J. Griffiths

Short and very sweet, 5 Nov 2012

A great story in which !SPOILER ALERT! good triumphs over evil and the hero gets his true reward. I like the title very much. The cover is great, too, particularly the tree and the grass. I look forward to more titles from Inch Mode Books.

Shallow, 24 May 2012

Chosen as a holiday read, I wasn't expecting literary fiction. The premise sounded promising but I was extremely disappointed by the superficiality of the story and lack of depth of the characterisation. The dialogue was 'wooden' and expositional, the prose 'clunky' and prosaic. I just wasn't convinced that a woman (Karen) in grief and shock would behave/think in this way. If you want a heartbreaking insight into grief, read 'After You'd Gone' by Maggie O'Farrell. I'm afraid I abandoned the book half way through.

A Gem, 23 April 2012

From the very first page of 'Life! Death! Prizes!' I was hooked. (Not many writers can make a funeral both funny, heart-rending and oh, so REAL. May pulls it off brilliantly.) The characterisation throughout is spot on and May has a fantastic ear for dialogue.

My heart ached for 19 year old Billy Smith. When their mother dies, everyone but Billy sees that there is no way he can take care his young half-brother Oscar. But Billy soldiers on - recklessly optimistic against all odds, ignoring difficulties (and final demands)and refusing to let 'the powers that be' (and his Aunt Toni) batter him into submission.

Oddly enough, for me the central character is Billy and… Read more