This is a strong collection of short stories by a confident and accomplished writer. It is perhaps unsurprising for a collection published in honour of the writer's ninetieth birthday that the theme is often reflective - it is peopled by those looking back on lives with a mix of fond recall and regret - while there is some darkness it is far from doom laden.
To quote the last paragraph of the final story which sums up the mood of the whole:
"History made me, but I'm no legend. All I can do is accept the joke and carry on protesting. Whether or not is means anything, without having any effect. I shall never know, unless I find out after I stop breathing. But at least it's my life. It was given to me. I have no other."
These stories are little gems, tightly written and while covering only a dozen pages or so crafted as complete narratives. There is an exceptional realism to the characters, with members of the older generation taking centre stage in most stories - not relegated to the 2-dimensional window dressing that is the case is so much fiction.
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