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Triumph: Collected Stories
Dive into an absorbing collection illuminating the lives of complicated, unforgettable girls and women all over the world. Friendship, heartache, and redemption are tackled with wit and candor in these unique interconnected short stories. - (Blurb reproduced courtesy of BookBub)
- GenresFiction
138 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2015
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177 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 25, 2015
I do not know of any other short story compilation that features female anti-heroes. As a lover of female authors and characters, I was glad to have the opportunity to explore such a work. Author Lizzie Harwood provides much more than the typical female characters that populate much of what is considered women's fiction. There is no "will they or won't they get together in the end" here....
Read my full review here: http://ivoryowlreviews.blogspot.com/2...
February 16, 2015
A Triumph Indeed!
Triumph is a series of short stories that captures the raw essence of a series of women. The women in each of the stories come to life quite vividly. The writing brings out their personality and attitude on life in ways that are engaging, captivating. Each one is unique with their situations. A wealth of emotions flowed while immersed in the collection. A truly exciting read… with compelling endings to each story.
I highly recommend Triumph to anyone who is looking for a book that captures the nuances of this thing called life, and the situations faced by some.
Triumph is a series of short stories that captures the raw essence of a series of women. The women in each of the stories come to life quite vividly. The writing brings out their personality and attitude on life in ways that are engaging, captivating. Each one is unique with their situations. A wealth of emotions flowed while immersed in the collection. A truly exciting read… with compelling endings to each story.
I highly recommend Triumph to anyone who is looking for a book that captures the nuances of this thing called life, and the situations faced by some.
May 11, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed Lizzie Harwood's collection of short stories. Her descriptions were so vivid, I could "see" each character and "feel" their pain or pleasure. She moves skillfully from one story to the next and I marveled at how many different voices she mastered, from various young women to children. My only complaint, and it's one that all writers desire, is I wanted the stories to continue. I can't wait to read more from this talented author.
May 10, 2015
Lizzie Harwood's 'Triumph' is a fast-paced, exhilarating ride through the perils of being a woman in the current era. From raunchy to touching to I've-been-there, the women in her stories emerge from the page in a series of portraits that are not for the faint-hearted. Harwood, who grew up in New Zealand and later moved to Paris after stops in the tropics and various ancient cities, wields her pen like a sword, cutting through the niceties with a fine black humor that can leave you breathless -- or in stitches. The writing is graphic, and full of local color ('He had hands like pohutakawa roots and always wore the same black jumper and gumboots with holey blue dungarees.' ... 'My initial coup de foudre with the Kovalam and the Hotel Marine Parade packs up overnight when invisible things in my mattress eat me alive.' ... 'Boy racers hooned up and down in their souped-up Cortinas with dirty rap blasting from stereos perhaps stolen.' ... 'She had a face like a Modigliani and a body like Barbie.') When you pick up this book, you will travel mean streets and meet plenty of mean people, all out to taste as much as they can from life. It's real, it's gritty, and I couldn't put it down.
February 12, 2015
Triumph is a collection of stories where the characters are not always likeable, but they appear in full colour realness, which is something only a seasoned writer can pull off. What impresses me the most about this book is how seamlessly the author is able to go from voice to voice - a young girl, a psychopath, a young woman lost in addiction, a self-absorbed woman, a younger mom, an older mom whose children do her no credit. I got sucked into each story, and found myself cheering when the character managed to pull through (something that happened less often than this "happy ending gal" would have liked).
I give this book five stars for the magnificent writing.
I give this book five stars for the magnificent writing.
February 12, 2015
Fabulous read about gritty, real-world types of women. Sometimes funny, often poignant, very relatable. I learned of this book when I saw Harwood speak at a writer's symposium. She is a very interesting woman, and that made me want to read her collection of short stories. It did not disappoint! Highly recommended.
February 23, 2015
These stories feel so real – sometimes eerie, sometimes incandescent flashes into the lives of girls and women. Each narrator is fully inhabited, and the descriptive language is spot on – sharp and evocative.
September 21, 2015
Another good short story collection with characters in New Zealand. Well written!
October 8, 2017
These stories touched a very personal note for me. Though fiction, they paint a creative but recognizable view of the world I grew up in which no longer exists as it did then.
It's a special experience to be able to swim around in someone else's dream and recognise features there from your own life. Lizzie is a talented writer, and she is skilful at crafting those images in a style that is warming to read.
I expect to come back to these and read them over again in the future, and I would recommend this book to people who know me and are interested in that time and place.
It's a special experience to be able to swim around in someone else's dream and recognise features there from your own life. Lizzie is a talented writer, and she is skilful at crafting those images in a style that is warming to read.
I expect to come back to these and read them over again in the future, and I would recommend this book to people who know me and are interested in that time and place.
