Official Review: Impressions by Dan Groat

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AA1495
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Official Review: Impressions by Dan Groat

Post by AA1495 »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Impressions" by Dan Groat.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Review: Impressions by Dan Groat

Impressions by Dan Groat is a collection of 55 short stories, each with a unique idea or message. Most stories begin with seemingly routine everyday activities, which later take unusual turns. The themes of the stories are varied. These include philosophical conversations, carefully planned crimes, forming and rekindling of relationships and human emotions. Most stories describe different forms of human relationships or human nature. While some stories show the value of friendship, some describe the bond between humans and their pets. Relationships with parents and grandparents are recurring themes in the book.

While some stories are barely a page long, some last for over five pages. However, each story, irrespective of its length and genre, will either surprise you or inspire you. For most stories, just when I thought that the plot was getting familiar, that I knew how it would end, there was one sentence or one dialogue at the very end, that changed my perspective about the entire story.

While I liked almost every story, three stories were my favorite. The first one dealt with a man’s OCD. The man was trying to use his OCD to his advantage, by being obsessed with making himself a better person. This story is told from his neighbor’s perspective. However, it was the ending of this book that surprised me. Without giving away any spoilers, I can say that this was one ending I wouldn’t have ever guessed.

The second story dealt with the sensitive topic of discrimination. I liked how the message was conveyed in the form of a simple story. The protagonist of this story is a young student, whose dialogues, in particular, were very powerful. Finally, the third story I loved was about two neighbors, Carl and Peter, who couldn’t stop fighting. When they didn’t have major issues to fight about, they would fight about very minor ones. This story was unique, had an unexpected ending and an element of humor in it.

The beauty of this book lies in its simplicity. The author hardly describes the characters and yet you can connect with them – with almost each one of them. What I liked best about the stories, without a doubt, were the endings. They’ll surprise you even when you’re mentally prepared for a surprise.

The only issue I had with this book was its editing. I found a few grammatical errors. While these were minor, they did interrupt my flow of reading. Further, while this could be an issue with my kindle edition, the formatting was inconsistent. The font style and size kept changing from chapter to chapter, which was distracting.

I would rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. All the stories are unique and very well written. Some will inspire the reader, while some will leave them laughing. Almost everyone will enjoy these stories, irrespective of their genre preferences. There is some mature content in this book and hence, I will recommend this book to adults who are looking for meaningful short stories to read.

******
Impressions
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Heidi M Simone
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

Wonderful review! I like how this short story compilation touches upon many themes and topics that can be related to many. Also, I like how you mentioned that one line or dialogue had changed your perspective on the story completely; only a really author can do that! Congratulations to the author for receiving such a positive review!
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Post by gali »

55 short stories, each with a unique idea or message?? Sounds good. Too bad that the few grammatical errors interrupted your flow of reading. Congratulations to the author for the great review!
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Post by Elaine5 »

This sounds like a story collection I would really enjoy. Great review and congratulations to the author.
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Post by Gravy »

I find I'm curious as to the way the author describes the relationship between humans and their pets? There are so many different ways that people treat their pets. Some like family, some like their children, some like more demanding stuffed animals :lol:
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Post by Utpal K Khot »

A collection of 55 stories and a perfect 4/4 rating makes IMPRESSIONS by Dan Groat a perfect read. Looking forward. Congrats on being the BOTD. :)
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Post by tarafarah7 »

I'm looking forward to making this purchase! It is nice to have short stories to read when you just aren't in the mood for a long novel. Great review! I really like the selection of books for BOTD lately!!!
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Post by Insightsintobooks »

I think this collection of short stories sounds wonderful. I think I'd probably enjoy the more philosophical stories but like that each of them have a different theme. Thank you for the review.
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Post by AA1495 »

hsimone wrote:Wonderful review! I like how this short story compilation touches upon many themes and topics that can be related to many. Also, I like how you mentioned that one line or dialogue had changed your perspective on the story completely; only a really author can do that! Congratulations to the author for receiving such a positive review!
Thank You for the comment. I hope you give this book a chance! ☺

-- 10 Jan 2017, 09:05 --
gali wrote:55 short stories, each with a unique idea or message?? Sounds good. Too bad that the few grammatical errors interrupted your flow of reading. Congratulations to the author for the great review!
It was a good collection of stories. I hope you give it a chance. Thank You for your comment! ☺

-- 10 Jan 2017, 09:06 --
Elaine5 wrote:This sounds like a story collection I would really enjoy. Great review and congratulations to the author.
I think you'll enjoy it! Hope you read it when you can! Thank You for your comment! ☺

-- 10 Jan 2017, 09:08 --
Gravy wrote:I find I'm curious as to the way the author describes the relationship between humans and their pets? There are so many different ways that people treat their pets. Some like family, some like their children, some like more demanding stuffed animals :lol:
Haha, all the people treat their pets well! Those stories were nice! I hope you read the book if you can. Thank You for your comment! ☺

-- 10 Jan 2017, 09:08 --
uk8971 wrote:A collection of 55 stories and a perfect 4/4 rating makes IMPRESSIONS by Dan Groat a perfect read. Looking forward. Congrats on being the BOTD. :)
I hope you give the book a chance! Thank You for your comment! ☺

-- 10 Jan 2017, 09:10 --
tarafarah7 wrote:I'm looking forward to making this purchase! It is nice to have short stories to read when you just aren't in the mood for a long novel. Great review! I really like the selection of books for BOTD lately!!!
I agree. It's nice to have short stories to read. I hope you like this book. Do let me know how you like it when you finish reading it. Thank You for your comment! ☺

-- 10 Jan 2017, 09:11 --
Insightsintobooks wrote:I think this collection of short stories sounds wonderful. I think I'd probably enjoy the more philosophical stories but like that each of them have a different theme. Thank you for the review.
I liked those stories, I think you will too. I hope you give this book a chance! Thank You for your comment! ☺
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Post by Kourtney Bradley »

Nice review! Glad to hear you enjoyed them!
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AA1495
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Post by AA1495 »

klbradley wrote:Nice review! Glad to hear you enjoyed them!
I did! Thank You so much for your comment! :D
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Post by Bandersnatch »

This sounds like a really nice book. I love when stories manage to surprise me, especially since these days they're hard to come by. Great review!
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Post by Vermont Reviews »

Great review. I did purchase this book to add to my 2017 reading list.
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Post by Kdonegan91 »

Great review! I can't wait to read more. I absolutely love books like this. I find it amazing how the stories have very little character detail but yet the reader connects with the character.
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Post by Strangerthanfiction »

Great review! I love the idea of so many short stories in one place especially when they turn out to have unexpected endings. Congrats to the author on such a wonderful review. I will definitely be purchasing this book. Thanks so much for sharing.
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