Review by AnnOgochukwu -- The Memoir Man by Frances Webb

[AnnOgochukwu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Memoir Man" by Frances Webb.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Memoir Man And Others in Public Places by Frances Webb is a collection of 23 independent short stories and poems. As can be inferred from the name of the book, the stories covered different incidents that happened in public. Some stories were ridiculous and silly, (like the story of the couple who tried to check their baby alongside their coats because they wanted to attend an event; and the story of the senior citizen who was 'picking' napkins from a restaurant). Some were really interesting with quite some suspense, often ending at cliffhangers. However, a few stories were quite difficult to understand. Perhaps because of how I read them, or because they were just too 'un-straightforward'.

The most interesting features of this book were the narrator and the theme. The book was written in the first-person narrative style. Each story had a different narrator. The narrator was usually just an observer in the unfolding story. Sometimes, the narrator was in the heat of the drama. In most stories, the narrator's gender was unknown; in some others, it was revealed. The narrator was usually very observant, paying attention to minute details, and sometimes making over-thought assumptions. The narrator's thought process was quite abstract. And, the narrator usually tried to be 'subtle' in minding other people's business so as not to be suspected of being a 'nosy busybody'.

The general theme of this book is public places. Like the library, train station, restaurant, walkway, school, bus stop, etcetera. Daily, we find ourselves in these places, and more often than not, there is something interesting (dramatic) to see. Sometimes, we are actually in the heat of such incidents. Through this book, Webb brings to our consciousness the characters and incidents we often witness in public, which we usually wave off or ponder on, and sometimes retell to friends and family. After reading this book, public places are definitely going to become more interesting to you. The setting is the same as the theme: public places. The diction of this book was dynamic as it changed with each story. Sometimes, it was poetic and metaphorical, other times, it was simple. The diction of this book was in its entirety unique. I also didn't find any errors. Apparently, the characters were of varying levels of literacy which was often reflected in their speech. Hence, there were often deliberate errors in the dialogues. Every other error in this book was justified by poetic license. That being said, this book seemed professionally edited.

If I were to rate each story independently, some stories would get a perfect 4-star rating, and a few others would get a 3-star rating. As that is not a feasible idea, I'll rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. One star goes because of the stories I couldn't understand even after a second read. That was the only thing I didn't like about this book. Every other thing about it was just good. There were stories that had me literally laughing out loud, and others had me wanting more. I particularly liked the author's style of writing, her use of internal monologue and sarcasm was top notch.

Anybody would enjoy this book regardless of their religion, race, age, and sexuality. It is a perfectly relatable book.

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The Memoir Man
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[Saint Bruno]

I enjoyed reading your review as it was both detailed and engaging. Good job!

[AnnOgochukwu]

I enjoyed reading your review as it was both detailed and engaging. Good job!

Thank you Bruno.

[kdstrack]

The idea of public places is interesting as everyone can relate to these settings! It would be interesting to read about the stories and poems about these places. I appreciated your comments about your reasons for taking one point away. Thanks for your insights about this book!

[AnnOgochukwu]

The idea of public places is interesting as everyone can relate to these settings! It would be interesting to read about the stories and poems about these places. I appreciated your comments about your reasons for taking one point away. Thanks for your insights about this book!

My pleasure .
And, thank you for commenting.

[TCG]

Your review was detailed and interesting. Great job.

[pablo10]

The premise of the book seems interesting. Great review.

[rahilshajahan]

This is the first time I'm seeing a book that is a compilation bizarre and funny things you notice in public places. Thanks for a delightful review!

[Sou Hi]

Thanks for your meaningful opinion. Though this is a collection of short stories, I think I can understand your feeling. I read the sample, which contains the first story, and I was like "Eh, what?" after reading .

[AnnOgochukwu]

Thanks for your meaningful opinion. Though this is a collection of short stories, I think I can understand your feeling. I read the sample, which contains the first story, and I was like "Eh, what?" after reading .

I think your reaction was epic. Thank you for commenting.

[AnnOgochukwu]

This is the first time I'm seeing a book that is a compilation bizarre and funny things you notice in public places. Thanks for a delightful review!

It's a really unique book. Thank you for commenting .

[AnnOgochukwu]

The premise of the book seems interesting. Great review.

Your review was detailed and interesting. Great job.

Thank you .

[Chigo Nwagboso]

Thanks for a well detailed review! I hope to find some interesting stories that will appeal to me in this book.

[AnnOgochukwu]

Thanks for a well detailed review! I hope to find some interesting stories that will appeal to me in this book.

I hope so too. Thank you for commenting .

[NetMassimo]

Despite some perplexities you expressed, this seems an intriguing collection of funny short stories. Thank you for your great review!