3.5 stars. I’m not usually a fan of short stories. But I think I liked this collection better than most because A) they’re all written by one person so there isn’t the jarring experience of changing styles from one to the next, & B) I liked the intro to each story, telling us his inspiration for the following story (actually those intros were stories in themselves, just nonfiction). The publisher of this is Guideposts, but it’s not overtly religious; there are 1 or 2 that are a little bit, but mostly they’re just positive stories. That doesn’t mean nothing bad happens, but they’re about how the people deal with things. Overall, upon finishing, I feel…a pleasant calmness laying over me.
These are short-short stories written for magazine publication. Written in the 1940's and 1950's they are gentle timeless pieces. Happy endings, bringing together the disconnected, very satisfying. Pg.93 Here it was, in his own small child, the spirit that refused to accept rejection, that expected the best from people, and would ultimately get the best - because it offered the best. Each story the author has added a piece of information about what inspired each story. It's just wonderful to get to know him in this way. My favorite story, "The Bargain" It's a surprise ending, I won't spoil it for you. This is a great feel good read!!
Arthur Gordon, who was a contributor to "Guideposts" for many years, was also a great short-story author. Most of the stories in this little volume were originally published in magazines back when magazines actually had "readin'" rather than just "pitchers" in them. (Remember those?) They are each only a few pages long, and each one is well-written and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.