April 20, 2015
In these fourteen short stories, Harwood’s skillful and beautiful prose guides you to a country that is, surprisingly, seldom visited in literature—the country of women’s minds and lives as they really exist today. Hers is a penetrating, close-up, and cleanly honest perspective that may make some readers uncomfortable—because these women are not eager to please us. They are not looking for good husbands, necessarily, or even good jobs, and their friends are too often unreliable. They are on their own, battling unseen forces, and you worry for them, maybe more than they worry for themselves.
All that would be excitement and challenge enough. But then Harwood throws in setting. Glorious setting to spirit us from New Zealand to India to Rome to Amsterdam to Paris to Canada, each locale stunningly real and as diamond-sharp as the woman or girl in it. Harwood accomplishes this feat with ease and authority, filling you with nostalgia for countries you may have never even been to. Story collections are often bound together by consistent geography. Harwood’s is united by the freshness and precision of its globe-trotting diversity.
You’ll want to take your time with these passionate and complex tales. And when you come to the last one, you may well want to return to the first, because this is literature that reveals new gems upon re-reading.
All that would be excitement and challenge enough. But then Harwood throws in setting. Glorious setting to spirit us from New Zealand to India to Rome to Amsterdam to Paris to Canada, each locale stunningly real and as diamond-sharp as the woman or girl in it. Harwood accomplishes this feat with ease and authority, filling you with nostalgia for countries you may have never even been to. Story collections are often bound together by consistent geography. Harwood’s is united by the freshness and precision of its globe-trotting diversity.
You’ll want to take your time with these passionate and complex tales. And when you come to the last one, you may well want to return to the first, because this is literature that reveals new gems upon re-reading.
February 14, 2017
A patchwork quilt of stories
I believe that the short story is the most challenging to write because one must include a beginning and middle and conclusion of the story within a few pages. My life (60's, female, and traditional white American) differs a lot from the characters in these stories, but there are nuggets of shared feelings that gave me a sense of closeness.
I believe that the short story is the most challenging to write because one must include a beginning and middle and conclusion of the story within a few pages. My life (60's, female, and traditional white American) differs a lot from the characters in these stories, but there are nuggets of shared feelings that gave me a sense of closeness.
February 13, 2015
Lizzie Harwood’s got a voice to reckon with. I couldn’t get to the end each story fast enough and the book ended too early. I felt like I was on a road trip in a Cadillac convertible with the wind whipping my hair. The Birthday was my favourite but Throat for Dinner made me cry tears of laughter and Christmas With Jake was such an awesome portrait of the dysfunctional family.
I found it interesting that Harwood used the same names throughout the stories though the ages of the protagonists differ with no sequential chronological order. The names, her use of PsOV and present tense make the stories jive to a contemporary beat.
I found it interesting that Harwood used the same names throughout the stories though the ages of the protagonists differ with no sequential chronological order. The names, her use of PsOV and present tense make the stories jive to a contemporary beat.
February 23, 2015
In this collection of short stories, we meet women from all walks of life. Some of them are strong. Some of them are flawed. Some of them are twisted. Some of them are hopeful. Most importantly, the characters stay with you long after you put the book down. From the first page, Harwood draws the reader in with vivid descriptions and soulful prose. Add the distinct voices she creates for each of the narratives, which is no easy accomplishment (only seasoned writers can pull this off), and you have an unputdownable book. Kudos to Harwood and the engrossing tales she weaves! I can’t wait to see more from this author! Highly recommended!
February 23, 2015
I received a review copy through LibraryThing's Members Giveaway
I guess this book was not really my cup of tea. I'm not a big fan of gone girls, floating and flitting, being a "free spirit". I feel it's degrading to womankind in general. Better to be alone for the right reason than with someone for the wrong. But then that's my opinion. No doubt the stories were well written and creative, the writing imaginative and full of expression. Maybe if the subject matter was more to my liking I could appreciate it more.
I guess this book was not really my cup of tea. I'm not a big fan of gone girls, floating and flitting, being a "free spirit". I feel it's degrading to womankind in general. Better to be alone for the right reason than with someone for the wrong. But then that's my opinion. No doubt the stories were well written and creative, the writing imaginative and full of expression. Maybe if the subject matter was more to my liking I could appreciate it more.
February 12, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Triumph. It's one of those books you can't put down and definitely don't want to end. It instantly takes you back to those carefree days before careers, partners and children overtake your life. The characters are fantastically complex and you feel an instant bond. Harwood's writing style is beautiful and she has a real talent for character development and story telling. A great read. I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 12, 2015
Each story in Triumph draws you into its world immediately, with compelling narrative and complex characters. Lizzie Harwood has mastered the art of the short story—you’ll feel as if you’ve walked alongside the characters in their journeys... just in time to move on to the next story.
April 10, 2017
Finely crafted short stories for women. Lovely
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews