The New Book Review

Interweavings 
Genre: Creative Nonfiction
Author: Carol Smallwood
Publisher: Shanti Arts Publishing, Brunswick, Maine, 2017
SBN 978-1-941830-46-8, paperback
$16.95, 
162 pages
Available on Amazon


Reviewed by Vera Gubnitskaia originally for Literary Yard

Interweavings: Creative Nonfiction is a mosaic. There is a gentle ebb and flow of threads of with children, cancer, marriage, friends, losses. And yet, you catch yourself, while reading and after you finish, thinking about your own life. Not comparing, no, just thinking, remembering, feeling. As if reading these lines, sentences, paragraphs, wakes something up, lifts a corner of a drape with a gentle breeze. Softly reminds you of pieces and interweavings of your past, of wonders of the present, of anticipation of the future.

This is a collection of shimmering bits and pieces of excellent prose. It is written by an accomplished poet, and sometimes it feels like it is written in verse. It is tempting to read it in one gulp, the collection is small and is deceptively easy to glide through; resist the urge to finish it in one sitting. Sip it slowly, reflect, put aside, reflect some more, come back. Take another taste, repeat as necessary. Enjoy the music, smile at the recollection of an episode from Columbo. Climb library steps. Grieve about a lost friend. Feel alive.


MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Vera Gubnitskaia is a  Reference Librarian for Valencia College in Winter Park, Florida. She reviews for Literary Yard. 

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ). This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.