Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Over the Pass and Other Stories” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Over the Pass and Other Stories

Susan Mary Malone (Goodreads Author)

4.42 · Rating details · 12 ratings · 8 reviews

From the expansive openness of Texas to the steep peaks of Montana, this collection of stories mines iconic landscapes--the internal mirroring the outer realms. Many previously published in Literary journals and anthologies, some, original here, all explore what it means to be human. They are stories of the heart.

Get A Copy

Or buy for $5.99

Paperback, 114 pages

Published March 10th 2018 by Dark Horse Fictioin

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Over the Pass and Other Stories, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Over the Pass and Other Stories

Lists with This Book

Hitchin' Post and the Tornado Twistin' 4th of July Celebration by Julie Barker

A Transistor Christmas by Donna Arlynn Frisinger

Bink and Slinky's Ark Adventure by Donna Arlynn Frisinger

Lone Star List's Holiday Gift Guide 2019

75 books — 1 voter

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-33

Average rating 4.42 ·

Rating details

· 12 ratings · 8 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Over the Pass and Other Stories

Jun 03, 2018 Peter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: literary-fiction, publisher-author-direct, favorites, collection, short-stories

Affirmation
I have fallen in love with short stories thanks to Over the Pass and Other Short Stories by Susan Mary Malone. Reading a book of short stories, to steal a very famous quote is “like a box of chocolates”, you never know what you’re going to get or if you’re going to like them all. Well, this book was a quality box of chocolates with 12 different centres. Each story standing on its own, with its own flavoured centre but covered in the same luxurious coating.

The first 3 stories involve t Affirmation
I have fallen in love with short stories thanks to Over the Pass and Other Short Stories by Susan Mary Malone. Reading a book of short stories, to steal a very famous quote is “like a box of chocolates”, you never know what you’re going to get or if you’re going to like them all. Well, this book was a quality box of chocolates with 12 different centres. Each story standing on its own, with its own flavoured centre but covered in the same luxurious coating.

The first 3 stories involve the same characters Julie and Troy and are based in Montana. The scenario behind the Descent story was very similar to an experience I had with my daughter, and it brought back such vivid heart racing memories. I was back on that mountain again, running, worried, exhilarated. Living in a forested mountain region, 'Over the Pass', which is the story lending itself to the title of the book, was also personally relevant and the final feeling from Julie, which I totally empathised with:

“The rest of my heart broke off, as does a branch after fire has eaten the tree substance out. It fled to find its other heart half, back down that rutted road. I let it slide away, let it slip through opened, through grasping fingers. Let it go.”

The writing is wonderfully lyrical and poetic. Susan’s ability to capture such beautiful scenes is amazing. She unleashes the deep surreptitious thoughts that whisper in a relationship and expresses the detail of simple gestures that have such abstruse meaning. The blending of characterisation and setting is perfect, especially considering the length of each story where nothing in the narration feels sacrificed – an artist at work.

The other stories have different characters each dealing with a unique situation but each exploring human feelings, hopes, fears and desires. There is often a feeling of menace and foreboding in each story, which keeps us enthralled. Each story culminates in a moment in time, that watershed moment, that moment when our ambitions and goals collide with reality, deception or fate.

A highly recommended book of wonderful gems. ...more

flag 71 likes · Like · see review

May 19, 2018 Leonard Tillerman rated it it was amazing

In the wonderful world of fiction writing there are so many different types of genres and stories that virtually any reader will be able to find something which they enjoy. Even within the same genres there are different approaches to writing which are really only limited by the author’s imagination. These great authors will grab words from the air and put them down on paper so that they are colorful, captivating and intelligible. They can provide the reader with much needed entertainment and In the wonderful world of fiction writing there are so many different types of genres and stories that virtually any reader will be able to find something which they enjoy. Even within the same genres there are different approaches to writing which are really only limited by the author’s imagination. These great authors will grab words from the air and put them down on paper so that they are colorful, captivating and intelligible. They can provide the reader with much needed entertainment and escape. While doing so, some authors pen their stories in such a way that they can only be described as beautiful and poetic. This is the case with Susan Mary Malone’s anthology, Over the Pass, and Other Stories. For those who are seeking superb writing which carefully examines the human condition, this collection of literary fiction may be exactly what you seek!

Over the Pass and Other Stories is actually a collection of short tales which have been assembled together as one book. There are 12 short stories which take place from the breathtaking beauty of Montana to the vast lands of Texas. While the first few stories contain the same characters, each story is unique and distinct and stands on its own. From a once passionate love affair which is gradually falling apart, to a rat infestation in a vineyard which is really not about rats at all! While each tale is indeed unique, they all have one very common characteristic...that of thoroughly exploring the human condition. In particular, the female experience within this framework. Be that as it may, this collection of literary fiction manages to tap into our own innermost emotions as we read, irregardless of which gender you may identify with.

While reading this collection of stories, I personally experienced sadness, happiness, surprise and disgust. What is more, I was virtually transported into the tales and felt part of the actual experience. For instance, we have all fallen into and out of love have we not? The author presents this concept in such a way that we are emotionally invested in the tale and feel elation, sadness and even nostalgic as the story progresses. To have the reader feel "part of" the story is really what true engagement is, and no easy feat. Susan Mary Malone manages to accomplish this task very effectively!

While the plot and overall theme of these stories is engrossing, the compelling character development and beautiful setting description is entirely captivating as well. The characters contained within the various tales are quite ordinary people. There is nothing particularly heroic about them. However, that is what makes them so easy to relate to and identify with. Even within each short story we are able to see a great deal of growth within the characters and we ourselves are able to reflect upon such growth. In some instances it is like looking at our own reflection in the mirror.

In regards to the setting description, the author really shows how well she understands her craft. Putting forth the time and place of a story (or stories) with enough description to capture the reader's interest can be tricky. Quite frequently however, the reader will become tired of elaborate description and begin to lose interest. That is simply not the case in these tales. The writing which describes the setting is poetic beauty. Literary devices are used throughout as a way to paint a picture of the setting with words. They are never used just for their own sake.

As there are some adult themes in these stories, I would recommend them for an adult audience. Lovers of excellent and descriptive writing will find something to love within each of these tales. Highly recommended!

5 out of 5 Beautiful Stars for this one! ***** ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 04, 2018 Taylor Watkins rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-bbn, author-submitted

When author Susan Mary Malone contacted me about this book and told me that she was a native Texan, I was delighted! I don't get too many opportunities to meet Texan authors outside of writers' conferences, and I don't recall ever reviewing a book by a Texan author before. She kindly gave me a .mobi file of Over the Pass, and Other Stories in exchange for an honest review, and I'm certainly glad that she did, because I loved this book!

Check out my full review, complete with a list of pros and co ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 05, 2019 Lee Hall rated it it was amazing

An anthology of deep and wonderfully descriptive short stories that whisks the reader away…

Using a combination of vivid settings and a deep immersive writing style, Susan Mary Malone has put together a book of tales that can best be described as escapism in it’s purest form. The american landscape described throughout will make any reader think that they have stood overlooking places of natural beauty even if they have never been there and that is just one of the many values this book contains.

H ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 18, 2018 Nina Romano rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

No Spoilers Here!

Good literary fiction always involves folks of all walks of life with problems, baggage, tension, troubles, and risk. And these are the characters that people the stories of Susan Mary Malone's short story collection, Over the Pass and Other Stories, and I was literally blown away reading them. This is fiction that transports the reader to the places of the setting and puts them smack dab into the middle of people’s lives and their plights and predicaments.

I didn't find the wr No Spoilers Here!

Good literary fiction always involves folks of all walks of life with problems, baggage, tension, troubles, and risk. And these are the characters that people the stories of Susan Mary Malone's short story collection, Over the Pass and Other Stories, and I was literally blown away reading them. This is fiction that transports the reader to the places of the setting and puts them smack dab into the middle of people’s lives and their plights and predicaments.

I didn't find the writing exceptionally beautiful or particularly poetic—and that’s a great story-telling device because the language fits the characters and what they’re thinking. On occasion when some highfalutin words appear, they are explained away with gentle, easy to believe explanations. But what I loved about Malone's writing in these short pieces was her deft management of nuanced expressions, and the way she immerses you into the story media res. Her realistic dialogue and clear descriptions pull you in as if a great gravitational force and you’re compelled to swan-dive off of a high cliff into swirling icy water.

Malone uses Texas and Montana as settings, and she does so with complete confidence and understanding of their importance. I recently taught a creative writing workshop on Scenery and Place—and if I didn’t know any better I could swear that Susan Mary Malone in Texas had eavesdropped on my seminar in Florida! She nailed it!

Having recently driven across Texas, I can tell you it’s huge. The trek was hot and dusty from Wichita Falls to Amarillo, and Dumas is north of Amarillo and that’s over two-hundred miles which in straight driving time and translates to 4 hrs. and 8 min. via US-287 N. So when I read the story entitled "Two Hundred Miles to Dumas," at first I thought it was a mistake, but no! The author has the car conk out at” 200 miles to Dumas.” So not only does it ring true but it also resonates in many ways. The characters, their actions take place along this driving route.

Montana is a state that has acquired a great many nicknames, one of which is quite apt: "Big Sky Country" and it has slogans about it like "Land of the Shining Mountains." But I've also driven through this state and Montana is much more—these other facets are what Malone captures in her other stories and I found enriches the writing.

All of her stories are luminous, the writing strong and solid and a pleasure to read.

...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 18, 2018 Píaras Cíonnaoíth rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A pleasure to read...

This short story collection is excellent and makes you think, indeed, that is probably its intention and the author Susan Mary Malone definitely succeeds in putting you front and center as if you were there to see the realities which confront us all. It was a pleasure to read it.

I found her work to be original, intriguing and by all accounts entertaining. Her short stories entitled, Over the Pass and Two Hundred Miles to Dumas were among my favorites. Her writing style was ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 17, 2018 Carmen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: review-books-2018

There were three short stories that had the same characters: Winter's Prey, Descent and Over the Pass. Winter's Prey was quite poetic at times, and I quite liked this. The other two seemed to be mainly from Julie's point of view, and it made me question her view and how accurate it was - I got the idea that she was one of those very emotionally sensitive characters.
With regards to Cowboys over Ladies, I got the impression that Sara had become a little bit bitter in regards to her marriage.
The ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 23, 2018 Heather Brown Beatty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Beautifully written. The characters were captivating and the stories engaging.

flag Like · see review

SD rated it did not like it
Nov 25, 2019

Dr Wang rated it really liked it
Apr 10, 2018

Virginia Tell rated it it was amazing
Jun 04, 2018

Apr 09, 2018 Susan Malone rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

2 likes · Like

Judy added it
May 04, 2018

Lauren marked it as to-read
Jun 03, 2018

NancyJ marked it as to-read
Jun 03, 2018

Hannah marked it as to-read
Jun 04, 2018

Thomas marked it as to-read
Jun 04, 2018

Joe marked it as to-read
Jun 04, 2018

Kim marked it as to-read
Jun 04, 2018

Mada Linx marked it as to-read
Jun 15, 2018

Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader marked it as to-read
Jun 16, 2018

Ann marked it as to-read
Aug 28, 2018

Ge marked it as to-read
Sep 05, 2018

JV (semi-hiatus) marked it as to-read
Sep 13, 2018

SueLucie marked it as to-read
Sep 13, 2018

Barbara marked it as to-read
Sep 13, 2018

Tracy marked it as to-read
Sep 13, 2018

Bean Bouguereau marked it as to-read
Sep 01, 2019

Bailey marked it as to-read
Apr 04, 2020

Indieflower marked it as to-read
May 20, 2020

Bethany Ladrie marked it as to-read
Sep 17, 2020

Leonard Tillerman added it
May 13, 2018

Susan Wiswall is currently reading it
Jul 06, 2018

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Genres

Literary Fiction

3 users

Short Stories

3 users

See top shelves…

About Susan Mary Malone

Susan Mary Malone

74 followers

Texas native Susan Mary Malone has published two novels, co-authored four nonfiction books, and written many short stories. Her happiness is fiction, wine, and Labrador Retrievers, the latter of which she raises, trains, and shows. Literature is her love. In addition to writing, she edits; fifty-plus Malone-edited books have sold to traditional publishers, and one of them was made into a Hallmark ...more