• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Bio
  • Bookshelf
    • Audio
    • Complete List of Chautona’s Books
    • The Rockland Chronicles
      • The Vintage Wren
      • The Aggie Series
      • The Hartfield Mysteries
      • Sight Unseen Series
        • Sight Unseen Series Archives
      • The Agency Files
      • Christmas Fiction
    • Legacy of the Vines
    • Meddlin’ Madeline
      • Madeline Blog Archive
    • Ballads from the Hearth
      • Ballads from the Hearth Blog Archive
    • Legends of the Vengeance
    • Journey of Dreams
    • Wynnewood
    • Webster’s Bakery
    • The Not-So-Fairy Tales
    • Heart of Warwickshire
  • Start HERE
    • If You Like…
    • Characters
    • Suggested Reading Order
    • Free Books
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Podcast
    • Advertising
    • Podcast Guest Information
    • Podcast Interview FAQ
  • Merch Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • Bonus
  • Speaking
  • New & Coming
Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

What Makes a Story Too Short to Be Great?

by Chautona Havig · 2 Comments

Short fiction can be compelling and sometimes it just misses the mark. So if I didn't love Childhood, why am I waiting for the next? via @chautonahavig

It’s cold outside.  Snow on the ground and more expected on Saturday. Upstairs, four women sleep. In “my” room, my friend sleeps on the upper half of our daybed/trundle combination.  Our “house elves” (who insist they are FREE elves) sleep on the couches.

Me, I check my email, see that I have a book review due, and go to find it.  The thing is at home.  Oops.  So, Off I went to Amazon and purchased it.

I won’t pretend I wasn’t discouraged.  See, I went to bed at 3 a.m.  Woke up at 8.  I’m… tired. Still, I need to keep my word, so I started reading.  In less than an hour, I was done.

Let’s face it.  That’s pretty short.

Childhood Review

Note: links are likely affiliate links.  Additionally, while I requested and received a review copy of this book, I actually purchased it and read the purchased copy.

What Makes a Story Too Short to Be Great?

Although I knew this was a “novelette” and a prequel, I didn’t expect it to feel so incomplete.  The story could be an interesting one, but as it is, it reads as a series of connected vignettes in a young girl’s life.

The writing is strong, characterization well-done, and aside from a couple of typos, it’s a pretty clean copy; however, reading the entire book in italics means that you can’t tell narrative from internal monologue–until it just switches into present tense out of nowhere.  That was the most frustrating part aside from the length.

I’ll answer my own question.  Because the story doesn’t have a strong opening, middle, and close, Childhood feels incomplete, rushed, and jumbled.  All that said, I am interested in the book that is to follow.  I suspect I’ll like that one much more.

ChildhoodAbout the Book

Book:  Childhood

Author: Greg Schaffer

Genre:  Contemporary

Release Date: February 10, 2020

Katie lived a lonely childhood, her after school time filled with responsibilities to her father and special needs brother. Her chores prevented her from experiencing the carefree life her peers, including Joey, her neighbor and secret crush, lived. She began running to impress Joey, then discovered track as a possible way out of the small town of Nortonville, Tennessee. But as the promise of a college scholarship drew her closer to the escape she had dreamed about since childhood, she wondered why she didn’t feel better. What was missing?

Childhood is the novelette prequel to Fatherhood, a full-length novel about abortion from the father’s point of view.

Share53
Pin
Tweet
Email
53Shares
Share
Pin
Tweet
Email
53Shares

Related

Filed Under: Book Reviews

Previous Post: « My Crazy Wedding Day Idea and How It Worked for Me
Next Post: My 3 Favorite Things about Hope for New Beginnings »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Or, you can subscribe without commenting.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. REBECCA says

    February 26, 2020 at 6:46 pm

    Thank you for taking the time to review this book! I so appreciate your thoughtful reviews.

    Reply
  2. James Robert says

    February 22, 2020 at 12:35 am

    Thank you so much for taking time to bring to our attention another great read. I enjoy these tours and finding out about many terrific books.

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Because Fiction: A Chat with Split-Time Author, Melanie Dobson
byChautona Havig

I chatted with Melanie Dobson a few weeks ago, and boy was it a wonderful time of talking about my favorite books of hers and her latest release, The Wings of Poppy Pendleton. Listen in to the heartwrenching story that sparked the idea for the book and the delicious (and fascinating) research she did to write it!

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

How a Family Mystery Sparked the Idea for a Beautiful Story

The Wings of Poppy Pendleton takes place during the dichotomous Gilded Age among New York’s famous Thousand Islands.  Combining a family mystery with that era, Melanie Dobson creates a wonderful story that echoes the tumultuous time at the turn of the 20th century.

We chatted about the research involved–both for Melanie’s family mystery of a missing child who was in a photo but no one knew who she was and for the era and area as well.  I loved hearing how her mother got involved in trying to discover what happened to… was it Marjorie?  I think.  And, of course, how that helped shape the story of this book.

The Wings of Poppy Pendleton by Melanie Dobson

In this compelling new time-slip mystery, a little girl goes missing from her family’s castle in the Thousand Islands of New York. Eighty-five years later, a journalist teams up with a woman living on Koster Isle to find out what happened to Poppy, once and for all.

1907. On the eve of her fifth birthday, Poppy Pendleton is tucked safely in her bed, listening to her parents entertain New York’s gilded society in their Thousand Islands castle; the next morning, she is gone, and her father is found dead in his smoking room.

