Category: Literary Fiction Publisher: Rose And Freedom Books
ISBN-10: 0956410111
Type: Fiction
Pages: 152
Copyright: Apr, 2010
ISBN-13: 9780956410115
A collection of short stories
Love and Loyalty (and other tales), is Maria Savva's second collection of short stories. This is a diverse collection of stories, written over a period of ten years. Many of the stories were short-listed in various short story competitions. These are thought-provoking, memorable tales of life and love, luck and loss, deceit and lies, the unexpected and the true to life.
Excerpt
From, 'The Artist':
‘Me sitting out here on my window ledge is probably classed as modern art, you know. Look at the crowds out there. I never saw such crowds around when I was drawing my pictures. You know, if I’d managed to amass such a crowd as I have today when I was out on the streets painting and drawing, I’d be a millionaire.’ He laughed dryly.
‘They’re all concerned about you; concerned for your safety.’
‘No, they’re just human. They’re looking for something to make them feel better about themselves and their little lives: “Hey, let’s have a look at this guy; his life must be much worse than mine if he’s contemplating something so bad.” There’s nothing that makes the human soul gladder than to see someone else suffering. This is what I’m leaving behind. Hallelujah!’
‘Joe!’ Jane’s tone of voice became more high pitched as he shifted his position on the window ledge. ‘You’re twenty-eight storeys from the ground. Joe, please come inside... This isn’t what you want... You’re not thinking straight. You’ll feel better after a cup of tea.’
‘Oh, the cure for everything, a cup of tea! And I didn’t give you permission to call me by my first name.’
‘Please, Mr. Franco.’
He turned to face her. ‘Hang on to those paintings, Jane, they’ll be worth quite a bit of money by tomorrow when I'm dead and gone. Sell them. I mean, let’s face it, you don’t really want to be doing your job for much longer. I’ll let you in on a little secret: when someone has already climbed onto the window ledge, they have already decided what they are going to do. They’ve made up their mind, and nothing you can do will stop them... It was nice to meet you, Jane.’
Determined to confront the hazy memories of his troubled youth, Oliver Matthews, a retired detective and confirmed bachelor, returns to the picturesque town of Henley-on-Thames for the first time in years.
