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Annabelle
We all have our fantasies—our hopes and dreams of what we want our future to be. But what happens when our fantasies are based on an erroneous interpretation of past events, when our hopes and dreams are so far from reality that they prevent us from having any kind of a normal life? A lonely young woman, all Annabelle wants is to love and be loved. But the twin emotions of fear and guilt, from a passion born on a summer day so many years ago, hold her fast.
Annabelle is a short story, and is available in all eBook formats.
The cover painting is by Mark Webber.
Annabelle is a short story, and is available in all eBook formats.
The cover painting is by Mark Webber.
- GenresTragedy
28 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2013
12 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Christie
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A little (or maybe more than a little!) about me...
My love affair with writing started in my childhood. Books carried me into worlds I never knew existed, and, once I learned how to write, my imagination kept me there. With paper and pen, I could bring people to life who never before existed. With 26 letters, I could create a universe of my own.
As an adult, writing is my way of making a connection with the rest of the world. Fiction, non-fiction, essays and books—they are all the tools with which I shape the land and make my home.
While I make my living as a freelance writer and am the author of three non-fiction books: the inspirational book, THE GIFTS OF CHANGE (Beyond Words Publishing/Atria), and two books for writers: RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR WRITERS and RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR AUTHORS (both through BookBaby), my greatest passion is for fiction.
I’m the award-winning author of three Midlife Moxie novels: REINVENTING RITA , FINDING FRAN , and MOVING MAGGIE , the first three in the series (all published by BookBaby). TRANSFORMING TESSA , is coming May 2026.
My four short story collections include THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE , MISTLETOE MAGIC AND OTHER HOLIDAY TALES , TRAVELING LEFT OF CENTER AND OTHER STORIES and PERIPHERAL VISIONS AND OTHER STORIES , all published by Unsolicited Press.
My short stories have also been accepted by publications such as The Saturday Evening Post, Talking River, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable, St. Anthony Messenger, Wild Violet, EWR: Short Stories, Hypertext, Full of Crow, Fiction365, Red Fez, and The Chaffin Journal, with several earning contest placement.
My books and stories have received awards and contest placements, including the following:
MOVING MAGGIE—2026 Literary Titan Gold Book Award winner; 2025 Firebird Book Awards Competition in the Summer Beach Read and Women’s Fiction categories!
REINVENTING RITA—2023 International Firebird Book Award winner; Bronze award winner in the 2023 Royal Palm Literary Awards (RPLA) competition; semi-finalist in the 2023 Kindle Book Awards
RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR AUTHORS—Finalist in the 2019 American Book Fest competition
RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR WRITERS—A 2018 Notable Indie by Shelf Unbound; Finalist in the 2018 American Book Fest competition
PERIPHERAL VISIONS AND OTHER STORIES—Bronze award winner in the 2020 Foreword INDIES competition; finalist in The Eric Hof
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 4, 2013
Annabelle's short story is so sad and tragic yet so powerful and engaging. In just a few pages, the characters are brought to life A super fast read that will tear at your heart.
September 28, 2013
One sitting short story. I read straight through to the end even though I had something else to do.
Although some words and phrases felt a bit heavy others captivated me.
This story said far more and made me think and feel more in very few pages and words than in many full length books I've read.
I'm planning to read it again this weekend. I know there's more here than met my eye the first time around.
If you're looking for something a bit different in a short story and that tugs at you for quite some time after reading it, I think this may fit the bill. It did for me.
Although some words and phrases felt a bit heavy others captivated me.
This story said far more and made me think and feel more in very few pages and words than in many full length books I've read.
I'm planning to read it again this weekend. I know there's more here than met my eye the first time around.
If you're looking for something a bit different in a short story and that tugs at you for quite some time after reading it, I think this may fit the bill. It did for me.
November 20, 2013
Annabelle
I really enjoyed this book. I reminded me of the stories we used to read in English lit class. There was timeless beauty in the words. It was very descriptive. I felt like I entered Annabelle's mind and was right there in her world. It was a simple story of a girl trying to gain the attention of her father, who bestowed all of his love on her mother (his wife) and his paintings.
