Book Review: If You'd Just Listened to Me in the First Place

Title: If You'd Just Listened to Me in the First Place

Author: Barbara Venkataraman

Genre: Short Story/ fiction

Review:

So this piece of literature would probably fall within the "short story" genre, clocking in at just about 25 pages. It was a delightful read and I zapped right through it in about half an hour. The narrator's voice is very prominent and adds a nice flare to the writing. The main character (aka, the narrator), does tend to get very excited and sometimes dramatic; normally, this would bother me if it was a full length novel. However, because this wasn't, the narrator's dramatization of the plot embellishes the read and kept me interested.

That being said, If You'd Just Listened to Me in the First Place switches from the past to the present. I am so glad that the author made it clear when the writing jumps between tenses by using *** at the end of each section. I don't like to be confused when I'm reading :-) As for the plot, it basically tells the story of how the character met her husband and ended up being a tax/bill collector. (Pretty amusing story, actually.)

The pacing was excellent and I was never bored reading it. The writing was smooth as well. This story was such a fun and light hearted read--perfect for the weekend after a stressful week! I highly recommend this read if you want a good laugh and just relax.

Rating: