published? If so, go here. https://maryleemacdonaldauthor.com
If you're curious about who I am and what kinds of books I write, then head to a different website.
https://maryleemacdonald.com
I'm an award-winning author, writing coach, and caregiver advocate.
My short story collection, BONDS OF LOVE & BLOOD was a finalist in Foreword Reviews ...more
If you're curious about who I am and what kinds of books I write, then head to a different website.
https://maryleemacdonald.com
I'm an award-winning author, writing coach, and caregiver advocate.
My short story collection, BONDS OF LOVE & BLOOD was a finalist in Foreword Reviews ...more
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