I love the grasp on the "real" and how the "ideal" is indirectly implied. The irony is spectacular . . . The thoughts so raw and actions so rehearsed, predictive. . . .
A truly convincing voice! Weston does so much in such a small space. This short story gets up off the page from the first sentence and remains airborne long past the last line. Subtle and precise. Nice job!
birdy birdyboo replied on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 11:13am
I love the tone and the deliciousness of this story. The introduction compels you to read on and the action doesn't disappoint. It's scary to imagine how many of our lives are started or lived on just such a foundation. Well done.
I read this as a love story and found it very clever and also very funny. Well done! You had me from the first sentence and kept me till the last and I'm usually easily bored! Fine, spare writing.
Sheila Dalton replied on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 01:33pm
Weston is at her best, immediately drawing the reader into this brief think piece. She opens with an obscure yet bold statement, and attaches meaning by creating a very real scene. Filled with visual and sensual stimuli, she doesn’t abandon her reader by lapsing into anything gratuitous. She makes her point and in the process, makes her readers issue a wry smile. Very well done.
Michele Cozzens replied on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 07:56pm
Ms. Weston never fails to present us with tight psychological pieces that last long beyond the immediate. Her charming characters never fail to engage us. Excellent work.
Michelle Montgomery replied on Thu, 01/22/2009 - 06:46pm
I loved it. Here is a story told with refreshing honesty. It is sexy but not gratuitous, well-crafted, and stunningly accurate in depicting the consequences of the ill-considered, throw-away line. Here is one short story that actually tells a story!
Philip Arnold replied on Fri, 01/23/2009 - 03:57pm
The clever voices that tell this story present the reader with what Weston does best, gives us characters that are oddly real, strong; yet vulnerable. Each of her works is tightly structured and makes the reading of them an action, so that by the end of the story we get to decide if we've been there before, or have simply been offered a glimpse of the duality of our nature. Every one of her words count.
Elissa Iberti replied on Sun, 01/25/2009 - 08:46am
In this story, Weston's craft shines. All that is needed to glean the truth of the character through the web of lies and false cynicism is captured in the first paragraph; this creates the prism needed to understand the character and thereby the story. A worthy and intriguing concept wonderfully executed.
Carlyle Clark replied on Tue, 01/27/2009 - 12:36pm
I found myself captivated from the first word. The narrator, simultaneously bold and vulnerable, tells a universal story in a refreshing and unique way. I felt I was right there with her, that she was saying these things to me.
The story is flawlessly, beautifully written. There's not an ounce of waste: whole and vibrant and true. This is the work of a master storyteller.
Fantastic! The opening sets a tone that is perfectly carried throughout the story--never overwritten, never under-characterized. Pure genius in the concept and execution. Bravo, Ms. Lesley Weston!
Thoroughly enjoyable and sexy and tender; and what a wonderfully crafted story, a brilliant use of first-person unreliable narration. Kudos!
Loved it. Thanks, Leslie!
Very nice. How easy it is for any of us to stumble down those stairs. Thank you.
True. So true. We can all identify with some situation in our lives where communication has gone askew. Great job!
I love the grasp on the "real" and how the "ideal" is indirectly implied. The irony is spectacular . . . The thoughts so raw and actions so rehearsed, predictive. . . .
It was sweet and short and no line is wasted. I love how unbloated this story is as if the author has no ink to waste.
I don't have anything elegant to say. Just that I am grateful to have the opportunity
to read this story.
A truly convincing voice! Weston does so much in such a small space. This short story gets up off the page from the first sentence and remains airborne long past the last line. Subtle and precise. Nice job!
I love the tone and the deliciousness of this story. The introduction compels you to read on and the action doesn't disappoint. It's scary to imagine how many of our lives are started or lived on just such a foundation. Well done.
I read this as a love story and found it very clever and also very funny. Well done! You had me from the first sentence and kept me till the last and I'm usually easily bored! Fine, spare writing.
Weston is at her best, immediately drawing the reader into this brief think piece. She opens with an obscure yet bold statement, and attaches meaning by creating a very real scene. Filled with visual and sensual stimuli, she doesn’t abandon her reader by lapsing into anything gratuitous. She makes her point and in the process, makes her readers issue a wry smile. Very well done.
Ms. Weston never fails to present us with tight psychological pieces that last long beyond the immediate. Her charming characters never fail to engage us. Excellent work.
I loved it. Here is a story told with refreshing honesty. It is sexy but not gratuitous, well-crafted, and stunningly accurate in depicting the consequences of the ill-considered, throw-away line. Here is one short story that actually tells a story!
The clever voices that tell this story present the reader with what Weston does best, gives us characters that are oddly real, strong; yet vulnerable. Each of her works is tightly structured and makes the reading of them an action, so that by the end of the story we get to decide if we've been there before, or have simply been offered a glimpse of the duality of our nature. Every one of her words count.
In this story, Weston's craft shines. All that is needed to glean the truth of the character through the web of lies and false cynicism is captured in the first paragraph; this creates the prism needed to understand the character and thereby the story. A worthy and intriguing concept wonderfully executed.
I found myself captivated from the first word. The narrator, simultaneously bold and vulnerable, tells a universal story in a refreshing and unique way. I felt I was right there with her, that she was saying these things to me.
The story is flawlessly, beautifully written. There's not an ounce of waste: whole and vibrant and true. This is the work of a master storyteller.
Fantastic! The opening sets a tone that is perfectly carried throughout the story--never overwritten, never under-characterized. Pure genius in the concept and execution. Bravo, Ms. Lesley Weston!