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Bold: Stories of Strong Women
Bold is a collection of fourteen clever stories about strong women. No matter her age, where she lives, or the time period, these resilient women don’t back down; they find the courage to confront their fears whether it involves a relationship or their own mental illness. Each tale is full of imaginative plots, surprising twists, and at times, the hilarity of the human condition. Bell anchors the book with two fresh mysteries, and two exciting stories that highlight a few characters from her novels as they take on new adventures and challenges. These vivid portraits of women celebrate and honor their spirit
283 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 23, 2017
4 people are currently reading
1051 people want to read
About the author
Sandy Ward Bell
7 books53 followersFrom radio announcer to wife to mother to writer. Bell's first novel, In Zoey's Head, reflects her experience with the media and pop culture. Parked at the Mansfields', highlights her appreciation for Jane Austen's timeless story. Her third book, Bold, honors women's courage through a collect of short stories, and was a 2018 Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award finalist. She is currently working on mystery series set in 1919.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 8, 2018
I received this via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. 😊
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3-3.5 overall... perhaps in the middle at 3.25 or so.(Thanks to David for helping me figure out the percentage stuff... math is not my strong suit haha)
~~~~~
Entertaining stories for the most part... one I couldn't get into at all (others may like it but myself I found it boring)... a couple were "okay".. Kept my interest enough to finish, but overall made not much of a or no impression on me.
When the stories were good, they did hit it out of the park though and had me wishing I could read more about the people involved.
Uneven in tone and quality but I enjoyed myself :)
----
Individual ratings and comments:
Chloe and Gordo
Chloe leans back in her leather recliner trying to recall the name of the person she murdered. With wrinkled fingers, she taps her chin, and her faint eyebrows rise as if expressing concern.
As she sits up straighter, her milky eyes glare at me. “Gordo, I do believe she has slipped my mind.” Her voice is sweet and jaunty. “What do you think? Being ninety is a good excuse not to remember.”
3 stars
----
----
The Honeymoon is Over
After slurping his coffee like a child sucking soda through a straw, he turns to me, and grins.
“I had the weirdest dream last night.” His voice is bright and friendly.
I mumble, “All dreams are weird.”
“No. This one was off the charts.”
My sigh is loud, and hopefully, annoying. “I suppose you’re going to tell me about it.” I continue to stare at my steaming mug of coffee.
3 stars
----
Emma’s Ghost
Babysitting a drunken Shelly as she rattles off weird obscenities is exhausting. My pity should cause my best friend sorrow; she is oblivious. Being harsh is the tough love she needs, yet I’m not sure how to proceed. It is time for me to be the grown-up. I stop loading glasses into the mini-dishwasher that is anchored under the bar. She teeters on a stool as I stand across from her.
4 stars
-----
The Nightstand
Earlier tonight, the lights flickered off and I screamed like a frightened little girl trapped in a Halloween haunted house. My anxiety had nothing to do with the blackness surrounding me. The absence of light was just another loss. My melancholy allowed minutes to pass, before I felt my way out of the bathroom.
4 stars .. that was sweet:)
-----
Herman Robbins Asks Zoey
Why is he so stubborn? He knows my answer, but he asks anyway. I want to shake some sense into him, but my adoration will not allow such brutality. Look at his trousers; they will become grimier than they already are, making more work for his laundress. “Herman, my love, I am not your queen or a victorious enemy you have to kneel before.”
With his hand in mine, I help him to his feet. “Zoey. Dearest.” Still holding the handmade ring, he brushes dust off his pants leg. “This is just a small token of my never-ending love. Take it even though you cannot marry me.”
2.5 to three stars... just okay" for me. Well written but didn't grab me completely and didn't completely warm up to Zoey.
----
Day Care
This hullabaloo is simply a waste of my valuable time. Fridays have just been designated play with children day. What if I don’t want to? Basically, I have to leave my warm peaceful home, go someplace new, and pretend I care about little rug-rats.
4 stars... loved her spirit:)
----
Cordelia and Petunia
Dearest Petunia, I am at the end of my rope. The crumb-bums in my building are attempting to force me out of my home. The minute I stepped foot into this dingy hole, they hated my precious Pumpkin. They like dogs - the small ones with attitudes and yappy barks. Of course, I’m speaking about the animals, not the residents. Then again, Mrs. Beckenthall in 1A is small and round and her voice reminds me of a Pomeranian.
4 stars
----
Three: 4 stars.. creepy at the end, well done
Fresh cut grass clippings cling to the dried blood that covers the bottom of the teakettle. To get a better look, Detective Wakefield holds it at arms length, away from his face because he lost his readers earlier this morning.
Donning latex gloves, he places the dented kettle inside a clear plastic bag and hands the evidence to the uniformed officer who was first on the scene. He can’t remember her name, but she seems to know what to do without him saying a word. Wakefield turns to the kitchen table and deliberately drags out a chair, scraping the metal legs along the wooden floor.
The Crawfords : 2.5 stars... eh
Every night, I must brush my hair one hundred strokes before I go to bed. And it has to be with a proper brush; combs are too flimsy. This one is a favorite: silver-plated with boar bristles.
I start at the top of my head and pull it through my hair that hangs below my shoulders, “One. Two. Three . . . ”
I must take my time and never rush. Now, to the other side,
“Ten. Eleven . . . ”
Mother taught me the importance of silky hair. Men must crave my caramel mane. Once they long for my outsides, they will yearn for my insides.
The Ride : 3.5 stars
The pulsing sharp pain feels like my brain and skull are colliding over and over again. Shifting my considerable weight to the left makes it easier for me to rest my forehead on the cool glass of the taxi window. A wisp of reprieve brings on a sigh. With my eyes closed, I focus on the construction workers’ synchronized hammering and the car horns’ blaring beats. The street noise is sweet music to my ears; it doesn’t cause my migraine to worsen; instead, it makes me smile. The intense pounding in my head slows down a bit.
Nora's Secret 4 stars
My neighbor shoves a naked Barbie into my face and yells, “Your damn dog deliberately dropped this in my front yard!”
To calm her, I give her my best smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Kleemann. I’m deeply sorry. No harm done."
“No harm? Look at her, without a stitch of clothing, for all the world to see.” She waves the doll around as if it were an extension of her hand.
“Again. Butch and I apologize.”
“Why show off her THIS and THAT when a pantsuit would do the trick?” Her short gray hair is always standing straight up as if she just saw a ghost.
Aubrey 2.5 stars
I dart away from the screen door. “If I had turned that handle and stepped outside, oh my, the thought of . . . I would’ve perished.” It was an idiotic notion to attempt to walk through the garden. Covering my mouth with the back of my hand, I’m revolted by my bad breath.
I must brush my teeth. But first, I have to secure the area. My hand rests on the heavy, wooden back door as if I could use it as a weapon. The mesh screen is mocking me. One hefty shove, and it slams shut; I’ve once again created a thick barrier between me and the outside world. My heart rate slows to normal.
A Fairy's Tale - DNF..Boring
My sister is the center of my world, and the only thing I can offer her is my time. I promised to take care of her Little Nugget while she escaped to a hotel for adult fun with her opinionated husband. I now wear the straightjacket of motherhood, but for only two days.
----
----
3-3.5 overall... perhaps in the middle at 3.25 or so.(Thanks to David for helping me figure out the percentage stuff... math is not my strong suit haha)
~~~~~
Entertaining stories for the most part... one I couldn't get into at all (others may like it but myself I found it boring)... a couple were "okay".. Kept my interest enough to finish, but overall made not much of a or no impression on me.
When the stories were good, they did hit it out of the park though and had me wishing I could read more about the people involved.
Uneven in tone and quality but I enjoyed myself :)
----
Individual ratings and comments:
Chloe and Gordo
Chloe leans back in her leather recliner trying to recall the name of the person she murdered. With wrinkled fingers, she taps her chin, and her faint eyebrows rise as if expressing concern.
As she sits up straighter, her milky eyes glare at me. “Gordo, I do believe she has slipped my mind.” Her voice is sweet and jaunty. “What do you think? Being ninety is a good excuse not to remember.”
3 stars
----
----
The Honeymoon is Over
After slurping his coffee like a child sucking soda through a straw, he turns to me, and grins.
“I had the weirdest dream last night.” His voice is bright and friendly.
I mumble, “All dreams are weird.”
“No. This one was off the charts.”
My sigh is loud, and hopefully, annoying. “I suppose you’re going to tell me about it.” I continue to stare at my steaming mug of coffee.
3 stars
----
Emma’s Ghost
Babysitting a drunken Shelly as she rattles off weird obscenities is exhausting. My pity should cause my best friend sorrow; she is oblivious. Being harsh is the tough love she needs, yet I’m not sure how to proceed. It is time for me to be the grown-up. I stop loading glasses into the mini-dishwasher that is anchored under the bar. She teeters on a stool as I stand across from her.
