Small Worlds: Flash Fiction and Microfiction

Do we always need a long book to tell a deep story? Many people think short stories are easy, but they are not. What if just a few words could hold the power of a whole chapter? Small Worlds: Flash Fiction and Microfiction by Gail Vida Hamburg brings us into a carefully chosen group of short, powerful stories. The main goal of this book is to cut out every extra word. The author is committed to making her stories as short as possible. Hamburg wanted to find out how much feeling and plot she could fit into a very small frame. Her writing style is sharp and focused. A reader who is used to long books might feel challenged, but the author wants you to slow down and notice every detail. Reading this book was difficult in a good way. The stories are focused, neat, and memorable. This book is great for anyone who wants to learn about writing. The short stories demand that the reader pay close attention and use their imagination. The book teaches a simple lesson that we need to keep challenging ourselves to look closely until we see the great power of a single, well-chosen image. I truly respect the author for doing such a hard job. In the Author's Note, "Writing them is like carving intricate patterns into stone—every word must earn its place," shows how much work went into making even the smallest stories. The author is great at using small moments like a quick look or a single decision to show a character’s whole life. This different way of writing helps you feel connected to the high level of craft in the book. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I am removing one star only to give a small suggestion to the author: I think adding bigger spaces or grouping the stories by their theme would help the reader move between these powerful, tiny worlds. This is a small point about a great book, though. People who only like long, easy novels might find this fast pace hard to handle. But if you want to see how much power can be packed into a small amount of writing, you should definitely read this book.

There might be a period of time where life must be under a microscopic view. Gail Vida Hamburg's Small Worlds: Flash Fiction and Microfiction will halt readers to lead and help in contemplation. Consisting of over twenty flash fictions in one-sitting, they come with various themes and inspiring characters like in Chalice of Fire, Imprinting, The Fabulist, The Trouble With Bianca, and Great Escape, to name some. They have completely different settings and different plots that will devour readers on exciting transitions. Small Worlds: Flash Fiction and Microfiction are doors to myriads of faces, ideas, insights and understandings on various complexities. Nothing but praises to a brilliant author, spot-on in trying to convey some specific messages. Personal favorites are the teens' welfare in The Trouble With Bianca, the sweet old age stage in Great Escape and a meaningful life story in Go Gentle Into This Morning. Characters like Bianca, Greta, Irv and Elias are strong and remarkable representations in the story. Hence, I give a well-deserving and justifiable five-star rate on this brilliant writing with the remarks above. I proudly recommend to all readers, not just to aficionados of this genre but for the young readers' guiding tool to be pathfinders of their own better future and for adults alike for new and different perspectives, insights and inspirations in life's challenging undertakings.

There might be a period of time where life must be under a microscopic view. Gail Vida Hamburg's Small Worlds: Flash Fiction and Microfiction will halt readers to lead and help in contemplation. Consisting of over twenty flash fictions in one-sitting, they come with various themes and inspiring characters like in Chalice of Fire, Imprinting, The Fabulist, The Trouble With Bianca, and Great Escape, to name some. They have completely different settings and different plots that will devour readers on exciting transitions. Small Worlds: Flash Fiction and Microfiction are doors to myriads of faces, ideas, insights and understandings on various complexities. Nothing but praises to a brilliant author, spot-on in trying to convey some specific messages. Personal favorites are the teens' welfare in The Trouble With Bianca, the sweet old age stage in Great Escape and a meaningful life story in Go Gentle Into This Morning. Characters like Bianca, Greta, Irv and Elias are strong and remarkable representations in the story. Hence, I give a well-deserving and justifiable five-star rate on this brilliant writing with the remarks above. I proudly recommend to all readers, not just to aficionados of this genre but for the young readers' guiding tool to be pathfinders of their own better future and for adults alike for new and different perspectives, insights and inspirations in life's challenging undertakings.