reviews of sawn-off tales
Ian McMillan
David Gaffney writes truly 21st century stories for a fragmented and fragmenting world; they’re short, snappy and utterly addictive and they should be required reading for anybody trying to make sense of Britain in 2006.
Nicholas Royle, Time Out
Witty, clever and poignant, Gaffney’s micro fictions work as funny routines, moving insights and illuminating character sketches, often all at the same time.
Nicolas Clee, The Guardian
Reality becomes dislocated and strange and words and phrases acquire a compelling importance in these sad, funny fables. They recall evanescent moments of connection and happiness. One hundred and fifty words by Gaffney are more worthwhile than novels by a good many others.
Harlan Levey, Modart
This book will knock you out. Packed with emotion, annoyance, and social science fiction, it’s a testament to imagination and the skill of illustrating it.
Lianne Steinberg, The Big Issue
Gaffney has produced the kind of book that makes you wish you spent more time locked in your imagination and less time dismissing irreverent thoughts. I wish Gaffney was allowed 15 minutes of time with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant to make his vision come to life.
Jim Burns, Ambit
Funny, pointed, and sometimes even disturbing, Gaffney’s stories deserve to be read.
Eugen M Bacon, TCM Reviews
Each snippet disturbingly captures everyday life in superbly unique fashion. What a stunning collection.
Fennel books
Earlier in the week I posted about Flash Fiction and I managed to get hold of a copy of Sawn-off Tales By David Gaffney.
The book contains 58 of Gaffney's (very) short stories, all of which are about 300 words or less. I thoroughly enjoyed them all. In very few words they seem to capture the way we live our lives. Some reflect on those strange unwritten rules a community has, such as the story "Last To Know" when a customer unwittingly upsets his hairdresser. Others have a more "Tales of the Unexpected" feel, where in the first few words we seem to be heading in one direction, for it all to be stood on its head in the last few.
These are utterly brilliant, and I devoured them all in one sitting, only to return to them the next night to re-read them more slowly. They are funny, strange, close to the truth and very, very clever.
< Back
Home
David Gaffney writes truly 21st century stories for a fragmented and fragmenting world; they’re short, snappy and utterly addictive and they should be required reading for anybody trying to make sense of Britain in 2006.
Nicholas Royle, Time Out
Witty, clever and poignant, Gaffney’s micro fictions work as funny routines, moving insights and illuminating character sketches, often all at the same time.
Nicolas Clee, The Guardian
Reality becomes dislocated and strange and words and phrases acquire a compelling importance in these sad, funny fables. They recall evanescent moments of connection and happiness. One hundred and fifty words by Gaffney are more worthwhile than novels by a good many others.
Harlan Levey, Modart
This book will knock you out. Packed with emotion, annoyance, and social science fiction, it’s a testament to imagination and the skill of illustrating it.
Lianne Steinberg, The Big Issue
Gaffney has produced the kind of book that makes you wish you spent more time locked in your imagination and less time dismissing irreverent thoughts. I wish Gaffney was allowed 15 minutes of time with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant to make his vision come to life.
Jim Burns, Ambit
Funny, pointed, and sometimes even disturbing, Gaffney’s stories deserve to be read.
Eugen M Bacon, TCM Reviews
Each snippet disturbingly captures everyday life in superbly unique fashion. What a stunning collection.
Fennel books
Earlier in the week I posted about Flash Fiction and I managed to get hold of a copy of Sawn-off Tales By David Gaffney.
The book contains 58 of Gaffney's (very) short stories, all of which are about 300 words or less. I thoroughly enjoyed them all. In very few words they seem to capture the way we live our lives. Some reflect on those strange unwritten rules a community has, such as the story "Last To Know" when a customer unwittingly upsets his hairdresser. Others have a more "Tales of the Unexpected" feel, where in the first few words we seem to be heading in one direction, for it all to be stood on its head in the last few.
These are utterly brilliant, and I devoured them all in one sitting, only to return to them the next night to re-read them more slowly. They are funny, strange, close to the truth and very, very clever.
< Back
Home
