[P3Y]⇒ PDF Wisdom of Fools Stories of Extraordinary Lives Phil Harvey 9781935448310 Books

Wisdom of Fools Stories of Extraordinary Lives Phil Harvey 9781935448310 Books

Download As PDF : Wisdom of Fools Stories of Extraordinary Lives Phil Harvey 9781935448310 Books

Wisdom of Fools Stories of Extraordinary Lives Phil Harvey 9781935448310 Books

I did like this book but some of the stories just felt like they went on and on and others I didn't want them to end just yet.


Tags : Wisdom of Fools: Stories of Extraordinary Lives [Phil Harvey] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Phil Harvey’s short stories won the Antietam Review</i> award and have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His fiction has appeared in over a dozen literary magazines including Phantasmagoria,Phil Harvey,Wisdom of Fools: Stories of Extraordinary Lives,Lost Coast Press,1935448315,Literature & Fiction Short Stories,FICTION Short Stories (single author),Fiction,Fiction - General,Short Stories (single author),Short stories

Wisdom of Fools Stories of Extraordinary Lives Phil Harvey 9781935448310 Books Reviews

I received an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. This author had moments of interesting descriptive skill but I found the stories always ended leaving you unsatisfied, and this series of short stories as a whole was of a negative vein. I am an optimist by nature and found no redemptive moral to the story. The characters each had a story or problem, and there was no real clear closure or resolution, but were often left hanging. I would not likely read this author again.
Each of the 8 short stories in this book were definitely filled with fools. I liked how each story was on a different subject. Some of them turned out to be different than I first imagined. Nice collection showing that extreme pressure will make us do weird things. I would read other books by this author.
**Originally written for “BigAl’s Books and Pals” book blog. May have received a free review copy.**

Of this collection of eight stories by Phil Harvey six of them are contemporary, two are science fictionish.

Phil Harvey has other important career strands alongside his fiction writing. He is the author of non-fiction books about contraception, government snooping and libertarian values; he has set up a charity which implements family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention programs in developing countries; helped fund the Drug Policy Alliance, the Marijuana Police project and NORML; he works to raise awareness of freedom-of-speech issues and injustices caused by the war on drugs; and he runs a company which helps adults enjoy their sex lives. His compassion in and deep knowledge of these various areas informs his fiction, to advantage.

These are meaty stories. The author turns out to be one of those treasured finds in whom, as a reader, one may place absolute trust (although that was, perhaps, not completely true of the final story in the collection ‘Xa’s Pool’ it is still a fine story).

The eight stories are delightfully varied. Nevertheless, they do have aspects in common. I would describe them all as having both a visceral foundation and as many layers as an onion. Harvey sketches in characters at the same time as he develops the story – no hanging around to see the set and meet the cast here. Not a word is wasted, which is essential when constructing short stories. The story is underway from the first sentence the pace and length are perfectly judged – and at the end is a payoff, which one had not seen coming, which is perfect and thought-provoking. Harvey is a man who really understands the short form in fiction and uses it beautifully. The puff names several writers of short fiction in whose company these stories can stand. I hereby add Ernest Hemingway – yes, Harvey is THAT good.

My favourite (and it’s a hard choice) is ‘Virgin Birth’ which looks at particularly difficult moral choices that might surround a surrogate pregnancy – the sort of choices that I’ve never been encouraged to think about before. I found it revelatory.

This is a short book. One can absorb a story in a sitting. Even if short fiction isn’t your usual fare I urge you to give these a go. If you’re still wrinkling your nose at the idea, Harvey has longer fiction available. This is an author well worth discovering.
I did like this book but some of the stories just felt like they went on and on and others I didn't want them to end just yet.