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kellyvandamme's review
4.0
I decided to “try a story”. Three stories later I looked up and thought well hey you’re on to something here. And that is what this book did to me. I usually dip into short story collections, I’ll read one and put the book away. That was impossible with Love Like Bleeding Out, it was simply too addictive. All the things I loved about Say Goodbye When I’m Gone were right there in every story.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: short stories are an underestimated form of art. Not every novelist, brilliant though they may be at writing novels, is good at writing short stories. Stephen J. Golds excels at it! He doesn’t need a lot of words to get his message across. Every story is a mini novel, and while I often felt a little bereft when I reached the end, it was always a proper ending, just like they all have a proper start, a proper body, proper characterisation and possibly a proper twist or two.
The short story collection kicks off with the story the book is named after, and it remained one of my favourites. I also have to mention Cold-hearted, as I love noir romance and I absolutely adored this Bonnie and Clyde inspired tale. Other favourites were A Short Story, told from the perspective of a serial killer, In an Unmarked Place, for its ending that I feel I should have seen coming but didn’t, and the truth and tragedy of That Kid.
The poetry section took me by surprise. As I said above: poetry isn’t my bag so I was fully prepared to dislike that part of Love Like Bleeding Out. But then I didn’t. At all. I actually found myself enjoying the poems, and even rereading some of them. Maybe it’s not poetry that’s not my bag, maybe I’ve been misjudging that entire form of literature based on a kind of poetry that was all wrong for me. October City, Social Media Baby, A Cold Sunday, Prescriptions (“being tense is better than being past tense”), I basked in their words.
Love Like Bleeding Out is about love, the criminal kind of love, the wrong kind of love, or the right kind of love gone wrong for any of a plethora of reasons, a pitch-black kind of love. It’s about war and crime, revenge and regret. Entertaining at face value, thought-provoking when you allow yourself to dig a little deeper.
Combining crime short stories with gritty poems, it’s a bold move. But it works. I’m so happy curiosity got the best of me and that it entertained the cat instead of killing it. Love Like Bleeding Out with an Empty Gun in Your Hand is hard-hitting, it’s often violent and gritty and very, very dark. But if noir is your bag, and you enjoy short stories and/or poetry, or want to give them a try, this is the one for you.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: short stories are an underestimated form of art. Not every novelist, brilliant though they may be at writing novels, is good at writing short stories. Stephen J. Golds excels at it! He doesn’t need a lot of words to get his message across. Every story is a mini novel, and while I often felt a little bereft when I reached the end, it was always a proper ending, just like they all have a proper start, a proper body, proper characterisation and possibly a proper twist or two.
The short story collection kicks off with the story the book is named after, and it remained one of my favourites. I also have to mention Cold-hearted, as I love noir romance and I absolutely adored this Bonnie and Clyde inspired tale. Other favourites were A Short Story, told from the perspective of a serial killer, In an Unmarked Place, for its ending that I feel I should have seen coming but didn’t, and the truth and tragedy of That Kid.
The poetry section took me by surprise. As I said above: poetry isn’t my bag so I was fully prepared to dislike that part of Love Like Bleeding Out. But then I didn’t. At all. I actually found myself enjoying the poems, and even rereading some of them. Maybe it’s not poetry that’s not my bag, maybe I’ve been misjudging that entire form of literature based on a kind of poetry that was all wrong for me. October City, Social Media Baby, A Cold Sunday, Prescriptions (“being tense is better than being past tense”), I basked in their words.
Love Like Bleeding Out is about love, the criminal kind of love, the wrong kind of love, or the right kind of love gone wrong for any of a plethora of reasons, a pitch-black kind of love. It’s about war and crime, revenge and regret. Entertaining at face value, thought-provoking when you allow yourself to dig a little deeper.
Combining crime short stories with gritty poems, it’s a bold move. But it works. I’m so happy curiosity got the best of me and that it entertained the cat instead of killing it. Love Like Bleeding Out with an Empty Gun in Your Hand is hard-hitting, it’s often violent and gritty and very, very dark. But if noir is your bag, and you enjoy short stories and/or poetry, or want to give them a try, this is the one for you.
jdkauthor's review
5.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“A single tear ran from the corner of his eye, slid down his cheekbone and dropped on the open collar of his shirt creating a small dark mark like a cigarette burn. Another formed in the corner of his eye and I caught it with my thumb, wiped it away.”
