Pieces of Broken China 9781475930610 Dean R Blanchard Books
Download As PDF : Pieces of Broken China 9781475930610 Dean R Blanchard Books
In life, one either chooses to rise above temptation or fall into a black pit of despair and oblivion. In Pieces of Broken China, his first collection of short stories, author Dean Blanchard introduces a group of compelling characters who march on an unforgettable journey through the heartrending emotions that accompany a dysfunctional life. A father struggles to tell his long-lost daughter that he is not a predatory sexual molester. A promise ring becomes the symbol of a boy’s love for a girl he thought he knew. A son stands by his dying mother, and in return, she helps him to make peace with his adopted father. A mother attempts to help her daughter deal with an emotionally crippled Vietnam vet, who happens to also be her father. A wife senses her husband’s sexual preference long before he does, but one evening, he must face his sexuality after an encounter with a gay man in a straight bar. Pieces of Broken China chronicles one man’s painful past as he searches for his identity and is forced to deal with a label that will shadow him for the rest of his life. * * * * * * * * * * * Pieces of Broken China are not only the title of Blanchard's collection of short stories it is an apt metaphor for the lives of the characters and the author of this semi-autobiographical piece. Life begins as a piece of china---glowing in its virginal newness, beautiful in form, functional in design, and fragile in substance. Pieces of Broken China are the stories of the broken and scattered pieces of that china plate and the author's struggle to gather all the broken fragments and to glue them back into place. With fingers bloodied from handling the shards of pottery the pieces are found over time and reassembled like a jigsaw puzzle. The completed puzzle doesn't look like the picture on the outside of the box. It's not just the web of cracks, the smudge of glue or the smeared blood stains---some of the pieces were never found leaving holes that are filled in by our imagination as we connect the dots that are the lives of the characters. As advertised Blanchard's piece is written in raw honesty marinated in mixture of angst, anxiety and self-torment. The raw dough of manuscript rises with the sprinkling of humor and the needing of experienced hands. Reading Pieces of Broken China is like hearing the soul wrenching confession of your dearest friend where tears flow freely over broken hearts and finally warmed by the long hug of understanding and acceptance. The only thing lacking in this first effort by Blanchard is...more. I look forward to reading more of Blanchard's works. Beth Fairchild Ku-Che The Way of Being ISBN 9781301378814
Pieces of Broken China 9781475930610 Dean R Blanchard Books
Emotionally, reading this collection of short stories is like getting an electric shock to the heart. The author applies the paddles to the reader's chest, and turns up the “juice” to revive a moribund body. This “body” represents our modern culture's unknowing or unfeeling sensitivities to situations that might otherwise be lost among the other distracting events happening on the Stage of Life.From the opening selection, “A Daughter's Love,” through the final story, “Troy's Condition of Friendship,” the author pulls the reader deeper and deeper into the autobiographical “china” whose broken pieces lie on the floor of his soul. His forthright courage reveals itself more thoroughly in “Genesis,” where he uncovers his roots, and even includes an early family photograph.
This reviewer sensed the shadowy “back story” that moved between the lines of “A Daughter's Love.” The characters come more alive with the telling of “Cody's Promise Ring,” once again focusing on a situation that many readers would be uncomfortable with.
“Confessions and Forgiveness” is a story that touched this reviewer deeply. It pulls together threads of emotions that are otherwise left dangling in the darkness of guilt, shame, and anger.
“Lower than a Snake's Belly” reveals how well that author handles the flow of realistic dialog between his characters.
Although this reviewer is definitely a cat person, I loved the next story, ingeniously narrated by the central character: a dog, named “Orson Welles”. The descriptive dialogue in the first person reads like the script of a motion picture that I could visualize very well as I read. Very creative and touching at the end, especially.
Apparently, the author has named all his dogs after the cinematic giant, Orson Welles.
“Seth's Sourdough Shop” artfully incorporates a lesson for all of us: the value of adapting our dreams when we discover new information. Spoiler Alert: Read how Seth “soured” on the idea of being a sourdough baker after what he learned from Mr. Spellman.
Switching genders while telling the story, “Speaking in Tongues,” from the female POV (point of view), the author delves into the scarred insides of our nation's ticking timebombs, Vietnam vets with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
“Twin Sisters Inn” gives a nod to the unprejudiced POV of the two restaurant owners toards an ex-con. It's an excellent short story, very tight and compact, yet observing those humane details that keep it “alive”.
The author saves his best for the last selection. “Troy's Condition for Friendship” merits the rank of “best of the book,” not only because it appears to come from deep within the author's heart, but also because he has captured a representative experience of gay life that will resonate with many readers (and their non-gay relatives and friends).
Like many who have experienced a Near-Death Experience, this reviewer now savors the otherwise unplumbed depths of the human heart, after reading “Pieces of Broken China.”
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Pieces of Broken China 9781475930610 Dean R Blanchard Books Reviews
Pieces of Broken China is not only the title of Blanchard's collection of short stories it is an apt metaphor for the lives of the characters and the author of this semi-autobiographical piece. Life begins as a piece of china---glowing in its virginal newness, beautiful in form, functional in design, and fragile in substance. Pieces of Broken China are the stories of the broken and scattered pieces of that china plate and the author's struggle to gather all the broken fragments and to glue them back into place. With fingers bloodied from handling the shards of pottery the pieces are found over time and reassembled like a jigsaw puzzle. The completed puzzle doesn't look like the picture on the outside of the box. It's not just the web of cracks, the smudge of glue or the smeared blood stains---some of the pieces were never found leaving holes that are filled in by our imagination as we connect the dots that are the lives of the characters. As advertised Blanchard's piece is written in raw honesty marinated in mixture of angst, anxiety and self-torment. The raw dough of manuscript rises with the sprinkling of humor and the needing of experienced hands. Reading Pieces of Broken China is like hearing the soul wrenching confession of your dearest friend where tears flow freely over broken hearts and finally warmed by the long hug of understanding and acceptance. The only thing lacking in this first effort by Blanchard is...more. I look forward to reading more of Blanchard's works.
Beth Fairchild author of Ku-Che The Way of Being ISBN 9781301378814
When I was a kid my dad was the king of dads. He was a military man but always made the time to take me camping, fishing and hunting, we were inseparable and in my opinion the best of friends. But in 1968 he was shipped off to Viet Nam and the man who returned after multiple tours over the course of five years was not the man who left. To say I was confused by his raging outburst, drinking himself to sleep at night and disconnecting himself from me and the rest of the family would be an understatement.
Even though I'm a much older man and have seen and experienced much of what this life has to offer, I still carry those scars from my childhood. From touring the world, I've discovered the vast majority of people I've run across carry their own childhood scars as well. The short stories presented within this book provided me with helpful insight into the heart of a man who suffered through many of the same issues as my dad.
Herein is a book written by a man who has opened his heart for the world to see; the good, the bad, and the ugly. But he stands nonetheless strong facing the ravages of life as he's been there and done that. If you're like many of us in life who has been through the wringer and feels worse for the wear...this is a great book to gain some perspective from another human being who like many of us are broken pieces of china!
Emotionally, reading this collection of short stories is like getting an electric shock to the heart. The author applies the paddles to the reader's chest, and turns up the “juice” to revive a moribund body. This “body” represents our modern culture's unknowing or unfeeling sensitivities to situations that might otherwise be lost among the other distracting events happening on the Stage of Life.
From the opening selection, “A Daughter's Love,” through the final story, “Troy's Condition of Friendship,” the author pulls the reader deeper and deeper into the autobiographical “china” whose broken pieces lie on the floor of his soul. His forthright courage reveals itself more thoroughly in “Genesis,” where he uncovers his roots, and even includes an early family photograph.
This reviewer sensed the shadowy “back story” that moved between the lines of “A Daughter's Love.” The characters come more alive with the telling of “Cody's Promise Ring,” once again focusing on a situation that many readers would be uncomfortable with.
“Confessions and Forgiveness” is a story that touched this reviewer deeply. It pulls together threads of emotions that are otherwise left dangling in the darkness of guilt, shame, and anger.
“Lower than a Snake's Belly” reveals how well that author handles the flow of realistic dialog between his characters.
Although this reviewer is definitely a cat person, I loved the next story, ingeniously narrated by the central character a dog, named “Orson Welles”. The descriptive dialogue in the first person reads like the script of a motion picture that I could visualize very well as I read. Very creative and touching at the end, especially.
Apparently, the author has named all his dogs after the cinematic giant, Orson Welles.
“Seth's Sourdough Shop” artfully incorporates a lesson for all of us the value of adapting our dreams when we discover new information. Spoiler Alert Read how Seth “soured” on the idea of being a sourdough baker after what he learned from Mr. Spellman.
Switching genders while telling the story, “Speaking in Tongues,” from the female POV (point of view), the author delves into the scarred insides of our nation's ticking timebombs, Vietnam vets with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
“Twin Sisters Inn” gives a nod to the unprejudiced POV of the two restaurant owners toards an ex-con. It's an excellent short story, very tight and compact, yet observing those humane details that keep it “alive”.
The author saves his best for the last selection. “Troy's Condition for Friendship” merits the rank of “best of the book,” not only because it appears to come from deep within the author's heart, but also because he has captured a representative experience of gay life that will resonate with many readers (and their non-gay relatives and friends).
Like many who have experienced a Near-Death Experience, this reviewer now savors the otherwise unplumbed depths of the human heart, after reading “Pieces of Broken China.”
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