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Thursday 9 May 2013

Love Letters by Jane Larry

AMAZON UK
AMAZON US

This was a YA short story. Unfortunately, the immaturity of the writing, the poor editing (it couldn’t seem to make up its mind whether it was third-person or first-person POV, or if was in the past or present tense) were a bit of stumbling block to the enjoyment. 

The concept was reasonable enough; whilst her school friends are off enjoying their spring break, Lisa knuckles down to complete her English assignment: to compose a short story. She gets her inspiration from some love letters she finds in a library book. They only provide her with half a story, though, and not wanting to invent her own ending, with the help of John, she tries to find the author and subject of the letters for closure of the little romance and her own assignment. Her romantic notions, however, turn out to be very different from the actual outcome of the sweet love portrayed in the letters; and what’s more, her opinion of John, whom she thought to be a little shallow and cocky, undergoes quite a transformation.

There’s mileage in this short story, but it needs structure. The ending is rather rushed and garbled. The writing is a little disjointed and stilted (some not-quite-there phrases) and just a little juvenile. However, the main character(s) are quite convincing and likeable—I did like the fact that Lisa, perhaps not your normal run-of-the-mill teenager, was proud to be who and what she was— and the development of their relationship is touching. 

The author’s style is just a little rough around the edges, but she shows great promise.

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