– Stephen J. Golds, Hara-Kiri
“A single tear ran from the corner of his eye, slid down his cheekbone and dropped on the open collar of his shirt creating a small dark mark like a cigarette burn. Another formed in the corner of his eye and I caught it with my thumb, wiped it away.”
– Stephen J. Golds, Hara-Kiri
mommasaystoread's review
4.0
It takes a special talent to write short stories effectively. To me, that means having the ability to grab the reader with a sentence or two. I mean, really, when your story is only a few pages, you're gonna have to be quick if you want to grab and hold on. Stephen Golds does that brilliantly, story after story. He even gives us characters that are developed. That's not to say I wouldn't like to know more about a lot of them, but I was invested enough to care what happened. Usually, I start a book like this and read one or two stories over a cup of coffee or at bedtime until I come to the end. I didn't do that here. Nope, I started reading and liked what I found well enough to keep right on going. Before I knew it, I was through all the short stories and I came to the poetry. I'm not gonna lie, I was really dreading the poetry. Seriously, you can take everything I know about poetry and put it in a lunch sack, shake it up, and there's still plenty of room left over. (If I'm dating myself with that line, just pretend I'm not and move on.) The point is poetry and I just don't mesh. I've never much enjoyed it, so I usually just steer clear. Anyhow, I decided that I liked the short stories well enough to warrant a look at the poetry. What I found wasn't bad at all. That's not to say I'm suddenly a fan of the art, but Golds' poetry does leave me avoiding it less. These poems made sense to me. In the end, I'd still prefer the short stories to the poetry, but that's just my personal preference. Poetry fan or not, if you like crime fiction, these short stories are a good bet, and you just might find that the poetry is well worth the read as well. I know I did.
kpetras's review
5.0
How to express just how prolific Golds is. His pen would put a hummingbird's wings to shame. This latest collection of stories & poems is both haunting and heartbreaking; beautiful in its grit and honesty. If you haven't read him before, this book is an encapsulation of a writer whose unique style should not be overlooked or underestimated. Recommend this and his other works - definitely an author to follow.
honestmamreader's review
4.0
This book is a collection of 28 short stories and also poems. It's a perfect book for you to have to pick up when you have a spare five minutes on your hectic day. Flick to a story or poem, whatever takes your fancy that day. Let Stephen J Gold's writing whisk you away from reality.
As the stories are short they are a quick glance at someone's life. I enjoyed these it gave us just enough information and content to enjoy. But it did leave me wanting to know more about the characters. Take the story "Hereafter". Loved Jack's story, it was so teasing and tantalising I wanted to know more about him. Stephen J Gold's writing is pure brilliance. To be able to submerge the reader into a character's life in only a few pages, making us feel like we know them well is a talent. It was only a few pages but it felt like we got into jack's mind.
The stories and poems are gritty, they touch on some of the harshness that life throws at people. It's what you'd call noir fiction. The poems are of the same feeling. Golds write so fluidly that it's easy to become emotionally involved in the prose.
I want to thank Stephen for my gifted digital copy in exchange of an honest review. The paperback version is out Now!!
As the stories are short they are a quick glance at someone's life. I enjoyed these it gave us just enough information and content to enjoy. But it did leave me wanting to know more about the characters. Take the story "Hereafter". Loved Jack's story, it was so teasing and tantalising I wanted to know more about him. Stephen J Gold's writing is pure brilliance. To be able to submerge the reader into a character's life in only a few pages, making us feel like we know them well is a talent. It was only a few pages but it felt like we got into jack's mind.
The stories and poems are gritty, they touch on some of the harshness that life throws at people. It's what you'd call noir fiction. The poems are of the same feeling. Golds write so fluidly that it's easy to become emotionally involved in the prose.
I want to thank Stephen for my gifted digital copy in exchange of an honest review. The paperback version is out Now!!
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