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For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Six words, powerfully evocative, & believed to have been written by Ernest Hemingway to win a bet.
They were the inspiration for this collection of fantastic flash fiction; compiled & edited by author Hache L. Jones. Her challenge went out: write a story of no more than 500 words explaining why a pair of unworn baby shoes were up for sale.
The resulting influx of stories, 191 of them by 85 writers based in 13 countries is astonishing. They’ll make you think, cry, and laugh in equal measure.
KGHH Publishing would like to thank the wonderful Lori Depp for the foreword, the fantastic writers who have produced some amazing works and last, but not least, Hache L. Jones without whom this project would not have been possible.
All royalties from sales of this book are to be donated to Make-A-Wish® UK Charity Registration Nos. (England & Wales) 295672 / (Scotland) SC037479
They were the inspiration for this collection of fantastic flash fiction; compiled & edited by author Hache L. Jones. Her challenge went out: write a story of no more than 500 words explaining why a pair of unworn baby shoes were up for sale.
The resulting influx of stories, 191 of them by 85 writers based in 13 countries is astonishing. They’ll make you think, cry, and laugh in equal measure.
KGHH Publishing would like to thank the wonderful Lori Depp for the foreword, the fantastic writers who have produced some amazing works and last, but not least, Hache L. Jones without whom this project would not have been possible.
All royalties from sales of this book are to be donated to Make-A-Wish® UK Charity Registration Nos. (England & Wales) 295672 / (Scotland) SC037479
344 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 19, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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January 6, 2022I'm a big fan of literary experiments, but I think composing a story in just 6 words, mirroring an entire drama, or any other literary form - is not quite an action for anyone. I give up before loading my memory with some more or less successful attempts in a commendable project otherwise, of encouraging this slash fiction, for more subjective reasons, which are more related to personal claims in the composition of a short sentence, but really complex in meaning.
Anyway, this title/ 6 words- narration ( For Sale..) - it seems by far a brilliant one, and I'd like to believe that Hemingway is the author .
Anyway, this title/ 6 words- narration ( For Sale..) - it seems by far a brilliant one, and I'd like to believe that Hemingway is the author .
June 16, 2017
I have a story in this book, but I am only reviewing the others. A great mix of talent here, for a worthy cause.
October 25, 2023
étonnant mais intriguant
November 19, 2022
This reading report is done on the actual poem/story rather than the book as the book is made up of non-cannon interpretations of the story.
This book tells a tale of a deceased baby whose parents had already bought things for the child in anticipation, this thrilling narrative filled with twists illustrates the message of hope. "Never worn" The parents were so hopeful just for it to turn out not the way they wanted. This book shows that people need to believe in something, however believing in something can also be terrible. Having a baby die before it can wear shoes must be terrible and have a profound effect on the parents, this is shown through "For sale:". The parents may not have been able to stand the sight of the future that they could not have. This story directly parallels that of Germany after WWI. Germany was hopeful and so close to becoming the most powerful nation. and when they failed their hope turned into a cloud of depression that hung over Germany for decades. The message the author was trying to send is that you need to be careful were you put your hope and how much of it you have. "The bigger they are the harder they fall" and both this poem and Germany are prime examples of that, both had such high hopes, only to not work out the way they wanted it to. This poem is about placing the right amount of hope in the right places, not having no hope, otherwise there would never have been a baby, and Germany would still have been a weak nation with nothing to aspire too and nowhere to go.
This book tells a tale of a deceased baby whose parents had already bought things for the child in anticipation, this thrilling narrative filled with twists illustrates the message of hope. "Never worn" The parents were so hopeful just for it to turn out not the way they wanted. This book shows that people need to believe in something, however believing in something can also be terrible. Having a baby die before it can wear shoes must be terrible and have a profound effect on the parents, this is shown through "For sale:". The parents may not have been able to stand the sight of the future that they could not have. This story directly parallels that of Germany after WWI. Germany was hopeful and so close to becoming the most powerful nation. and when they failed their hope turned into a cloud of depression that hung over Germany for decades. The message the author was trying to send is that you need to be careful were you put your hope and how much of it you have. "The bigger they are the harder they fall" and both this poem and Germany are prime examples of that, both had such high hopes, only to not work out the way they wanted it to. This poem is about placing the right amount of hope in the right places, not having no hope, otherwise there would never have been a baby, and Germany would still have been a weak nation with nothing to aspire too and nowhere to go.
November 9, 2019
I heard that the content was not that good based on the reviews I have seen. However, I would still consider reading it because I have a thing for flash fiction. Flash fictions are my favorite because it is clear and concise enough to tell a proper story. With only six words, "For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn" could already tell a story about an infant's death. That was enough to put everyone off their feet. This story is a particular favorite of mine because of these six striking words that signify infantile mortality. These words could strike anyone like lightning. Never have I thought about that when I was much younger! Might write a song about this story even. To sum it all up, I would say that only "For Sale: Baby shoes, Never Worn" is the only one I know among all of the flash fictions embedded in this book. However, in spite of all the flak, I would not stop myself from reading it.
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December 23, 2019little short there eh?
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March 1, 2024Certainly one of the books of all time.
May 20, 2018
As a contributor to this book, I obviously have a degree of bias towards it - but of the 191 pieces of flash fiction that it contains, I can only lay claim to 3, so I can at least be objective about the others...
The book contains submissions from a variety of writers spread across the world. As you'd expect from a varied group of people, the character and tone of the included works spans a huge range from comedy to tragedy and all that lies in between. On the face of it, the topic seems limited to sombre tales of woe, but that is not case here, with writers finding all sorts of creative ways in which to approach the end goal (all of the work must tell a tale of how the baby shoes in the title come to be for sale). The quality of the writing too is a little variable, but overall there is a high standard, and the nature of the format makes it an easy book to dip into for a few minutes or to immerse yourself in for longer.
A worthwhile read in support of a very worthy cause.
The book contains submissions from a variety of writers spread across the world. As you'd expect from a varied group of people, the character and tone of the included works spans a huge range from comedy to tragedy and all that lies in between. On the face of it, the topic seems limited to sombre tales of woe, but that is not case here, with writers finding all sorts of creative ways in which to approach the end goal (all of the work must tell a tale of how the baby shoes in the title come to be for sale). The quality of the writing too is a little variable, but overall there is a high standard, and the nature of the format makes it an easy book to dip into for a few minutes or to immerse yourself in for longer.
A worthwhile read in support of a very worthy cause.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews