Review: Conflict from the first sentence and great characters
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 24, 2013
Judge for yourself.  Here's the first sentence: "I'm divorcing her, Brian said."  Anyone who has been divorced or known someone who is divorced (the great majority of Americans) knows that even the most amiable divorce is filled with conflict.Then, Bell goes on to show more conflict between the two characters.  “…You’re joking.  / “Do I look like I’m joking?”Characters are strong in these stories, and he draws you in quickly.In A Great Man, the second story, we start with “Pastor Mike Rickland looked at the church ledger and felt his heart thud like Goliath hitting the dirt in the Valley of Elah.”  That’s an interesting analogy and it makes me wonder if things are just bad or if there has been embezzlement.  What’s going on here?In Some Hero, the third story Bell draws me in with “The wind was picking up.” / “Garth Himmelfarb headed right into it.  Immediately, I want to know why he headed into it.You might be interested in knowing that I am reading James Bell’s fiction after having read several of his non-fiction books on writing.  (They’re filled with good insights, and written in a conversational manner.) If you’re interested in a good read, buy the book.  If you’re interested in seeing how an accomplished writer builds a story, and you’ve read his books on the craft don’t even think about not buying this book.