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A review by thesgtrekkiereads
Dream Storeys by Clara Chow
4.0
I am sure that Ms Clara Chow’s name sounds familiar. Yes, you may have seen it earlier on in this issue as she contributed an article but you may have also seen it in The Straits Times as she used to be an Arts journalist with them.
I applaud Ms Chow for taking the brave step to getting down to writing her very first book. When I first received a copy of the book, I wondered what inspired her. I wondered no more as I read about that fateful conversation that led up to her putting together her first book titled Dream Storeys.
In a nutshell, I found this book rather fascinating and unique. Each chapter begins with an interview with an architect where she asks them to think of their dream building especially when there is no limit in terms of budget or space. Based on the replies she gets from her questions, Ms Chow creates fictional stories based on their descriptions.
I have always enjoyed Ms Chow’s writing when she was a journalist with The Straits Times. With Dream Storeys, I feel Ms Chow has worked out her creative juices even further as the stories covered numerous genres and each one were enjoyable. Some stories had hints of science-fiction in them, whilst others felt character-oriented.
There were many more interviews but some of them did not come to fruition as fiction tales. However, all the interviews with the said architects did help her learn and see things in different lights.
Some stories came pouring out of her, while others took a little while to develop. In my humble opinion, I felt that her style of story-telling was a rather refreshing change to what I usually read.
I admit, on one hand I was curious about Ms Chow’s book and on the other, I was hopeful that it would be good so that I could write a good review and not a scathing one. Thank goodness it is the former.
This is a recommended read for everyone, however, if you know of an architect, aspiring or otherwise, get him/her a copy because I think they will particularly enjoy it.
I applaud Ms Chow for taking the brave step to getting down to writing her very first book. When I first received a copy of the book, I wondered what inspired her. I wondered no more as I read about that fateful conversation that led up to her putting together her first book titled Dream Storeys.
In a nutshell, I found this book rather fascinating and unique. Each chapter begins with an interview with an architect where she asks them to think of their dream building especially when there is no limit in terms of budget or space. Based on the replies she gets from her questions, Ms Chow creates fictional stories based on their descriptions.
I have always enjoyed Ms Chow’s writing when she was a journalist with The Straits Times. With Dream Storeys, I feel Ms Chow has worked out her creative juices even further as the stories covered numerous genres and each one were enjoyable. Some stories had hints of science-fiction in them, whilst others felt character-oriented.
There were many more interviews but some of them did not come to fruition as fiction tales. However, all the interviews with the said architects did help her learn and see things in different lights.
Some stories came pouring out of her, while others took a little while to develop. In my humble opinion, I felt that her style of story-telling was a rather refreshing change to what I usually read.
I admit, on one hand I was curious about Ms Chow’s book and on the other, I was hopeful that it would be good so that I could write a good review and not a scathing one. Thank goodness it is the former.
This is a recommended read for everyone, however, if you know of an architect, aspiring or otherwise, get him/her a copy because I think they will particularly enjoy it.