Review by Adanna Inya -- Illustrated Short Fiction of Wi...

[Adanna Inya]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016" by William H. Coles.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016 is a collection of thirty-three short stories, two graphic novels, and one novella. The featured pictures are done by a total of six illustrators, and the stories have different themes. The themes include bitterness, grief, betrayal, restitution, grace, forgiveness, serendipity, greed, love, unity, and family. Each story teaches a lesson and gives the reader an unfiltered insight into the harsh realities of life. This thought-provoking collection of stories is narrated in the third person for the most part, and the rest, in the first person. At the end of my reading journey, I decided that the author has a very active and creative mind.

I love this bulk of work because it helped me learn, unlearn, and relearn. I had a humbling experience reading this book. It takes the reader through feelings of excitement, immense sadness, indifference, and pure anger. By the time you're done with this book, you will feel as if you've been through an emotional wringer. The stories touched me, and I took a lesson from each one. From one of the stories titled "The Necklace," I learned that things are not always what they seem. "The Gift" showed me the lengths that great parents will go for the sake of their children. A love like that is indescribable and without comparison. "Sister Carrie" sheds some light on the family unit, reminding us that we are all we've got. I have more favorite stories from this collection, but I won't spill. Go check the book out.

The writing style of William H. Coles is original and intriguing. I was engaged and invested as the author drove my feelings through high and low. The book contains very subtle intimacy and no profanities which help widen its audience-range. The pace of each story is steady and straight to the point, but the characters are well developed.

Unfortunately, Illustrated Short Fiction had downsides which I found tiring. I felt as if I was reading a rough manuscript or the first draft of a creative piece. The collection started in a nice manner, but after the first few stories, it went downhill. The book had very tiny fonts and heavily clustered paragraphs. Most of the pictorial illustrations were awkwardly placed, and the page breaks were either too much or too little. I also had an issue with the extremely long sentences (up to 60 words) that I encountered. I kept forgetting what I'd read at the beginning of some sentences before I got to the end. I had to backtrack many times.

The book had many punctuation errors, missing words and letters, and wrong tenses. This collection of stories wasn't professionally put together or thoroughly edited. The book was truly a hard read, and citing the points that I made above, I rate Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016 two out of four stars.

I recommend this book to lovers of intrigue and suspense-filled books. However, if you are always keen on getting closure, you may not like this book.

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Illustrated Short Fiction of William H. Coles: 2000-2016
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[jennydelacruz]

I read and reviewed this book too, Adanna. I agree with you in terms of the ability to induce the readers feelings by his writing style. I also learned a lot from The Necklace and there were several lines that really moved me and stayed in my mind up until now, like “There’s too great a difference between the haves and the have-nots.” As usual, your review is carefully and elegantly put together! Thanks for the review.

[Y0landa]

I love touching stories that teach. With another round of editing, sounds like it would be great! But I might just overlook the editing mistakes and give it a read. Thank you so much for your honest review, very nicely written.

[Adanna Inya]

I read and reviewed this book too, Adanna. I agree with you in terms of the ability to induce the readers feelings by his writing style. I also learned a lot from The Necklace and there were several lines that really moved me and stayed in my mind up until now, like “There’s too great a difference between the haves and the have-nots.” As usual, your review is carefully and elegantly put together! Thanks for the review.

Thanks Jenny. Looks like we end up reviewing almost the same book. Haha! Thanks for your sweet heart.

[Adanna Inya]

I love touching stories that teach. With another round of editing, sounds like it would be great! But I might just overlook the editing mistakes and give it a read. Thank you so much for your honest review, very nicely written.

Thank you Yolanda. You should read it.

[Kanda_theGreat]

My review of this book is yet to be published. Coincidentally, I enjoyed reading The Necklace too.
Thank you for your thorough analysis of the book.

[Adanna Inya]

My review of this book is yet to be published. Coincidentally, I enjoyed reading The Necklace too.
Thank you for your thorough analysis of the book.

That is nice to hear. Thank you for commenting.

[Y0landa]

I love touching stories that teach. With another round of editing, sounds like it would be great! But I might just overlook the editing mistakes and give it a read. Thank you so much for your honest review, very nicely written.

Thank you Yolanda. You should read it.

Thanks for recommending it, Adanna. I will definitely add it on my list of books to read! Enjoy your Sunday!

[Phelicia Gloria]

Great review, but I'll skip this one until the many errors are rectified.

[Adanna Inya]

Great review, but I'll skip this one until the many errors are rectified.

Thank you for your comments.

[Samisah]

I just reviewed this book myself and I love it. So many interesting and relevant stories. Mr Coles writing is unique.
What a review too! You are such an amazing writer.

[Adanna Inya]

I just reviewed this book myself and I love it. So many interesting and relevant stories. Mr Coles writing is unique.
What a review too! You are such an amazing writer.

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the compliment.

[J_odoyo]

I love Mr. Cole's writing style and the how valuable his stories are. I'm not a fan of short stories, but I think this one is worth reading. Thanks for this great review!

[Adanna Inya]

I love Mr. Cole's writing style and the how valuable his stories are. I'm not a fan of short stories, but I think this one is worth reading. Thanks for this great review!

Yes, it is. Thank you for your comment.

[Nerea]

I agree. The author has an active and a creative mind. I love reading his books. Your analysis of the book is awesome. Good job.