Thursday, February 19, 2009

MAD TO LIVE - RANDALL BROWN

Read my review of RANDALL BROWN's excellent short story collection MAD TO LIVE, on THE SHORT REVIEW.

http://www.theshortreview.com/reviews/RandallBrownMadtoLive.htm

Here's an excerpt from the review:

"It is evident that Brown cares deeply for each and every character he creates, and when these folks sprung forth from his heart and mind and found themselves implanted on the page, that a little bit of Randall Brown’s soul went with them...

Brown’s brand of humanity involves thinking and acting then contradicting those same thoughts and actions with the very next sentence, the very next word. His sentences are perfectly constructed, each word chosen carefully for its rhythm, the image it creates, the way it feels bumped up against the words beside it. Brown’s command of language seems natural, like he does very easily what other writers struggle with for hours..."

Thank you to TANIA HERSHMAN and RANDALL BROWN for the opportunity to review such an amazing collection.

2 comments:

Antonios Maltezos said...

What a wonderful thing to say about a writer, that he cares deeply about his characters, and that he isn't afraid to toss in the contradictions he's ultimately responsible for resolving. That's Randall Brown. He does think about every word. Great chapbook.

Tania Hershman said...

It's a great review, thank you to you Barry, for being part of The Short Review. I can't believe Mad to Live is sold out, I will have to try and finagle a copy!