Lori L. Lake, Reviewer for Midwest Book Review: “Each of these stories is dazzling and inventive, with the underlying promise of something utterly unexpected waiting just up ahead. Don’t miss this short story collection. It’s one of the best of 2005.”

Read the entire review at http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/jun_05.htm#lori.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Arlene F. Germain, Reviewer for Midwest Book Review and The Independent Gay Writer:

Lois Cloarec Hart has written an outstanding collection of ten short stories which decidedly display the author’s rich and vivid character development, inventive plotting, and original thematic material. These selections vary in length, and each one is a radiant gem to be appreciated. All deal with love and relationships and the inevitable conflicts that occur. At times poignant, bittersweet, and whimsical, Hart’s collection is an absorbing, fascinating, and intriguing exploration of the human condition.

Three stories are particularly commendable and memorable. In “9 Minutes,” the main character experiences a virtual lifetime as she and her fellow passengers await their fate during an airplane in-flight emergency while traveling to Toronto. For far too many years, this woman has alone visited her daughter, leaving behind her lover and partner—her family. Call it an epiphany or just a wake-up call; she decides she can no longer live her life the way her daughter expects. Following a successful and safe landing, she makes a startling decision given the recent events, and her actions will make the reader smile. The crisp and intelligent dialogue is alone worth the reading.

“Rude” is the story of a woman who finds she possesses a thoroughly fascinating skill. If she says it, it becomes fact. Courtesy, good manners, and the simple niceties of life are becoming farther and farther removed from everyday existence, and this collapse of human decency has compelled this woman to take drastic measures. This reader found Hart’s story very reminiscent of some of Rod Serling’s innovative and artful Twilight Zone episodes. The reader is reminded that things aren’t always as they seem, and Hart’s conclusion will leave you both bemused and disconcerted. The development of the characterization for the supersensory woman is deftly and occasionally wryly created.
The third story that this reader found impressive is entitled “Lost and Found.” It is all too rare today to find authors writing about the so-called senior lesbian. Here Hart has written a moving and articulate story of love and renewal forty years after the fact. Misunderstandings, lives lived according to the tenets set by others, and realizations that, indeed, life is too short are all themes that Hart handles with a masterful and compassionate eye. Again, the author treats the reader to another relevant and lucid denouement.

Assorted Flavours: A Collection of Lesbian Short Stories is a worthwhile addition to anyone’s library. These short stories are told with candor, sentiment, intensity, and acuity, and they provide the reader not only with satisfying and entertaining fiction but also with intelligent and significant substance. Hart has a highly readable and coherent style of writing which, at times, achieves eloquent elegance. This compilation of fiction is a commendable and imaginative presentation of Hart’s artistry of the short story.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Review by Kathi Isserman

Lois Cloarec Hart’s Assorted Flavours: A Collection of Lesbian Short Stories is a delightful and engaging read that illustrates the author’s talent and range.
The ten stories are well written with enough variety for any reader who enjoys terrific fiction.

The fairy tale, Rude, gives us a woman with special powers who goes a little too far with them and it backfires. The story recognizes that what one person may deem a good cause, another may not. It is truly a fairy tale with a moral, but is never preachy. Grandmother’s Cup is a touching story of how a mother and daughter’s love for each other can overcome prejudice. It is a coming out story that brings together rejection, cruelty and finally acceptance and love. Hart, in just a few pages, makes this turnaround believable. Walking After Midnight includes ghosts and spirits with a setting in a cemetery that creates an eerie effect. This story has a few pleasant surprises that keep the reader totally involved. The final story, Lion and Lamb, is exceptional, inventive, has a sensual erotic ending, and is my personal favorite. Jac and Vic, two best friends, make a bet that within a month Jac can bed Vic’s co-worker Christi, who is engaged to be married. The story takes some turns along the way. Jac wants out of the bet, but Vic won’t let her. Hart develops convincing characters and a credible plot quickly in Lion and Lamb to hold our attention until the final pages, which is no small feat.

Any one of these stories could be expanded into a novel. Hart gives the reader a delicious taste of her genius for telling charming stories. Each one reveals a love story wrapped with a different setting, time or plot. I highly recommend Assorted Flavours for anyone who takes pleasure in reading wonderful fiction.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Review by Kathi Isserman

Coming Home by Lois Cloarec Hart will lift you up and break your heart at the same time. It will make you laugh and cry in the same breath. It is a story that will inspire those that read it.

The author declares in her acknowledgements that Coming Home is a fictional account of the author’s life with her husband who was a quadriplegic suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. Rob and Jan Spencer manage his disability until one day they seek out the assistance of their mail carrier, Terry Sanderson, when Rob falls from his wheelchair. From this simple meeting, the three form a bond that carries them through a very emotional and difficult time in all of their lives.

As the story progresses, Jan and Terry fall in love, but their love for Rob keeps them from acting on or even recognizing their feelings. Hart skillfully reveals the ethical dilemma and the hard choices that each character must make. Rob is Jan’s best friend, and she is not only his wife but his caregiver. Rob can see how Terry and Jan come alive when they are together even though they do not admit their true feelings. Still, he cannot let go of Jan because she is his lifeline. Terry has fallen for her best friend, but loves Rob too and will not hurt either of them. It seems to be a no-win situation for all involved.

This is where Hart shines as a storyteller. Rather than writing a novel that is filled only with sadness, she balances it with the lightness of humor. The novel focuses on the deep friendships and the unselfishness of each character. The author redefines the meaning of family as the entire Sanderson and Spencer families rally around each other.

Hart’s telling of Coming Home reaches deep into our core and takes hold of our hearts. We are drawn into the characters’ lives through their extraordinary struggles. We laugh, get angry, and shed tears along with Rob, Jan, and Terry, and we are moved by how they handle the cruelty of the situation with courage.

It is life that we experience when reading Coming Home, and everything that it throws at us. Hart has truly given us a novel that defines the human spirit at its best.

 

© 2004; P.D. Publishing, Inc.

About Us | Contact Us | Permissions | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy