An Inheritance

by Diane Simmons

‘An Inheritance is a gem of a novella. It succeeds in spanning seventy years and four generations of one family, exquisitely capturing their relationships, secrets and divided loyalties. The historical changes wrought by each decade are delicately interwoven throughout the twists and turns within the family’s life. This captivating narrative will make you weep and smile.’
Joanna Campbell, author

‘Despite large secrets and larger financial woes, one family’s superior love, kindness and understanding pulls them through the hardest of times, from generation to generation. An Inheritance is a poignant heart-warmer of a novella-in-flash and is a useful lesson in the importance of kindness in this life.’
Nuala O’Connor, author of Becoming Belle

44 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2020

About the author

DIANE SIMMONS is a British author who lives in the west country. She is a co-director of National Flash Fiction Day and a former director of the UK Flash Fiction Festival. She has been a reader for the international Bath Short Story Award and a judge for several flash competitions, including Flash 500, New Zealand’s Micro Madness, NFFD Micro Fiction Competition, and many Flash Fiction Festival competitions. Widely published and anthologised, she has been placed in numerous short story and flash competitions. She is the author of four novellas-in-flash: 'Finding a Way', (Ad Hoc Fiction), 'An Inheritance' (V. Press), 'A Tricky Dance' (Alien Buddha Press) & 'William Prichard & Co' (Arroyo Seco Press). All her novellas are available from Amazon or from her website: www.dianesimmons.co.uk

Reviews

[Jillian Tempo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novella in the form of 18 flash fiction stories is a brilliant way of following a family saga over seventy years. All of the plot, all of the poignancy, character development and shock. None of the padding.
Diane's writing is concise, insightful and leaves you with just enough to make your own judgements.
I loved this.

Her previous collection, Finding a Way, is a masterwork on grief.

[Santino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning pamphlet of historical flashes, beginning in 1932 and concluding in 2002. This one really tugs at the heartstrings. Will definitely re-read and recommend to anyone looking for a great flash fiction read.

[Tom O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this novella in flash brought to mind Evan S. Connell's Mrs Bridge, and An Inheritance doesn’t suffer in the slightest from the comparison.

These beautifully crafted stories use carefully chosen moments to follow how choices ripple through several generations of one family.

Simmons explores themes of patriarchy, memory, inequality, legacy and loss to add an ache to simple domestic events, while the sweep of time creates poignant echoes and ironies in the flow of the story.

An Inheritance is elegant, enjoyable and moving in its own right, as well as being fine example of the novella in flash form.

[Ross Jeffery · Rating 4 out of 5]

A seventy year period of a families life expertly rendered in flash fiction - a fabulously woven collection that moves us to feel many emotions and reflection on our own familial differences! Longer review coming to STORGY!

[Emily Devane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this novella-in-flash cover to cover. From the first page, I was utterly invested in the story of reluctant pawnbroker Thomas and his family. Each short chapter is beautifully told, as I'd expect from Diane Simmons, providing the reader with brief glimpses into the family's story over a period of 70+ years, with all the mistakes and misunderstandings and realisations along the way. Loved it.

[Susan Borgersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review for An Inheritance by Diane Simmons

If ever there was a story I wish I’d written, this is it. Diane Simmons takes her readers on a journey through a family’s history. It would first seem it’s a common-or-garden family with a common-or-garden history. But is there ever such a thing?

The novella takes the reader back to an era where innocents needed protection and thereby secrets were kept without foreknowledge of their implications.

I read this flash novella three times. Each time discovering yet another layer, where the backstory continued to be meticulously woven. A thread to hang thoughts on. Characters to relate to. Places to smell and taste. Human nature to make you smile. Make you cry.

This is a story told with sensitivity, brevity and skill in plain English, not letting the words get in the way of the narrative.

And yes, as a septuagenarian, this novella spoke to me on so many levels. Diane Simmons is to be congratulated on a beautiful publication.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can this be? A whole Family Saga, written in a pamphlet length book? This historical novella-in flash by flash fiction writer, Diane Simmons very successfully covers the life of one family over 70 years beginning in the 1930s and alludes to many of the significant events of the 20th century. The novella makes you feel that you have read something much longer because of what is cleverly compressed into its 18 short chapters. Insightful and real and written in Diane's clear, lucid prose, it reflects many national concerns which are still with us today -- the affects of poverty, disease and war and the impact of adoption.

[Ali Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the novella in flash- all the satisfaction of a novel condensed to a few thousand words - and this one is a stunning and unusual example in tackling a family saga - something that is usually such a sprawl - and whittling it down to its essentials. The writing is direct and the characters clearly drawn - unfussy writing that conceals a great deal of writing craft - and conveys a cracking story.
An absolute gem.

[Rachael Dunlop · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella is a faultless example of less being more, not only in the flash form that it uses, but the understated prose that nonetheless carries a wealth of subtlety. There is all the depth and scope of a novel here, condensed to an essence that makes everything in this family saga more poignant. Especially impressive is the way the different historical periods are clearly conveyed through a wonderful use of specific detail. Thoroughly recommended.

[Jan Kaneen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each tiny chapter in this novella-in-flash is a complete story in itself but read in sequence they progress another much broader, overarching story through decades of time. Each story is quietly full of emotion and detail, the language sparse and exact, calm and understated as it gets to the nub of the relationships in this curious and original tale.

I'm not sure how the author does it, evokes character, space, time, feeling in so very few words. A really absorbing tale that I soaked up in one sitting. Highly recommended.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful novella in flash, spanning seventy years and three generations. Diane Simmons is particularly good at capturing convincing period details with a light touch. Moving between heart warming, funny and sad, with a plot that skips along, this is a very satisfying read. Highly recommend.

[Christopher Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seventy years of family life told through eighteen flash fiction stories across 40 or so pages, and I feel I know the characters so well I must have read a novel that's at least ten times as long. A marvellous achievement and an intriguing glimpse of lives lived and loved since the 1930s. Magic.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella and flash is amazing it really is it ties in so many stories that seem disconnected but aren’t and uses objects to tie to personal history some personal past specially the locket which goes through many other stories and the family who is affected by being children and dealing with topics of adoption and being sent to Waze a child sickness all kinds of things lots of love and emotion it really is amazing I recommend anyone to read it thank you Diane for sending me the PDF copy I couldn’t read it otherwise being blind thank you very much this really is an amazing book

[Bronwen Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella-in-flash tells the story of four generations of one family with all its secrets, jealousies and problems. At the same time Simmons also manages to chart the changes in social mores from 1932 - 2002 especially in relation to women's place within the family and the outside world - no mean feat in such a short book. This is a very satisfying and heart-warming read but is never sentimental or cloying.

[theshortstory.co.uk (TSS Publishing)]

"Simmons’ writing is unfussy, tender and engaging, but there's a great deal going on under the surface. It's a beautiful little book which has much to say about time and change and families, and about the treasures to be found in ordinary life"

Read Becky Tipper's full review at: https://theshortstory.co.uk/short-sto...

[Alva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when you think your heartstrings cannot possibly take any more tugging, along comes this extraordinary novella from Diane Simmons. Over the course of this collection of individual flash stories, we meet four generations of family whose choices at each stage of their lives set the stage for those coming after. Loyalty, love, greed, unselfishness, childhood illness, parental control, parental angst, how we never really know the reasons why, are all here in this gem of a book. These characters burrowed into my psyche and I'm not shaking them off any time soon. Brava! Diane.

[Miki]

*UPDATE*

Full review is here: http://sabotagereviews.com/2020/09/02...

This is a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it! Many thanks to Sabotage Reviews and V. Press.

An Inheritance
Diane Simmons

[Damhnait Monaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A multi-generational flash fiction novella that has the depth and feel of a novel. Spanning four generations it examines a family in all its humanity - sacrifice and betrayal, jealousy, anger, love and above all forgiveness. Recommended.