Location: United States
Member Since: April 05, 2013

J.H. Zaynor

Smashwords book reviews by J.H. Zaynor

  • As The Sun Goes Down on April 27, 2013

    As the Sun Goes Down, by Jay Howard, is a quiet little collection of stories that offers the reader brief glimpses into the lives of the characters. We see their struggles, their disappointments, and their successes as they deal with the problems surrounding growing up, dealing with relationships, work, marriage, and family. In “Emily’s Hat,” I enjoyed rooting for the self-conscious Emily as a new hat helps her step out of her comfort zone and into a new role. In “Jackie’s Bike,” Howard’s excellent use of language draws the reader into the household of young Jane, the plucky protagonist, whose obsession with a neighbor’s bicycle leads to an all too brief adventure and a broken arm. I could hear the stern but loving tone in her hardworking father’s voice as he makes sure Jane learns a lesson in one scene, then the sigh of resignation that every parent experiences in another as he and Jane’s mother decide they need to buy the girl a bike of her own. These aren’t plain, stock characters, they’re easy to imagine as real people. However, because they were so believable, I was occasionally frustrated when the stage was set on a new story, the characters and situations were introduced, and then the story would end too abruptly without reaching a satisfying conclusion, without telling the rest of the story! I was left wanting to know what was going to happen next! What happens the next day? Still, these characters are worth getting to know, even if you’re only able to share a small slice of their lives. I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest, nonreciprocal review.