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Joy In a Box
A blind girl has a gift; a father's heart breaks; a young boy in Africa might die; the step-children want her dead husband's money . . . Read these short snippets of fiction and be prepared to gasp, giggle, and groan. Sally Hanan’s insight into the human heart brings depth and richness to her stories, many of them written in a poetic style of prose that flows and gurgles like a country creek.
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First published May 14, 2009
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About the author
Sally Hanan
7 books159 followersSally Hanan is an Irish import to the US. She made the eight-hour crossing back in the '90s with a husband and two young children in tow. Since then she has managed to raise her above-average kids, develop a solid addiction to Facebook, and clean up when someone is about to visit.
Readers have described Sally’s writing as “inspiring,” “captivating,” “funny,” and “profound.” She is a 2021 Readers' Favorite gold medal winner for her nonfiction and has won numerous awards for her fiction and poetry in smaller writing competitions.
Sally has a nursing degree from Dublin, Ireland, and is a book editor and occasional lay counselor and life coach. An Irish native, she lives near Austin, Texas, thanks to a fortuitous green card lottery—in a gorgeous 1930s home with her “hunk of burning love” husband and their spoiled-rotten doggie.
Readers have described Sally’s writing as “inspiring,” “captivating,” “funny,” and “profound.” She is a 2021 Readers' Favorite gold medal winner for her nonfiction and has won numerous awards for her fiction and poetry in smaller writing competitions.
Sally has a nursing degree from Dublin, Ireland, and is a book editor and occasional lay counselor and life coach. An Irish native, she lives near Austin, Texas, thanks to a fortuitous green card lottery—in a gorgeous 1930s home with her “hunk of burning love” husband and their spoiled-rotten doggie.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 15, 2018
OMG! These boxes (short stories) are full of delight, suspense, surprise, wisdom, love, regret, disgust, frustration, surrender, sadness and much more. Sally Hanan presented a great collection of 30 flash fiction short stories. Some stories made me laugh, while others left me on the verge of tears. I enjoyed a good mix of parody and true stories. During reading this book I felt myself travelling to courtroom and church. As a life coach, she demonstrated her skills very well in this book.
May 17, 2016
The moment I finished reading this short story collection, I told myself that the author has chosen the perfect title! This book gave me hope and joy. I haven't read a book in recent times which touched my soul in such a profound way. Some of the stories are fun, some are a little sad; but all of them share a message of hope and love.
Every story in this collection is very unique. A few of them have a surprise ending which completely changed the course of my imagination. The author has experimented with language and employed appropriate mode of speech to suit the situation of the narrator. Mostly, the characters in the stories learn to forgive and embrace love. All the stories are very inspiring. "Maude-in-law" inspired me to keep calm. "In the orange sherbet light" made me cherish the love that surrounds me, "Joy in a Box" made me rewind and look back at old memories.
This is a great book. I really feel blessed to have read it. You should get hold of this book if you are looking for inner peace and hope.
Every story in this collection is very unique. A few of them have a surprise ending which completely changed the course of my imagination. The author has experimented with language and employed appropriate mode of speech to suit the situation of the narrator. Mostly, the characters in the stories learn to forgive and embrace love. All the stories are very inspiring. "Maude-in-law" inspired me to keep calm. "In the orange sherbet light" made me cherish the love that surrounds me, "Joy in a Box" made me rewind and look back at old memories.
This is a great book. I really feel blessed to have read it. You should get hold of this book if you are looking for inner peace and hope.
November 23, 2015
This collection of short stories was great! One story would have me laughing, but I'd be tearing up in the next. Each one I was sucked into and could relate to. Excellent read; highly recommended.
August 1, 2017
A must read collection of soul soothing tales.
It fills you on the inside completely. It makes you puff your chest up and stand tall in a crowd. At times it makes you jump high in the air. It makes you euphoric but most of all it becomes the reason for you to continue along the tiring journey of life. It is the feeling of ‘joy’ and Joy in a Box is a joyous read.
The collection encases a number of stories that are poignantly presented to charm the reader. The stories are emotionally captivating and realistic. Some of them are based on real life incidents that had been reported. Others are explications of Biblical narratives. The short stories deal with varied themes of pain that is felt at the loss of a dear one, the difficulties of overcoming the grief of a child’s disappearance, the happiness of childbirth, the shade of parental care, the quirkiness of marital relationship and teenage infatuation. Each story is an emotionally mature representations of human relations which makes the book highly relatable. Most of the instances joy is never devoid of sorrow and vice versa. It is in the balance of both that the little joys of life are felt.
The varied angularity of the stories helps to give newer perspectives. The narrative is fresh, non-repetitive and swift. The stories move in a linear manner and unfold gradually. The style is simple and profound that tugs at the heart. Descriptions are vivid and detailed. The book doesn’t try to impose its views on the readers. All things unnecessary are avoided. It is the surprise endings that leave a sense of pathos. The book instils supernatural nature of faith that is personified in Jesus.
Sensitive, relevant and a mature collection providing a relaxing break from the mundanity of urban lifestyle.
It fills you on the inside completely. It makes you puff your chest up and stand tall in a crowd. At times it makes you jump high in the air. It makes you euphoric but most of all it becomes the reason for you to continue along the tiring journey of life. It is the feeling of ‘joy’ and Joy in a Box is a joyous read.