1992. Though Chloe Ridell lives in the shadows of Poppy’s castle, now in ruins, she has little interest in the mystery that still captivates tourists and locals alike. She is focused on preserving the island she inherited from her grandparents and reviving their vintage candy shop. Until the day a girl named Emma shows up on Chloe’s doorstep, with few possessions, save a tattered scrapbook that connects her to the Pendleton family. When a reporter arrives at Chloe’s store, asking questions about her grandfather, Chloe decides to help him dig into a past she’d thought best left buried. The haunting truth about Poppy, they soon discover, could save Emma’s life, so Chloe and Logan must work together to investigate exactly what happened long ago on Koster Isle.

You can learn more about Melanie Dobson on her WEBSITE.  Also follow her on GoodReads and BookBub.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

  • Apple 
  • Castbox 
  • Google Play
  • Libsyn 
  • RSS
  • Spotify
  • Amazon
  • and more!
Because Fiction: A Chat with Split-Time Author, Melanie Dobson
Because Fiction: A Chat with Split-Time Author, Melanie Dobson
November 25, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 281: A Chat with Angela Hunt
November 23, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 280: A Chat with Debut Author, Johanna Rojas Vann
November 21, 2023
Chautona Havig
Because Fiction 279: A Chat with Amish Author, Leslie Gould
November 17, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 278: A Chat with WWII Author, Amanda Barratt
November 14, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 277: A Chat with M. D. House about Sophia
November 11, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 276: A Chat with Jaime Jo Wright about Her New Release
November 7, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 275: A Chat about Knowing You by Tracie Peterson
November 3, 2023
Chautona Havig
Because Fiction 274: A Chat with Sara Beth Williams about No Matter How Far
October 31, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 273: A Chat with Debut Author Holly Varni
October 28, 2023
Chautona Havig
Search Results placeholder

Love Audio Books?

audio book ad

Check out the Sparrow Island novels. A tiny island with a lot of heart

independence islands series

Featured Books

A Ransomed Grete

A Ransomed Grete
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
A Ransomed Grete
Buy now!

Twice Sold Tales

Twice Sold Tales
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Twice Sold Tales
Buy now!

Under the Hibiscus

Under the Hibiscus
Buy This Book Online
Buy from Amazon
Buy from Amazon Kindle
Under the Hibiscus
Buy now!

Upcoming Posts

  • Why This Author Sold Me on a Whole Series in One Fun Interview (October 28, 2023)
  • because fiction 283 (November 28, 2023)

Or just subscribe to the newsletter

Recent Blog Posts

  • How a Family Mystery Sparked the Idea for a Beautiful Story
  • How Angela Hunt Keeps Delivering Great Books to Her Fans
  • How One Fascinating Book Could Change Your Perception of Colombia

I buy my stickers here! (affiliate)

Custom Stickers, Die Cut Stickers, Bumper Stickers - Sticker Mule
I should be editing the podcast or writing, but i I should be editing the podcast or writing,  but it's been a long day,  and I haven't read all week. So, quick reading break with some Hungarian coffee cake and a cup of tea. Oh, and On Moonberry Lake by @hollyvarni 
#AmReading 
#LyonsGold
Or just love a suspenseful novel? Reposted from @ Or just love a suspenseful novel?

Reposted from @lisaphillipsbks Now that the weather has turned chilly, are you pining for the summer sun? ☀️🌴 Well, you're in luck because it's not too late to get your copy of Come What May, volume 3 of our Summer Heat series, and escape to summer in collection of FOUR novels! Head over to my link in bio to find your copy before it's gone.

 #weekendreading #weekendreads #summerheat #SummerReading2023 #summerreading #summerheatseries #avidreadersofchristianfiction #deals #bookseries #weekendread #bookshelf #2023reads #tbr #readmorebooks #bookstack #faithwriter #ChristianFiction #authorlisaphillips #ebooks #readerlove #christianromanticsuspense #romanticsuspenseseries #comewhatmay
Oh... how I need to learn this lesson! Sigh. Comin Oh... how I need to learn this lesson! Sigh.
Coming December 6! Preorder coming VERY soon! EEEP!
#Bookstrings
#ClockTowerBound
#BerneIndiana
#BookishBooks
#ChristFic
#AmWriting
How did I manage to wait this long to start this? How did I manage to wait this long to start this? I'm ready to move to Moonberry Lake.
@hollyvarni 
#AmReading 
#ChristFic
Tonight's reads. What's on your TBR tonight? #AmR Tonight's reads.  What's on your TBR tonight?
#AmReading 
@nadinebrandes 
#ChristFic 
#Eschatology
Day 4: Vacation Read I LOVE collections for vacati Day 4: Vacation Read
I LOVE collections for vacation reads. They're usually a bit shorter (these aren't novellas but they are shorter novels) and there are usually several options to choose from. 
I love the Summer Heat Series, and not just because I've got a book in there!
#BookishChallenge
Day 3: Colorful Colors Well, I made myself choose Day 3: Colorful Colors
Well, I made myself choose books that are in the shed-i-ffice instead of going and looking at what I had throughout the house. These were some that were bright and vivid. I've only read parts of two of them (plan to finish The Major and the Missionary tomorrow and Fawkes I'll start reading on the 5th for obvious reasons). #BookishChallenge
  • Home
  • Bookshelf
  • New & Coming
  • Blog
  • News!
  • Disclosure & Policies
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Chautona Havig · All Rights Reserved · Coding by Gretchen Louise

Don't go before you grab your FREE short story collection!