Jackie Viveo

A delightful collection of stories by a very talented woman. I think they were meant for a younger generation than mine but still hugely enjoyable.

In my opinion, the best one of all was 'Take Your Best Shot' but all of them were very good. A special mention for 'A Ride on the Dumbwaiter' and 'The Haunted Schoolhouse'.

In most of the stories the author takes normal life 'with a twist' which makes them plausible but strange. Much better than tales that can lose the interest because they are so ridiculous.

A recommended read.… (meer)

Night Visions contains eleven suspenseful stories for all ages. Most of the stories feature ghosts or a touch of the supernatural and would be ideally suited to be told around camp fires. But the two stories that stood out for me were actually those which stayed with both legs in reality.

"The Girl Who Painted Raindrops" is about a girl who has the ability to paint nature scenes that are normally ignored by everyone, such as a mountain in a mist, whose paintings were disfigured by her well-meaning cousin. And it is an act of kindness and not supernatural, that lets her realise her dream.

"The Children of Winter" is about a woman who lives alone and is said to have a special magic, with which she can create children from snow who would help her through winter. This story attracts the children of the town and they decide to help her get ready for winter, so that the snow children could come to have fun. The snow children never show up but the town children have the time of their lives.

I can definitely recommend this short story collection for everyone who likes gripping and suspenseful tales.… (meer)