The collection encases a number of stories that are poignantly presented to charm the reader. The stories are emotionally captivating and realistic. Some of them are based on real life incidents that had been reported. Others are explications of Biblical narratives. The short stories deal with varied themes of pain that is felt at the loss of a dear one, the difficulties of overcoming the grief of a child’s disappearance, the happiness of childbirth, the shade of parental care, the quirkiness of marital relationship and teenage infatuation. Each story is an emotionally mature representations of human relations which makes the book highly relatable. Most of the instances joy is never devoid of sorrow and vice versa. It is in the balance of both that the little joys of life are felt.
The varied angularity of the stories helps to give newer perspectives. The narrative is fresh, non-repetitive and swift. The stories move in a linear manner and unfold gradually. The style is simple and profound that tugs at the heart. Descriptions are vivid and detailed. The book doesn’t try to impose its views on the readers. All things unnecessary are avoided. It is the surprise endings that leave a sense of pathos. The book instils supernatural nature of faith that is personified in Jesus.
Sensitive, relevant and a mature collection providing a relaxing break from the mundanity of urban lifestyle.
March 20, 2017
Great short stories. I have a hard time picking a favorite one, their all great. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Ms. Hanan could not have picked a better name for the book. All the stories are a joy to read and gives you hope for this world today. If I had not been traveling and taking care of my in-laws I would have finished the book in a day. You may be surprised at some of the endings or you may cry or laugh but you will be blessed by them.. Each story is complete and will not leave you hanging.
I would recommend you getting this book and reading it over and over.
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
I would recommend you getting this book and reading it over and over.
I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
July 23, 2017
Joy in a Box brought out many emotions as I read the many short stories, thirty in all.
I did experience joy as well as thoughts like the following: she did what?, awww how sweet, oh my goodness, I can't believe that! I laughed, I teared up, I smiled, I kept turning the pages because of really enjoying the stories and wanting to read the next one and the next one. There is much wisdom and love through out the book. This is so worth the time to read.
The author is gifted in her writing, being able to explore the many emotions in very short stories. I hope that there will be another book of stories from Sally Hanan.
I did experience joy as well as thoughts like the following: she did what?, awww how sweet, oh my goodness, I can't believe that! I laughed, I teared up, I smiled, I kept turning the pages because of really enjoying the stories and wanting to read the next one and the next one. There is much wisdom and love through out the book. This is so worth the time to read.
The author is gifted in her writing, being able to explore the many emotions in very short stories. I hope that there will be another book of stories from Sally Hanan.
May 14, 2017
Book of 30 short fictional stories that will trigger a series of emotions in you the reader. As I read these short stories I encountered delight, suspense, surprise, wisdom, love, regret, disgust, frustration, surrender, sadness, as well as examples of spirit filled living and the power of prayer. I'm sure that you will just as I did enjoy some of the stories more than others but that is the good part of a variety of short stories as different stories appeal to different readers. So enjoy and take something from the ones that appeal to you and leave the others for what they are.
January 1, 2017
If I wouldn't have been given the opportunity to read this book thru Bookfun magazine, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. Some if the short stories in the book were really good, while others were difficult to understand. This is the first book I have read by this author and would recommend this book to others that like short stories.
October 1, 2017
Loved this book, plenty of stories to choose from, many with a positive vibe. Excellent!
October 30, 2019
Firstly, I would like to say that I am grateful that I won this book in a goodreads giveaway. If I had not seen this book up for giveaway on goodreads then I would not have known that this book existed and if I had not won then I most likely would not have bought this book. I do not normally read short stories but this book kept calling out to me from my shelves. This book is a collection of short stories which I went into thinking that I would not enjoy them but it turns out that I was pleasantly surprised when I found that I enjoyed them. I found it difficult to put this book down and stop reading it. I finished this book within a day which is an achievement for me as I find it hard to focus on one thing for an extended period of time. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction and short stories. As I won this book I will be keeping it as a part of my book collection forever.
December 14, 2016
Hanan has created a collection of short stories which contains a little bit of something for everyone. The stories are quick and easy to read, and many readers will be able to finish this in a day, unless they want to savor the book longer. Some stories leave you laughing, while others leave you on the verge of tears. Some have a religious theme, while others are more mainstream. Short stories occasionally feel incomplete, but that is not the case with those in this collection. If you are looking for something to read but don’t have a lot of time to do it, this would be a good book to check out.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from the author, but I was not required to leave a favorable review. Opinions are my own.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from the author, but I was not required to leave a favorable review. Opinions are my own.
December 18, 2016
Good things come in small packages. This collection of short stories may be small but each one shows insight and packs a powerful punch. Some make you smile, some tear you up, and some you walk away from with wisdom you didn't have before. Well worth your time. You can read one at a time and savor or devour all in one sitting like I did because you can't stop.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
I received a complimentary copy from the author. The honest review and opinions are my own and were not required.
February 13, 2018
These short stories provided a nice variety of story types and emotions. Once I finished one story, I didn't know what I'd be in for with the next and I enjoyed the surprise. If you're looking for short stories about the breadth of the human experience, then these stories are for you.
February 7, 2012
I wrote it, so my opinion would be a bit biased. :D It's a collection of 30 flash fiction stories.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews