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V is for Vignettes & Verses: A decade of Microfiction, Shorts & Poetry
V is for Vignettes & Verses embodies the journey that we can all relate to in some way or another. The journey of becoming.
Delve into a collection of adventures of self-discovery and reflection. While this collection is fictional, much of it is based on the author's personal experiences over a decade of their lives. It represents a time of change, of travel and of new experiences. Each piece is a genre of their own. The stories and microfiction range from historical, to speculative, to political and beyond. There's a time in your life where you must observe, reflect, and finally decide on your own moral compass.
Delve into a collection of adventures of self-discovery and reflection. While this collection is fictional, much of it is based on the author's personal experiences over a decade of their lives. It represents a time of change, of travel and of new experiences. Each piece is a genre of their own. The stories and microfiction range from historical, to speculative, to political and beyond. There's a time in your life where you must observe, reflect, and finally decide on your own moral compass.
49 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 28, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 15, 2024
I’d rarely be into short stories and poetry (despite listening to a pile of hip-hop), but every so often an author such as Colin Barrett and Irvine Welsh catches my interest with smaller tales, and now Claire O’Connor has been added to that list. If there’s one thing V is for Vignettes and Verses really hooked me on, it was atmosphere and subtlety.
The collection has some highly experimental stuff going on, and this is what gives each story a raving flair, some like a highly-dosed acid trip, while the depictions of time and place are spot-on. Without spoiling anything for anyone else who definitely should read this collection, the standouts for me are as follows:
Dreams of India: this opening short takes place in Mumbai as the unnamed narrator has a brief but almost naive encounter with two beggars. There appears to be a semi-autobiographical element being carried through here, and the Ulysses-like depiction of Mumbai city life is striking with its clear class distinction.
Flour Sacks in Petticoats: this one transports readers back to the past with vocabulary, behaviour and finer details like meals of dripping and bread. Set in a rural town, this story’s use of subtle clues helps reveal itself without spoon-feeding. This one is particularly brutal, more so through implication than action, and it conveys its theme of rural isolation very similarly to the likes of Patrick McCabe (The Butcher Boy).
Loss: this one is slightly more complex, as readers would definitely need an understanding of its backdrop to fully realise, as Loss deals with the harsh realities of farming, no longer the glorified work it once was.
It’s Not a Trip: hilariously, this one really is about the psychedelic trip of Jack, who angers his girlfriend after she doesn’t like what his trip turns out to be.
Among the other excellent shorts are some poems such as The Hag of Beara, and an oddly situated story called Homage to the Stag which features a darkly comedic, but fairly open, ending. Tinker and the Force initially was what I thought a realistic depiction of Toy Story would be until the grim narrative started to reveal itself more.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this collection and would like to see more stories of this calibre from this author, especially ones along the lines of Flour Sacks in Petticoats for its mere atmosphere alone. It's definitely a five out of five for me.
The collection has some highly experimental stuff going on, and this is what gives each story a raving flair, some like a highly-dosed acid trip, while the depictions of time and place are spot-on. Without spoiling anything for anyone else who definitely should read this collection, the standouts for me are as follows:
Dreams of India: this opening short takes place in Mumbai as the unnamed narrator has a brief but almost naive encounter with two beggars. There appears to be a semi-autobiographical element being carried through here, and the Ulysses-like depiction of Mumbai city life is striking with its clear class distinction.
Flour Sacks in Petticoats: this one transports readers back to the past with vocabulary, behaviour and finer details like meals of dripping and bread. Set in a rural town, this story’s use of subtle clues helps reveal itself without spoon-feeding. This one is particularly brutal, more so through implication than action, and it conveys its theme of rural isolation very similarly to the likes of Patrick McCabe (The Butcher Boy).
Loss: this one is slightly more complex, as readers would definitely need an understanding of its backdrop to fully realise, as Loss deals with the harsh realities of farming, no longer the glorified work it once was.
It’s Not a Trip: hilariously, this one really is about the psychedelic trip of Jack, who angers his girlfriend after she doesn’t like what his trip turns out to be.
Among the other excellent shorts are some poems such as The Hag of Beara, and an oddly situated story called Homage to the Stag which features a darkly comedic, but fairly open, ending. Tinker and the Force initially was what I thought a realistic depiction of Toy Story would be until the grim narrative started to reveal itself more.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this collection and would like to see more stories of this calibre from this author, especially ones along the lines of Flour Sacks in Petticoats for its mere atmosphere alone. It's definitely a five out of five for me.
July 8, 2024
great shorts
A short but captivating read. Some of these short stories really get you thinking. It opens with a strong start. One of my favourites was Dreams of India, the first short story, and the other one I really enjoyed was Tinker and the force, but they all had something unique to offer. If you like short stories that you can dip into when you have a few minutes to spare, these might be just what you are looking for.
A short but captivating read. Some of these short stories really get you thinking. It opens with a strong start. One of my favourites was Dreams of India, the first short story, and the other one I really enjoyed was Tinker and the force, but they all had something unique to offer. If you like short stories that you can dip into when you have a few minutes to spare, these might be just what you are looking for.
April 27, 2024
Vignettes (vin-nyets) small impressionistic scenes.
A wonderful eclectic selection of poetry, shorts stories and microfiction that certainly are impressionistic.
Each offering little peeks into events that although fictional were inspired by journeys experienced by the author over a decade. Worth checking out.
Thank you to the author for allowing us to experience these journeys by tempting us with a #SpecialPromo of the book during the #IndieAuthorSpringSpectacular
A wonderful eclectic selection of poetry, shorts stories and microfiction that certainly are impressionistic.
Each offering little peeks into events that although fictional were inspired by journeys experienced by the author over a decade. Worth checking out.
Thank you to the author for allowing us to experience these journeys by tempting us with a #SpecialPromo of the book during the #IndieAuthorSpringSpectacular
April 27, 2025
I've never read a book like this before and was a little skeptical going into it (poetry is not my thing at all), but I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and poetry. I rate it a 4.5/5, but have rounded it up to a full 5/5 for this review.
Although I obviously preferred some over others, I thought all the short stories in this collection were well-written. Most were thought-provoking, with subtle commentary on various social issues including the meat/dairy industry in "Loss", technology and ageism in "Tinker and the force", and the all-too-common contrast of glamorous tourist attractions existing alongside horrific poverty in "Dreams of India."
My favourite story by far was "Flour Sacks to Petticoats", with follows a young Irish girl in the early-mid 1900s (exact date is unclear.) Considering it was only a few pages long, this story had such good character and world building. It stood well as a short - it didn't feel like it was an incomplete snippet of a longer story, which is a criticism I often have with short stories - but at the same time, I think it would be brilliant if it were reworked into a full-length novel.
The only criticism I have of this book (and this is a very minor one) is that I think the story "It's not a trip" would've benefitted from being a little longer, as this one did feel somewhat incomplete. The same applies to a few of the poems - but as I stated earlier, I'm not a poetry fan generally, so take my opinion on those with a pinch of salt.
At less than fifty pages, this is a great little read, which I would recommend getting through in a single relaxed afternoon.
Although I obviously preferred some over others, I thought all the short stories in this collection were well-written. Most were thought-provoking, with subtle commentary on various social issues including the meat/dairy industry in "Loss", technology and ageism in "Tinker and the force", and the all-too-common contrast of glamorous tourist attractions existing alongside horrific poverty in "Dreams of India."
My favourite story by far was "Flour Sacks to Petticoats", with follows a young Irish girl in the early-mid 1900s (exact date is unclear.) Considering it was only a few pages long, this story had such good character and world building. It stood well as a short - it didn't feel like it was an incomplete snippet of a longer story, which is a criticism I often have with short stories - but at the same time, I think it would be brilliant if it were reworked into a full-length novel.
The only criticism I have of this book (and this is a very minor one) is that I think the story "It's not a trip" would've benefitted from being a little longer, as this one did feel somewhat incomplete. The same applies to a few of the poems - but as I stated earlier, I'm not a poetry fan generally, so take my opinion on those with a pinch of salt.
At less than fifty pages, this is a great little read, which I would recommend getting through in a single relaxed afternoon.
December 22, 2024
Highly recommend this diverse and engaging collection.
O'Connor describes this book as an eclectic collection of short fiction and poetry based on a decade of her life.
I recommend this book for anyone,who like me, enjoys picking up a book and reading something short and then dipping into it again.
I read it while on a train journey and though it is a short read, the poems and stories transported me to many places from India to the rugged rocks of Beara, and also on an emotional level I was transported from tears in 'Flour Sacks to Petticoats ' to laughter visualising the characters in 'Tea and Apathy'.
I particularly loved the imagery and emotions in 'The Hag of Beara' and 'Loss' too.
Overall I highly recommend V is for Vignettes and Verses and look forward to reading other books by this author.
O'Connor describes this book as an eclectic collection of short fiction and poetry based on a decade of her life.
I recommend this book for anyone,who like me, enjoys picking up a book and reading something short and then dipping into it again.
I read it while on a train journey and though it is a short read, the poems and stories transported me to many places from India to the rugged rocks of Beara, and also on an emotional level I was transported from tears in 'Flour Sacks to Petticoats ' to laughter visualising the characters in 'Tea and Apathy'.
I particularly loved the imagery and emotions in 'The Hag of Beara' and 'Loss' too.
Overall I highly recommend V is for Vignettes and Verses and look forward to reading other books by this author.
August 10, 2024
A short book filled with mirco-fiction, super shorts, and poetry. This felt very unique to me. It had a real range of stories to tell. It made for a great one sitting read with a cup of tea.
I recommend this to those who enjoy their short stories and poetry. The stand out story for me in this collection was 'Flour sacks to Petticoats'. This one was painted really vividly so I felt like I was there alongside the character.
I recommend this to those who enjoy their short stories and poetry. The stand out story for me in this collection was 'Flour sacks to Petticoats'. This one was painted really vividly so I felt like I was there alongside the character.
August 30, 2024
A really enjoyable mixture of short stories and poetry. The flash fiction was particularly interesting with unlikely characters and unexpected endings. Really enjoyed the poem about late bloomers and the elephant.
August 8, 2024
Cute!
I particularly enjoyed the short fiction pieces. The book’s front cover is really lovely too. Perfect for a quick read.
I particularly enjoyed the short fiction pieces. The book’s front cover is really lovely too. Perfect for a quick read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews