Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves: A Collection of Short Stories [Kindle Edition]

The collection of six short stories that make up Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves touch on aspects of life that most of us have experienced such as the unexpected benefits of modern technology, finding yourself somewhere unfamiliar, dealing with the elements to the perils of an over-active imagination.

Each story is well crafted, giving the reader a glimpse into the life of the characters in the stories and how they deal with life's worries and daily trials. The stories are all heart-warming and left me feeling that there can be happy endings as long as we don't jump to the wrong conclusions and enjoy our surroundings and what each new day can bring.

`A link to her past' explains how you're never too old to use technology and the results may be better than you could imagine. `A world apart' shows that new friendships can be found anywhere and we shouldn't jump to the wrong conclusions about people we don't really know. In `Just a cough' Fiona learns the hard way that you can't win a battle against the weather or a snowplough driver, whilst Catherine discovers dreams can come true in `Much more than a dancer' and Karen returns home to Ireland after visiting family in Toronto with a comforting souvenir from her childhood in `Going Home'.

I enjoyed all the stories though my favourite is `Conquering the Shadows' - it took me back to my childhood when we had an open fire and I used to watch the flames flicker and the shadows dance on the wall while the wind howled outside. No matter what shapes the shadows took, the glow of the fire banished any fears leaving a warm and cosy feeling.

Brenda Donnelly, a widow recovering from illness, discovers the power of the Internet - and rediscovers the power of an old love affair.
In a small, Irish town-land, a young wife is homesick for her native Ottawa as she watches the flight of Canadian geese coming and going, while she remains in the place she has decided to make her home.
Catherine Flannery, nearing fifty and seeking love, is too self-conscious to embrace it when it comes her way - but love triumphs in the end.
These are just a flavour of the stories that make up Dancing Shadows, Trampling Hooves, Dianna Ascroft's first short story collection. Readers will easily identify with the emotions and the lives of the characters who are deftly drawn and very believable.
Originally from Toronto and now living on a small farm in Northern Ireland, Dianne Ascroft presents an engaging and authentic view of country life in these winsome, humorous and evocative stories, filled with hope and the possibilities of new beginnings. They resonate with the interdependence of a close-knit, rural community and focus on the small things in life ― the subtle day-to-day occurrences that often slip by unnoticed in the busyness of our daily routine.

This is a delightful collection of short stories, influenced by the author's home in Ireland. You can hear the Irish lilt though the conversations between characters. I have come to enjoy the Short Story genre since getting my kindle and this is a very pleasant read. Most of the stories are driven by relationships and some are romantic, some between parent and child. I think my favourite is Conquering the Shadows but there wasn't a poor tale in there.

The writing was refreshingly good, clear, literate and with a few outstanding and memorable phrases. The subjects are not earth shattering or fabulous but nevertheless they are the subjects of our own lives and as such are worthy of an author's consideration. I enjoyed these stories and would happily read more of Dianne Ascroft's work.