So much is said in the silence between the characters. The moments between the parents and even between Annabelle and her father.
This story was beautifully written, a real little gem that I am glad that I got to read. I look forward to reading other works by Nancy Christie
This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. I reminded me of the stories we used to read in English lit class. There was timeless beauty in the words. It was very descriptive. I felt like I entered Annabelle's mind and was right there in her world. It was a simple story of a girl trying to gain the attention of her father, who bestowed all of his love on her mother (his wife) and his paintings.
So much is said in the silence between the characters. The moments between the parents and even between Annabelle and her father.
This story was beautifully written, a real little gem that I am glad that I got to read. I look forward to reading other works by Nancy Christie
This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for my honest review.
September 8, 2013
The tormented soul of a young woman who has lost her way amidst her dreams and nightmares is beautifully evoked in this story by Nancy Christie.
Annabelle wants to be loved, to be special. She desperately need to be important to somebody, to a father so self-involved he never knew she was there. And a mother, too obsessed with her father and his art to pay more than passing attention to her daughter.
It’s a memorable journey through a young woman’s mind, a strange road on which memory, guilt, and wishful thinking mix, leaving Annabelle lost in an unreality between here and who knows where.
Annabelle wants to be loved, to be special. She desperately need to be important to somebody, to a father so self-involved he never knew she was there. And a mother, too obsessed with her father and his art to pay more than passing attention to her daughter.
It’s a memorable journey through a young woman’s mind, a strange road on which memory, guilt, and wishful thinking mix, leaving Annabelle lost in an unreality between here and who knows where.
August 27, 2013
Annabelle by Nancy Christie is a Pixel Hall Press publication. This short story is due for release in September 2013.
As the story opens we are introduced to Annabelle telling her story to someone verbally. Her father was a painter and her mother posed for him. In fact, the job of being a muse sapped all of her mother's strength ,leaving her pale and empty, with nothing left over for her daughter.
Due to her father's obsession and the endless hours her parents spend in his studio, Annabelle is severely neglected, emotionally. So desperate for her parent's attention, Annabelle will do anything to be noticed by them. Her most fervent wish is for her father to paint her. But, she is always told she is too young.
Now as Annabelle has reached adulthood, the scars from her parent's neglect has taken it's toll on her. She is haunted by her childhood and has trouble reconciling the past with the present.
This story is hauntingly sad, and perhaps a bit of a cautionary tale. Our responsibility to our children must come first over our own passions and needs. Neglect isn't just about not providing the basic food and shelter, but also the absence of emotional connections. But, not only that, the innocence of childhood is robbed here, by the actions of both parents, who are equally responsible for the circumstances that come about, due to their self absorbed lifestyle and obsessions. The cost of this type of neglect is so very high as this story demonstrates.
This story packs a lot into such a short amount of space. I would think it would be just as hard to tell a short story as it would be a novella or full length novel, since you only have a certain amount of time to give the reader all the necessary details to make the story work. Often, short stories will leave me cold. It's only been recently that the short story been improved upon, and this is a prime example.
The writing is lush, descriptive and powerful. Overall this one is a solid A.
As the story opens we are introduced to Annabelle telling her story to someone verbally. Her father was a painter and her mother posed for him. In fact, the job of being a muse sapped all of her mother's strength ,leaving her pale and empty, with nothing left over for her daughter.
Due to her father's obsession and the endless hours her parents spend in his studio, Annabelle is severely neglected, emotionally. So desperate for her parent's attention, Annabelle will do anything to be noticed by them. Her most fervent wish is for her father to paint her. But, she is always told she is too young.
Now as Annabelle has reached adulthood, the scars from her parent's neglect has taken it's toll on her. She is haunted by her childhood and has trouble reconciling the past with the present.