4 stars
-----
The Nightstand
Earlier tonight, the lights flickered off and I screamed like a frightened little girl trapped in a Halloween haunted house. My anxiety had nothing to do with the blackness surrounding me. The absence of light was just another loss. My melancholy allowed minutes to pass, before I felt my way out of the bathroom.
4 stars .. that was sweet:)
-----
Herman Robbins Asks Zoey
Why is he so stubborn? He knows my answer, but he asks anyway. I want to shake some sense into him, but my adoration will not allow such brutality. Look at his trousers; they will become grimier than they already are, making more work for his laundress. “Herman, my love, I am not your queen or a victorious enemy you have to kneel before.”
With his hand in mine, I help him to his feet. “Zoey. Dearest.” Still holding the handmade ring, he brushes dust off his pants leg. “This is just a small token of my never-ending love. Take it even though you cannot marry me.”
2.5 to three stars... just okay" for me. Well written but didn't grab me completely and didn't completely warm up to Zoey.
----
Day Care
This hullabaloo is simply a waste of my valuable time. Fridays have just been designated play with children day. What if I don’t want to? Basically, I have to leave my warm peaceful home, go someplace new, and pretend I care about little rug-rats.
4 stars... loved her spirit:)
----
Cordelia and Petunia
Dearest Petunia, I am at the end of my rope. The crumb-bums in my building are attempting to force me out of my home. The minute I stepped foot into this dingy hole, they hated my precious Pumpkin. They like dogs - the small ones with attitudes and yappy barks. Of course, I’m speaking about the animals, not the residents. Then again, Mrs. Beckenthall in 1A is small and round and her voice reminds me of a Pomeranian.
4 stars
----
Three: 4 stars.. creepy at the end, well done
Fresh cut grass clippings cling to the dried blood that covers the bottom of the teakettle. To get a better look, Detective Wakefield holds it at arms length, away from his face because he lost his readers earlier this morning.
Donning latex gloves, he places the dented kettle inside a clear plastic bag and hands the evidence to the uniformed officer who was first on the scene. He can’t remember her name, but she seems to know what to do without him saying a word. Wakefield turns to the kitchen table and deliberately drags out a chair, scraping the metal legs along the wooden floor.
The Crawfords : 2.5 stars... eh
Every night, I must brush my hair one hundred strokes before I go to bed. And it has to be with a proper brush; combs are too flimsy. This one is a favorite: silver-plated with boar bristles.
I start at the top of my head and pull it through my hair that hangs below my shoulders, “One. Two. Three . . . ”
I must take my time and never rush. Now, to the other side,
“Ten. Eleven . . . ”
Mother taught me the importance of silky hair. Men must crave my caramel mane. Once they long for my outsides, they will yearn for my insides.
The Ride : 3.5 stars
The pulsing sharp pain feels like my brain and skull are colliding over and over again. Shifting my considerable weight to the left makes it easier for me to rest my forehead on the cool glass of the taxi window. A wisp of reprieve brings on a sigh. With my eyes closed, I focus on the construction workers’ synchronized hammering and the car horns’ blaring beats. The street noise is sweet music to my ears; it doesn’t cause my migraine to worsen; instead, it makes me smile. The intense pounding in my head slows down a bit.
Nora's Secret 4 stars
My neighbor shoves a naked Barbie into my face and yells, “Your damn dog deliberately dropped this in my front yard!”
To calm her, I give her my best smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Kleemann. I’m deeply sorry. No harm done."
“No harm? Look at her, without a stitch of clothing, for all the world to see.” She waves the doll around as if it were an extension of her hand.
“Again. Butch and I apologize.”
“Why show off her THIS and THAT when a pantsuit would do the trick?” Her short gray hair is always standing straight up as if she just saw a ghost.
Aubrey 2.5 stars
I dart away from the screen door. “If I had turned that handle and stepped outside, oh my, the thought of . . . I would’ve perished.” It was an idiotic notion to attempt to walk through the garden. Covering my mouth with the back of my hand, I’m revolted by my bad breath.
I must brush my teeth. But first, I have to secure the area. My hand rests on the heavy, wooden back door as if I could use it as a weapon. The mesh screen is mocking me. One hefty shove, and it slams shut; I’ve once again created a thick barrier between me and the outside world. My heart rate slows to normal.
A Fairy's Tale - DNF..Boring
My sister is the center of my world, and the only thing I can offer her is my time. I promised to take care of her Little Nugget while she escaped to a hotel for adult fun with her opinionated husband. I now wear the straightjacket of motherhood, but for only two days.
----
March 5, 2018
A GoodReadsGiveaway.
This is a fine collection of short stories, I enjoyed this book.
This is a fine collection of short stories, I enjoyed this book.
March 7, 2018
I truly enjoyed reading these 14 stories written by the author, Sandy Ward Bell, stories which don’t embellish the women in them and the triumphs they’ve accomplished.
While these stories are fictional, the fortitude shown by these incredible women are seemingly quite real, real enough to be fictionalized accounts of real events. This has been caused by author’s narratives which paint a vivid image in her reader’s minds of what’s happening as they read each story, as if they’d been the proverbial fly on the wall, not to mention some of the dialogue.
Each story is unique onto itself well compared to the other stories in this collection and is fraught with a myriad of situations and appropriate emotions for each of the protagonists. All in all, in these stories the women are not deemed to be the quiet and demure individuals most of society [men] make them out to be, but the strong and independent individuals as depicted in Helen Reddy’s classical 1971 song “I Am Woman;” the song which became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement.
[Chorus]
Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Like this song, Ms. Bell’s book celebrates the empowerment of women, which is why I chosen to give her 5 STARS for this endeavor.
While these stories are fictional, the fortitude shown by these incredible women are seemingly quite real, real enough to be fictionalized accounts of real events. This has been caused by author’s narratives which paint a vivid image in her reader’s minds of what’s happening as they read each story, as if they’d been the proverbial fly on the wall, not to mention some of the dialogue.
Each story is unique onto itself well compared to the other stories in this collection and is fraught with a myriad of situations and appropriate emotions for each of the protagonists. All in all, in these stories the women are not deemed to be the quiet and demure individuals most of society [men] make them out to be, but the strong and independent individuals as depicted in Helen Reddy’s classical 1971 song “I Am Woman;” the song which became an enduring anthem for the women’s liberation movement.
[Chorus]
Oh yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Like this song, Ms. Bell’s book celebrates the empowerment of women, which is why I chosen to give her 5 STARS for this endeavor.
June 24, 2018
I won this book from GoodReads Giveaway. Though I knew it was an anthology of short stories I thought reading about strong women would make it worth my while. So thank you for letting me read your book.
BUT, I just don't like short stories. Yes, the women seemed to have opinions but I didn't see them as any stronger than others. Maybe with more story, I would have been impressed with them but, not so much. And it is worse is you read with text-to-speech as it is hard to know when the last story ended and the next story starts. I can't tell you how many times I had to go back and figure out why it wasn't making sense suddenly. OH! It's a new story. I guess that is something to keep in mind when writing for the Kindle market, make sure to put a something there at the end and start the new one with a hashtag or something.
I finished this book a week or so ago but life got busy and I had to wait to write the review. I honestly can't remember any of the stories to say more about them. Obviously there are folks that loved these stories so go read their reviews. You may be one who loves them, too. But give me a series and depth of characters. The stories are well written, I do remember that. I like the cover!
BUT, I just don't like short stories. Yes, the women seemed to have opinions but I didn't see them as any stronger than others. Maybe with more story, I would have been impressed with them but, not so much. And it is worse is you read with text-to-speech as it is hard to know when the last story ended and the next story starts. I can't tell you how many times I had to go back and figure out why it wasn't making sense suddenly. OH! It's a new story. I guess that is something to keep in mind when writing for the Kindle market, make sure to put a something there at the end and start the new one with a hashtag or something.
I finished this book a week or so ago but life got busy and I had to wait to write the review. I honestly can't remember any of the stories to say more about them. Obviously there are folks that loved these stories so go read their reviews. You may be one who loves them, too. But give me a series and depth of characters. The stories are well written, I do remember that. I like the cover!
October 9, 2018
I made it about halfway through before I finally gave up. I started this back in March when I won it in a Goodreads giveaway. I liked the first couple stories but struggled to get through the third. I finally skipped it and made it through a couple more stories. But then I started struggling to get through them again. More of the stories lost my interest than kept them. Based on the other reviews, it seems that most people liked this book. I guess it just wasn't for me.
April 3, 2018
A book about women in different circumstances that
face their life and challenges with bravery and determination.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I received
a ARC.
face their life and challenges with bravery and determination.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it. I received
a ARC.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews