tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1552408240766114875.post4648239366736424127..comments2013-01-19T12:04:51.077+00:00Comments on By All Means: ReviewsTim Lovehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00578925224900533603noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1552408240766114875.post-6022198518138884962013-01-19T12:04:51.077+00:002013-01-19T12:04:51.077+00:00I did read Tony’s review before I posted mine. I c...I did read Tony’s review before I posted mine. I can’t remember if I read it before I started or part way through but I was pleased we approached the book from different angles and that’s how it should be and the more reviews that comes the better perspective potential readers will have. Certainly I saw no point in repeating stuff he’d already said. I’m just about finished editing my own short story collection—sixteen read-throughs should probably be enough, don’t you think?—and it’s been an interesting experience because, like you, none of these stories was written as part of a set; they’re all standalone pieces and yet, as soon as they get grouped together like this, they start to bleed into each other. Having had this pointed out to me I, like you, decided to underline the connections and work to make the book as much as a unified unit (‘unit’ seems a bit redundant there) as I could despite the fact the only thing that actually connects the stories is that they all involve people who’re trying to make sense out of their lives.<br /><br />I liked the fact that your book had a tone. I felt the same—even more so in fact—about Andrew McCallum Crawford’s book which I reviewed the week before. The next up—in a week—is Jonathan Pinnock’s collection, <i>Dot, Dash</i>, and he’s deliberately set out to mix things up as much as possible. There’s nothing wrong with any of the stories—the guy wins too many prizes for me to say anything otherwise—but as a thing in its own right I far prefer yours and Andrew’s books. It’s all a matter of personal taste in the end though; there is no right or wrong. I’m dreading bringing out another poetry collection because the last one was such a pain organising. But I won’t be thinking about that for another couple of years probably.<br /><br><br />Jim Murdochhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12786388638146471193noreply@blogger.com