This story is hauntingly sad, and perhaps a bit of a cautionary tale. Our responsibility to our children must come first over our own passions and needs. Neglect isn't just about not providing the basic food and shelter, but also the absence of emotional connections. But, not only that, the innocence of childhood is robbed here, by the actions of both parents, who are equally responsible for the circumstances that come about, due to their self absorbed lifestyle and obsessions. The cost of this type of neglect is so very high as this story demonstrates.
This story packs a lot into such a short amount of space. I would think it would be just as hard to tell a short story as it would be a novella or full length novel, since you only have a certain amount of time to give the reader all the necessary details to make the story work. Often, short stories will leave me cold. It's only been recently that the short story been improved upon, and this is a prime example.
The writing is lush, descriptive and powerful. Overall this one is a solid A.
September 24, 2013
Annabelle’s mother desires only to serve and love her self-immersed, narcissistic artist husband who paints her suggestively in the nude. She does this at the expense of having a loving relationship with her own daughter Annabelle.
From a dark corner, the child Annabelle discreetly observes this sensual artistic dance as she drifts into a world in which her desperate need to be loved mixes with erogenous feelings for her father, producing lasting confusion and unresolved remorse.
As Annabelle spills out her failed childhood with a therapist, erotic fantasies emerge, confused and confabulated by time. Annabelle interprets one particular event, both fearsome and stimulating. Sitting atop her fragile psyche is a powerful sensual connection to a time when her father painted her nude at a tender age.
Annabelle sifts through the cobwebs of her repentance, floating through a cloud of unresolved guilt. When she most required love and attention as a child, her self-absorbed parents pushed her away. She became a child lost in confused, unrequited love and chaotic feelings for her father.
Nancy Christie adroitly describes a remarkable journey through the mind of a woman lost between desire and guilt, unable to formulate a pathway through life that adequately resolves love and sexual desire.
This spellbinding short story will mesmerize the reader with powerful character development and a tale sadly familiar to many women. It’s hard to imagine anyone who will not read this excellent book through on the first attempt.
Reviewer Charles S. Weinblatt is the author of published fiction and non-fiction, including the popular Holocaust novel, Jacob’s Courage (Mazo Publishers).
From a dark corner, the child Annabelle discreetly observes this sensual artistic dance as she drifts into a world in which her desperate need to be loved mixes with erogenous feelings for her father, producing lasting confusion and unresolved remorse.
As Annabelle spills out her failed childhood with a therapist, erotic fantasies emerge, confused and confabulated by time. Annabelle interprets one particular event, both fearsome and stimulating. Sitting atop her fragile psyche is a powerful sensual connection to a time when her father painted her nude at a tender age.
Annabelle sifts through the cobwebs of her repentance, floating through a cloud of unresolved guilt. When she most required love and attention as a child, her self-absorbed parents pushed her away. She became a child lost in confused, unrequited love and chaotic feelings for her father.
Nancy Christie adroitly describes a remarkable journey through the mind of a woman lost between desire and guilt, unable to formulate a pathway through life that adequately resolves love and sexual desire.
This spellbinding short story will mesmerize the reader with powerful character development and a tale sadly familiar to many women. It’s hard to imagine anyone who will not read this excellent book through on the first attempt.
Reviewer Charles S. Weinblatt is the author of published fiction and non-fiction, including the popular Holocaust novel, Jacob’s Courage (Mazo Publishers).
August 24, 2014
Nancy Christie seems to have the knack of pulling off the perfect short story.
Thank you Pixel Hall Press for a pre-publication copy of the eARC of Annabelle.
What can I say, but thank you.
This is a story full of light and colour as well as bleakness and wan. In the opening phrases we meet Annabelle. She sits, by her own account, a pale, ruined, broken shadow of her childhood self. Through her eyes we view her childhood as the neglected only child of an artist and his muse. Annabelle's childhood is filled with brilliant colour and great passion - but sadly, none of it for her. She seems condemned to view her world through the filter of her parent's all-consuming relationship - one in which she plays only a peripheral part. Annabelle is a child born of love, but for whom love is something to be observed rather than felt - something like a work by a great master - gazed upon, coveted, but untouchable.
