Smashing Reviews for ‘Storm Warning’

My poor little book. It’s got all sidelined in the fuss over the novel. However – reviews are coming in, and are great. Here’s a few.

First, on 'Under The Midnight Sun’ - the site of author Adnan Mahmutovic

“she made every aspect of story-telling appear so natural and unconstrained. It’s almost like slipping on ice...Since I have been through war, I can relate and quite appreciate the way Gebbie treats war...”

That is diamond feedback from someone who has first hand experience of war from a young civilian’s point of view, and it means such a lot to hear this. Read his whole review HERE. Adnan has also put this ***** review on Amazon UK

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Next, on Amazon.com (where the book seems to be unavailable from the publisher, sadly...) a real surprise to see another ***** review from the folks of GUD Magazine:

"Gebbie gives us little slices of insights into people's lives that are often so harsh that you want to look away, but also so honest and intimate that you feel looking away would be a betrayal...
The writing is clean and to the point with few words wasted. ... many of Gebbie's characters (have) something to hide. Out it comes, though, eventually, choking and gasping its way out into the night...
The characters in these stories are ordinary people. They could be us, or our close relatives, our friends, people we meet in the streets. The stories put us into their lives, and make them more real by only offering these slices, by eschewing backstory and long explanations.
With this volume, small but perfectly-formed, both Gebbie and Salt Publishing cement their reputations for producing quality short fiction that demands to be read."

Read the whole review on GUD itself, HERE

Thank you, folks at GUD (pronounced ‘good’ - Greatest Uncommon Denominator) is a fab literary/genre magazine based in the USA - I was lucky enough to be published in here once. Check it out HERE.. terrific stuff. Hard to get an acceptance, but worth persevering!

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On writer Shauna Busto’s site /:

“It is about conflict but at a deeper level than that of the physical battlefield - although "The Return of the Baker, Edwin Tregear" and "Gas Gangrene" among others involve very physical accounts of war - it is about human conflict both interior and exterior.”
And
“A number of stories are outstanding in the relatively slim collection. ... Just don't let the word "conflict" fool you - it is not just about war. It is about all of us.”

Thank you Shauna.

An early review, back in November, came from Judy Darley of the Essential Writers website.

“In a few, brief beautifully spare paragraphs she has the skill to utterly transport you, immersing you in lives that ring out with authenticity and enmeshing you in their emotions - all without a touch of sentimentality.”
And
“the tales bear an uncommon poignancy, subtly altering your perceptions of the world around you. It’s an uncanny power, but a welcome one”

Thank you Judy.

Tim Love, on Litrefs, says:

"In this book victims of military/religious conflict who have a weakened sense of the present become vulnerable to sudden losses of memory and invasion by the past. Dominant themes are beaches, feet/shoes, and smells, with several inter-generational relationships. This collection kicks off with "The Return of the Baker, Edwin Tregear", a strong 15 pager set in 1919. Next is the single paged "Storm Warning" featuring someone on leave from Helmand. Already we note that the theme doesn't over-constrain the pieces in style or content. Later we're faced by the Berlin Wall, S.E. Asia, concentration camps, etc."
and
"I'm reminded of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads, Studs Terkel, ghosted biographical material, stories/anecdotes by a guy at my local writers group. It's powerful stuff, though it doesn't have the variety of her first book (note: I overvalue variety)."

That made me grin - thanks Tim.
See the whole review HERE

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and last but by no means least, from Thomas Bunstead, writing in the local magazine, Viva Lewes:

"Powerful...technically adept...hard-hitting...authoritative...rich and deeply moving."

Thanks Thomas.

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