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Alchemy
'Alchemy' is a collection of flash fiction interspersed with poetry which explores a world of surrealism and magical realism. The name alchemy came from my desire to create stories about transformation and are other-worldly. The opening piece 'A Collection' tells of a woman who collects borrowed expressions; 'Eden' is about a woman who transforms into a lizard while struggling with isolation. The stories themselves range from dark to light.
Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 6, 2016
I was asked by Jade Kennedy if I would like to read and review her collection of flash fiction and poetry many months ago, but with a huge pile of books waiting to be read it has taken me some time to get to it. However, it was worth the wait.
Initially I wasn’t sure if I’d like such short pieces of fiction and I felt the opening piece A Collection wasn’t as strong as many of the other pieces, but soon I grew accustomed to the rhythm of them, and found myself drawn into an ethereal world of half seen images, ghostliness and other-worldliness.
Jade Kennedy writes like a painter, using skilful similes and metaphors that bring alive her descriptions, particularly those of the natural world. There are mists and fogs, stars and sands, waves and waterfalls that link closely and evocatively with the emotions of the narrative voice.
However, the real strength for me in Jade Kennedy’s writing is her poetry. I’m not sure whether it was the formatting of the e-book I had, but many of the lines were fragmented and disjointed, suiting perfectly the content of the poems. There’s a kind of mysticism and longing in her lines that I found frequently very moving. Reading the poetry evoked feelings of longing and sadness, but also optimism and hope. One line from The Lies I Told My Mother I thought summed up the quality of Jade Kennedy’s writing so well. She says ‘Leave that which scars the spirit to fade beneath the dust.’ I think those are wise words for us all.
It’s a huge shame that this kind of writing is so underrated as talents like Jade Kennedy’s are in danger of being lost in the face of the huge publishing houses and big name authors. I think she deserves recognition and praise for her writing as she really has ‘fingers tinted in poetry’.
http://lindasbookbag.com/
Initially I wasn’t sure if I’d like such short pieces of fiction and I felt the opening piece A Collection wasn’t as strong as many of the other pieces, but soon I grew accustomed to the rhythm of them, and found myself drawn into an ethereal world of half seen images, ghostliness and other-worldliness.
Jade Kennedy writes like a painter, using skilful similes and metaphors that bring alive her descriptions, particularly those of the natural world. There are mists and fogs, stars and sands, waves and waterfalls that link closely and evocatively with the emotions of the narrative voice.
However, the real strength for me in Jade Kennedy’s writing is her poetry. I’m not sure whether it was the formatting of the e-book I had, but many of the lines were fragmented and disjointed, suiting perfectly the content of the poems. There’s a kind of mysticism and longing in her lines that I found frequently very moving. Reading the poetry evoked feelings of longing and sadness, but also optimism and hope. One line from The Lies I Told My Mother I thought summed up the quality of Jade Kennedy’s writing so well. She says ‘Leave that which scars the spirit to fade beneath the dust.’ I think those are wise words for us all.
It’s a huge shame that this kind of writing is so underrated as talents like Jade Kennedy’s are in danger of being lost in the face of the huge publishing houses and big name authors. I think she deserves recognition and praise for her writing as she really has ‘fingers tinted in poetry’.
http://lindasbookbag.com/
August 25, 2015
I want to preface this review by notating that I received this book from the author for an honest review!
Because I am fairly new to the genre, I had no idea what to expect and I ended up absolutely loving every minute of the reading experience with these poems and flash fiction pieces. When I read the first piece of flash fiction, A Collection, I found it super interesting and it immediately made me want to read more.
This book was a very short read in terms of length but I didn’t take a short amount of time to read it because very often I found myself putting my E-reader down and reflecting on what I had just read. I loved that I had to do this with this book. I loved the format of the poems and the mixture of the poems and the flash fiction pieces throughout. The language and the writing in general was just so beautiful and poignant. It was stunning with imagery that was so potent and evocative. I felt very connected with each piece in this collection and just with the collection as a whole; it really made me think and reflect on all of the themes being presented in a particular piece. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite because I enjoyed all of it but I do feel as though Eden might be my favorite. It was breathtaking and I wish I had more to read!
I highly recommend checking this collection out, especially poetry fans, as it is a very good read. It’s light in length but heavy in payoff, it definitely made an impression on me!
Because I am fairly new to the genre, I had no idea what to expect and I ended up absolutely loving every minute of the reading experience with these poems and flash fiction pieces. When I read the first piece of flash fiction, A Collection, I found it super interesting and it immediately made me want to read more.
This book was a very short read in terms of length but I didn’t take a short amount of time to read it because very often I found myself putting my E-reader down and reflecting on what I had just read. I loved that I had to do this with this book. I loved the format of the poems and the mixture of the poems and the flash fiction pieces throughout. The language and the writing in general was just so beautiful and poignant. It was stunning with imagery that was so potent and evocative. I felt very connected with each piece in this collection and just with the collection as a whole; it really made me think and reflect on all of the themes being presented in a particular piece. It’s hard for me to choose a favorite because I enjoyed all of it but I do feel as though Eden might be my favorite. It was breathtaking and I wish I had more to read!
I highly recommend checking this collection out, especially poetry fans, as it is a very good read. It’s light in length but heavy in payoff, it definitely made an impression on me!
December 15, 2015
When the author of Alchemy contacted me to ask if I’d be interested in reading her collection of flash fiction and poetry, I had to admit I’ve never read any flash fiction before and to be honest I wasn’t really sure what it was! Well, I now know that flash fiction is very short stories, often only a few paragraphs long. However, it’s amazing how much story Jade Kennedy manages to convey through her writing. Even though the stories, and poems, were very short they were thought provoking and full of beautiful imagery.
A lot of the stories were linked to the power of nature and the sea and I particularly enjoyed this as I live by the sea so see it every day in all its different moods. I thought that the author captured so well the drama, power and mystery of the sea. I especially enjoyed the stories Poppies in the Snow, Red Wine & Frost and The Storm. One of the poems I thought was beautifully written and just captured a moment perfectly was Sanctuary, describing the subject’s feelings as he or she lies in the arms of the one they love. As flash fiction, and the poems in this book, is very short, words have to be carefully chosen to convey the meaning. Jade Kennedy’s writing was very atmospheric, filled with emotion and at times mystical.
If you’ve never read flash fiction before, I’d recommend you give this lovely collection a try. It’s a short read but one which is very enjoyable.
A lot of the stories were linked to the power of nature and the sea and I particularly enjoyed this as I live by the sea so see it every day in all its different moods. I thought that the author captured so well the drama, power and mystery of the sea. I especially enjoyed the stories Poppies in the Snow, Red Wine & Frost and The Storm. One of the poems I thought was beautifully written and just captured a moment perfectly was Sanctuary, describing the subject’s feelings as he or she lies in the arms of the one they love. As flash fiction, and the poems in this book, is very short, words have to be carefully chosen to convey the meaning. Jade Kennedy’s writing was very atmospheric, filled with emotion and at times mystical.
If you’ve never read flash fiction before, I’d recommend you give this lovely collection a try. It’s a short read but one which is very enjoyable.
January 30, 2016
Alchemy is a colection of poems and flash fiction (short stories if you want to call it that way). They all mingle to create a book full of emotions and colours.
The author uses words to create palpable feelings and it's easy to find one or more poems that will take you to other places and leave you full of emotions.
I also enjoyed how complete the flash fiction can be. I'm new to this and it's amazing how just a few paragraphs create a whole story. Stories with meaning and a sense of fullness.
Let me tell you that I'm not a fan of poetry (or at least poetry in English) but I found many of the poems in this book to be quite beautiful and harmonious.
Overall, either if you are a fan of this genre or not, Alchemy is a really beautiful book that despite being only 50-something pages long, it feels wider and it's extraordinary
*** I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. ***
The author uses words to create palpable feelings and it's easy to find one or more poems that will take you to other places and leave you full of emotions.
I also enjoyed how complete the flash fiction can be. I'm new to this and it's amazing how just a few paragraphs create a whole story. Stories with meaning and a sense of fullness.
Let me tell you that I'm not a fan of poetry (or at least poetry in English) but I found many of the poems in this book to be quite beautiful and harmonious.
Overall, either if you are a fan of this genre or not, Alchemy is a really beautiful book that despite being only 50-something pages long, it feels wider and it's extraordinary
*** I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review. ***
August 16, 2015
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know much about poetry, and am much more inclined to pick up a novel versus a book like Alchemy by Jade Kennedy.
But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading each individual poem and piece of flash fiction held within Alchemy‘s pages, and Kennedy’s dive into the world of magical realism was both collected and graceful.
Even though I was drawn more towards the flash fiction sections of the collection, particularly ‘Poppies in the Snow’ and ‘Blackbird’ (because old habits die hard), the poems were equally enticing to read. And what I really liked is that I could sit down and read the entire collection in a day.
Alchemy is something I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a poetry fan, because I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading each individual poem and piece of flash fiction held within Alchemy‘s pages, and Kennedy’s dive into the world of magical realism was both collected and graceful.
Even though I was drawn more towards the flash fiction sections of the collection, particularly ‘Poppies in the Snow’ and ‘Blackbird’ (because old habits die hard), the poems were equally enticing to read. And what I really liked is that I could sit down and read the entire collection in a day.
Alchemy is something I would definitely recommend to anyone who is a poetry fan, because I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
July 14, 2015
Alchemy by Jade Kennedy offers a delightful collection of thought-provoking poems and vignettes. Two of my favourites were Mosaic and Glass Butterflies. Worth a look if you like your poems abstract and atmospheric.
July 21, 2017
I enjoyed this. It isn't really my taste -- I'm not a poetry reader, but I did enjoy most of the flash fiction, particularly Over the Edge and Drawings.
An image to accompany the last piece of flash fiction, Red Wine and Frost:
I would describe most of the writing as atmospheric and moody. There was definitely a serious tone throughout, even in the more light-hearted pieces. Many of the poems reminded me of things I wrote when I was in high school and taking myself way too seriously -- they're a little dark and a lot sad and trying just a little too hard. They also tend to be a bit repetitive, particularly if you read large swathes of this at once. The same words get used again and again, and they lose their effectiveness.
Now, as I said, I'm not much of a poetry reader, so perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh. I did enjoy most of the flash fiction, probably because there was more of a story for me to grab onto.
If you enjoy poetry and short fiction, I'd definitely give this a try. I think if I'd read it in winter, by a window looking out onto a desolate landscape, I might have enjoyed it more. So, give that a try. :D
I received this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
An image to accompany the last piece of flash fiction, Red Wine and Frost:
I would describe most of the writing as atmospheric and moody. There was definitely a serious tone throughout, even in the more light-hearted pieces. Many of the poems reminded me of things I wrote when I was in high school and taking myself way too seriously -- they're a little dark and a lot sad and trying just a little too hard. They also tend to be a bit repetitive, particularly if you read large swathes of this at once. The same words get used again and again, and they lose their effectiveness.
Now, as I said, I'm not much of a poetry reader, so perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh. I did enjoy most of the flash fiction, probably because there was more of a story for me to grab onto.
If you enjoy poetry and short fiction, I'd definitely give this a try. I think if I'd read it in winter, by a window looking out onto a desolate landscape, I might have enjoyed it more. So, give that a try. :D
I received this ebook in exchange for an honest review.
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