The vignette describes the tragedy that condemns Annabelle to her present day existence - the price she pays for adoration and acceptance and validation in her father's eyes.
Christie says more in the 20-odd pages of this little work than many authors do over whole novels. Although the few pages before it's end let the narrative down slightly, this is nonetheless a tightly written, evocative, eponymous tale. I can't recommend Ms Christie enough as an author.
Thank you Pixel Hall Press for a pre-publication copy of the eARC of Annabelle.
What can I say, but thank you.
This is a story full of light and colour as well as bleakness and wan. In the opening phrases we meet Annabelle. She sits, by her own account, a pale, ruined, broken shadow of her childhood self. Through her eyes we view her childhood as the neglected only child of an artist and his muse. Annabelle's childhood is filled with brilliant colour and great passion - but sadly, none of it for her. She seems condemned to view her world through the filter of her parent's all-consuming relationship - one in which she plays only a peripheral part. Annabelle is a child born of love, but for whom love is something to be observed rather than felt - something like a work by a great master - gazed upon, coveted, but untouchable.
The vignette describes the tragedy that condemns Annabelle to her present day existence - the price she pays for adoration and acceptance and validation in her father's eyes.
Christie says more in the 20-odd pages of this little work than many authors do over whole novels. Although the few pages before it's end let the narrative down slightly, this is nonetheless a tightly written, evocative, eponymous tale. I can't recommend Ms Christie enough as an author.
September 19, 2013
Annabelle is a literary gem that captures your imagination to a haunting surrender. While grabbing you from the first page, your mind in drawn towards this addictive narrative that silences everything around you grabbing your full attention. This was a short but fulfilling read. The intricacy of the character Annabelle with her parents and the relationship between her parents had a delicate cohesiveness that seemed so seamless that you just couldn't stop reading.
As a reader, to feel such intensity from such vivid, descriptive words is a testament to Christie’s ability as a storyteller. As you read Annabelle, it’s one of those stories that you completely escape into the characters. The storyline between her parents are so passionately engaging filled with love, loss, and tragedy. Her journey of desperation, guilt, seeking love, and that yearning to be that object of desire just completely satisfies your literary appetite.
With all that said, if you love great writing and stories that you can completely escape into, I would recommend reading this. You will not be disappointed. This is one of those stories that you will remember for a long time.
As a reader, to feel such intensity from such vivid, descriptive words is a testament to Christie’s ability as a storyteller. As you read Annabelle, it’s one of those stories that you completely escape into the characters. The storyline between her parents are so passionately engaging filled with love, loss, and tragedy. Her journey of desperation, guilt, seeking love, and that yearning to be that object of desire just completely satisfies your literary appetite.
With all that said, if you love great writing and stories that you can completely escape into, I would recommend reading this. You will not be disappointed. This is one of those stories that you will remember for a long time.
November 7, 2013
Annabelle, the protagonist in this short story by Nancy Christie, is a lost, tragic woman. Talking to her psychiatrist, following a complete breakdown, we gradually learn the details of her early life which had led to her present situation.
The only child of an artist and his wife, she had a woefully lonely childhood. Her father’s only thoughts were for his painting - canvas after canvas in which his wife was the subject. Annabelle’s mother would leave everything to pose for her passionate husband; this resulted in an emotionally neglected and lonely child. The emotional toll on Annabelle was great - she longed for her father to notice her, but when he did, the outcome was unimaginable.
This story gripped me from start to finish. It is beautifully written; I felt that not a word was wasted in building a picture of Annabelle’s tragic life. I look forward to reading more by this talented writer.
Thank you, Pixel Press, for enabling me to read this pre-publication, in return for an honest review.
August 25, 2013
For a short novel it has quiet some emotions in it.
It's a very dark story about a daughter in search for love and understanding from her parents but the father is so obsessed about painting his wife, he doesn't see her.
Normally I don't read short stories because I always want to read more about it.
It's a very dark story about a daughter in search for love and understanding from her parents but the father is so obsessed about painting his wife, he doesn't see her.
Normally I don't read short stories because I always want to read more about it.
August 18, 2013
Annabelle drew me in from the first scene.Annabelle father is an artist her mother his muse & she observes.This is a dark story related in the most vivid of colors.you will not be able to put this story down.
October 31, 2013
A dark, intriguing, powerfully-written short story eBook, Annabelle is a quick read you won't quickly forget.
July 30, 2016
Perceptions and beliefs from childhood often cloud our lives in the present, even long after the unreasonable should have passed. Such is the life of Annabelle in the present: clinging to the feelings slights and misguided beliefs instilled in her as a young child, and unable to move forward with her life as an adult.
Product of a selfish father and a wholly dependent mother, Annabelle was instilled with the belief that nothing mattered BUT her father’s art, his moods and his whims. To that end, her mother often ignored or excluded her: serving only the needs, whims and wishes of her husband. Cold and unfeeling, his only focus is for his art: how it will look, feel or appear on the canvas, even if he has no intention of parting with his work.
Annabelle is caught in those memories, and holding on to childish beliefs from promises made years before: that you are only the canvas, and someone or something else will bring color and vivacity to your life. With the death of her mother, and her father’s abandonment to lose himself in his art: she never did achieve that moment of feeling wanted and loved or belonging in her life.
Whether this could serve as a cautionary tale is entirely up to the reader. Gripping in the intensity, with pain literally dripping from the pages, Annabelle is also wholly immature in the telling: needing the strong dose of medicine provided by her therapist who tells her to keep the dreams – but live in the reality. Whether or not she is capable of doing that, or even existing without a purpose, is unclear: most of all to herself.
Beautifully written with a sense of exclusion and focus in the description of the relationship that existed between her parents, there are oblique references to the sexuality and eroticism of the connection without truly delving into the deeper issue of a child looking in on a situation she is far too young to understand or process. Christie has managed to open a window into a tortured soul with her story, one that is not soon forgotten.
I received an eArc copy from the publisher for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Product of a selfish father and a wholly dependent mother, Annabelle was instilled with the belief that nothing mattered BUT her father’s art, his moods and his whims. To that end, her mother often ignored or excluded her: serving only the needs, whims and wishes of her husband. Cold and unfeeling, his only focus is for his art: how it will look, feel or appear on the canvas, even if he has no intention of parting with his work.
Annabelle is caught in those memories, and holding on to childish beliefs from promises made years before: that you are only the canvas, and someone or something else will bring color and vivacity to your life. With the death of her mother, and her father’s abandonment to lose himself in his art: she never did achieve that moment of feeling wanted and loved or belonging in her life.
Whether this could serve as a cautionary tale is entirely up to the reader. Gripping in the intensity, with pain literally dripping from the pages, Annabelle is also wholly immature in the telling: needing the strong dose of medicine provided by her therapist who tells her to keep the dreams – but live in the reality. Whether or not she is capable of doing that, or even existing without a purpose, is unclear: most of all to herself.
Beautifully written with a sense of exclusion and focus in the description of the relationship that existed between her parents, there are oblique references to the sexuality and eroticism of the connection without truly delving into the deeper issue of a child looking in on a situation she is far too young to understand or process. Christie has managed to open a window into a tortured soul with her story, one that is not soon forgotten.
I received an eArc copy from the publisher for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
September 25, 2013
Originally posted at: http://beckiesbookmix.blogspot.co.uk/...
This may have been a short story but it had more impact then many full-length novels do. Annabelle is woman who is trapped by her past. Talking to her psychiatrist as an adult, she is torn between revealing her childhood troubles or keeping them a secret, locked up in her heart forever.
Annabelle's parents were more interested in each other then they were in their child. Her father was an artist, her mother his model. They spent a significant amount of time locked up in her father's studio painting and posing, leaving Annabelle alone to muddle her way through her own childhood. Now Annabelle has left her childhood behind, she has found she is struggling to cope with adult life and the time seems to have come where she must release her past.
Annabelle is a dark, traumatic and heart-breaking story of a girl who just wants to be loved. I felt sorry for Annabelle, I wanted to save her from her corrupt childhood and show her what love is. Nancy Christie evoked emotion from me for this lost little girl in such a short space of time. It takes a good writer to give you the detail you need in a short story without slowing the pace down but Nancy Christie did it brilliantly. Nancy Christie may have written a dark and chilling story but there are lessons to be learned and the message is clear: your family is important whether you want them to be or not. Nancy Christie has created a deeply colourful short story that will be thought-provoking to many, many people.
This may have been a short story but it had more impact then many full-length novels do. Annabelle is woman who is trapped by her past. Talking to her psychiatrist as an adult, she is torn between revealing her childhood troubles or keeping them a secret, locked up in her heart forever.
Annabelle's parents were more interested in each other then they were in their child. Her father was an artist, her mother his model. They spent a significant amount of time locked up in her father's studio painting and posing, leaving Annabelle alone to muddle her way through her own childhood. Now Annabelle has left her childhood behind, she has found she is struggling to cope with adult life and the time seems to have come where she must release her past.
Annabelle is a dark, traumatic and heart-breaking story of a girl who just wants to be loved. I felt sorry for Annabelle, I wanted to save her from her corrupt childhood and show her what love is. Nancy Christie evoked emotion from me for this lost little girl in such a short space of time. It takes a good writer to give you the detail you need in a short story without slowing the pace down but Nancy Christie did it brilliantly. Nancy Christie may have written a dark and chilling story but there are lessons to be learned and the message is clear: your family is important whether you want them to be or not. Nancy Christie has created a deeply colourful short story that will be thought-provoking to many, many people.
September 22, 2013
Annabelle is a very hauntingly dark short story. So, obviously, I was thrilled to read it.
Annabelle is the daughter of a painter. Her father’s artwork means everything. So much so that it controls the family.
Annabelle’s mother is her father’s model. She receives all of the attention because as I said before, the art is everything.
Annabelle becomes jealous. She wants to be noticed. She wants to be wanted.
When the twist in the story is revealed, everyone’s life is turned upside down and it becomes more dark and disturbing than I had originally thought it was.
There is not much I can say without giving away the whole story. Go read it!
4/5 stars. It was a little slow in places, but the story was good and I was able to read it in one sitting.
Annabelle is the daughter of a painter. Her father’s artwork means everything. So much so that it controls the family.
Annabelle’s mother is her father’s model. She receives all of the attention because as I said before, the art is everything.
Annabelle becomes jealous. She wants to be noticed. She wants to be wanted.
When the twist in the story is revealed, everyone’s life is turned upside down and it becomes more dark and disturbing than I had originally thought it was.
There is not much I can say without giving away the whole story. Go read it!
4/5 stars. It was a little slow in places, but the story was good and I was able to read it in one sitting.
August 28, 2013
It's a wonderful little short story which describe a young woman who is trapped in her feelings and her past. When she has her meeting with her psychiatrist she is trying to protect what has happen during her childhood and on the other hand she is debating to burst out what has happen in the past. She is not only sheltering herself in fact she would like to keep up the illusion of her parent's life. It's subtly written with a lot of love for the main character.
(4 1/2 stars)
(4 1/2 stars)
October 5, 2013
Nancy Christie's story about how an artist's obsession with his work and his wife's love or obsession lead to their daughter wanting nothing more than to be noticed by her father. The story blossoms as it moves along through visits with a psychiatrist. As with Life of Pi, it is up to the reader to decide how an ill-fated swim in the lake actually happened. Christie's writing is as beautiful as the art she describes. The story is worth 5 stars just for the prose!
August 26, 2013
Annabelle was so well written that I felt that I knew Annabelle and somehow I was peeking in at her life. I was saddened as I was drawn into this dysfunctional family and glimpsed their ugly secrets. Everything was made clear and thoroughly biting at the end. As they say, "a good read".
December 10, 2013
This was a good short story however I do wish the author would have done more to make it more interesting. I look forward to reading more of this author's work.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews