marinadoramartino

A drama that explores themes such as trust, communication, and monogamy, Caught Between Two Loves by Andy Simko is at once romantic and a searing portrait of a relationship in crisis. Workaholic Mike is distracted by a seductive business partner, forcing his wife Emily to look for love elsewhere, while their son Jacob cannot pick between two girls in his grade, and even his little sister PJ must choose between babysitters. Though the dialogue could be improved to sound more natural, which is key to a story about partner-to-partner communication, the complicated nuances of love are well-explored and insightful, for […]

Lessons from a Late Bloomer: Vignettes of a Small-Town Girl by Jackie Ewing is a wholly engrossing collection of autobiographical stories ranging from the sweet and melancholic to the lighthearted and downright comical. Adventurous and everchanging, Jackie has worked many jobs, married twice, lived in several countries, and now has collected her most significant memories around ten life lessons, providing something of a self-help text among the entertaining anecdotes. Although the book could do with a little trimming for repetition, Ewing’s memoir is a relatable read for her willingness to lay herself bare, mixed with an inspiring passion for the […]

Concise yet lyrical, Nathan Nicolau’s Vantage Points is a collection of flash fiction pieces that draw from the beauty and hardship of being human. From farmers beholding the ravages of a drought to the female figures in a Giacometti painting, Nicolau dives into the little joys and the sufferings of everyday life with quick and skillful strokes. Although some pieces seem like prose poetry, or verse that has been put into one paragraph, most of the pieces are impressively self-contained with endings that resonate as much as longer works, for a thoroughly enjoyable and stimulating collection that has much to […]