Holiday Shorts

by Garfield Collins

Introducing Holiday Shorts, a compilation of bite-sized stories with a far wider scope than a typical short story collection! Quick to read, packed with wit and wry observations, but often set against a background which leaves plenty to think about, these stories cover it all from love and loss, history and sci-fi, wars and terrorism to family and contemporary social issues. Some of them are based in London where the author grew up and a number are inspired by Sussex where he now lives. They range across time from the medieval to the apocalypse, across the Earth and into the far galaxies, but all feature characters that a reader can relate to. Perfect for the busy reader.

296 pages, Paperback

Published August 28, 2020

Reviews

[Soozee]

I enjoy reading short stories. However, this book does not contain any really good stories at all - they are all very, very short, and seem more like half-baked plots for stories the author thought he might like to write one day, but never got around to doing so. There are certainly a plethora of scenarios, some based on snippets of real facts, others just flights of fancy. The author clearly has great belief in his own skills as a storyteller, not particularly supported by the contents of this book. Many of the stories are pointless or dull, with pretentious sentences 'a ghastly memory tumbled out of Jack's unconscious mind like the contents from a broken suitcase'. Really? There are a couple of gems that could have been worked up into good short stories, but there are so many to wade through, the reader loses the will to continue.

I think, from the author's remarks and 'clever' title pun, it was intended that the reader pick up and put down the book, reading one or two tales during leisure moments, but I'm afraid I don't read in that way. I want to read a story, be transported, be entertained. Once I start a book, I don't want to abandon it for a while (to get over the ennui) and then return for another dose.

Sorry, this one did not work at all for me. Too many tedious little tales and not enough meat to keep the reader enthralled.

Thank you to NetGalley, Troubador Publishing Ltd and Matador for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for a (very) honest review.

[Clay Iles]

Flash fiction is a story with only a few words, less than a thousand say, or even a hundred. In his book Holiday Shorts, Garfield Collins has brought together his own flash fiction, many of the stories below five hundred words. In doing so he has avoided the esoteric or even downright incomprehensible to which ‘flash’ sometimes lapses. The demands of sleep often cut short bedtime reading - nodding off after a page or two is usual. Garfield’s collection - brief and often light - is the ideal remedy. Holiday Shorts is a most varied collection; love, war, humour, serious, business, moral, it’s all there. An essential for a bedside table.

[Hel Cruse]

Loving these short shorts!

[Garf Collins]

I'm not going to review my own book! But after reading Soozie's review, in the interest of balance, see below some excellent five star reviews for the e-book on Amazon. Soozie prefers to get deeply involved in a novel. Obviously, flash fiction is not for her.

Dr Juliet Williams CBE former commissioning editor for MacMillan, says;
'Holiday Shorts adds a new and exciting dimension to short story-telling. You really can pick it up and put it down without losing its drama and dynamic, only to return to find an endless library of 'bite-size' cameos and persuasive plots. This masterpiece gives great credence to the art of creative writing and its ability to enable all of us to capture the pain, purpose, passion, and humour of everyday life.'

Jim Foley says;
I was looking for something to distract me from heavy business reading during my limited downtime. Holiday Shorts fulfilled the brief. Love and the quirkiness of human interaction feature throughout this collection of short (sometimes very short) stories and many are amusing. As well as creativity in the storylines, the vehicle used for story telling also changes creatively. For instance, one story consists purely of text exchanges between a student and a Professor of English (with an unexpected twist at the end). A very creative, collections of short, eclectic palate cleansers.

Hilary Farmbrough says;
What a wonderful collection of bite-size stories which cover many aspects of the human experience. They are well researched, imaginative, thought-provoking, amusing, sometimes moving and often have unexpected twists.
A great read for moments in life when only a short story will suffice!