…life never turns out like you expected… lump to the throat.
Grits Girl explores the beginning of a lifetime of love over a favorite bowlful of breakfast.
The Accident is an ironic story of how life can change in the blink of an eye.
In The End of Summer, two men come to terms with their past through an unexpected detour and the innocent joy of a child.
Each story is layered with unexpected twists and turns, and there’s a bonus flash fiction, Pick Me, to bring you a smile that will last the day.
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This book has the perfect name. All the stories were heartfelt and interesting. My favorite story was The End of Summer; however, they were all amazing. The author did an amazing with all the short stories because it left me wanting more from all of them. I’d love to read more from this author!
Jane Suen is not a new author to me. When I see her books, I will definitely pick them up because I know I will like them. This book is full of 3 short stories and 1 bonus story. My favorite one is Grits Girl. It is a love story that starts over grits. It is a touching story that made me smile. I shared this story with my husband because we met over a similar experience. The other stories are just one or two pages and are quick reads. The Accident brought tears to my eyes, while The End of Summer made me realize that we should have adventures. I highly recommend this book.
Though a short book of short stories, it will make a large impact on your heart. Every story makes an impact and leaves a message. You will have to figure out that message. I did find a tear rolling down my cheek at times because it was very heart warming and sad at times also. Quick read and highly recommend.
Even though this book is just a selection of short stories, I so enjoyed each and every one. The first story of “Grits Girl” just totally made me smile over a girl who her grits and got a happy ending. The second story of “The Accident” was heartfelt. Adeline taking care of her after an accident. The third story of “In the end of summer” was fantastic. A young man hitch hiking a ride to Virginia and meets another man and his son. The story was heartfelt over a carnival and how Mike comes to terms to have a conversation with his son about his mother. The Bonus story of “Pick Me” totally made me smile from beginning to end and and at the end you find out what was “picked”. All these short stories were fantastic. This is an easy read and just wonderful! Well done Author Jane Suen!
Beginnings and Endings: A Selection of Short Stories by Jane Suen was a quick read and entwined the different short stories very nicely. Each story was short but very lovely and encompassed the emotions the author desired to give, whether it was a happy or sad story. This is one to sit on your living room table for others to peruse while visiting. You are not enclined to get too engrossed because of the shortness of the book as it is easy to read in one sitting. Nice stories strung together beautifully for this collection.
A collection of short, sweet, and deeply emotional stories.
My favorite was Grits Girl, a sweet romance about a girl, her grits, and the love of her life.
The switching narration was a perfect way to breathe life into each of the stories.
This selection of short stories really hits the reader and makes them want more! I’m usually not a huge fan of short stories because I really like to get into a story when I read but with Jane Suen’s stories, I was left satisfied. Each of the short stories captivates the reader and really brings them along for the ride and keeps your emotions high. Each story is very different from the others. I won’t spoil anything for the readers other than to say, my favorite pick of the stories was “The End Of Summer”.
Beginnings and Endings: A Selection of Short Stories by Jane Suen is a romance slice life kinda book. Each short story was wonderful.
Life never works out the way you expect it to. A father’s passionate quest to inform his kid about an essential part of his past; an accident that has a terrible effect on two lives in different ways; and a weekly routine that turns into the biggest surprise of all time. Beginnings and Endings is a trilogy of short stories that will leave you with a knot in your throat. Over a beloved bowl of breakfast, Grits Girl explores the beginning of a lifetime of love. The Accident is a bittersweet tale about how life can change in the blink of an eye. In the film The End of Summer, two men come to grips with their pasts thanks to an unexpected detour and a child’s pure delight. Each tale is full of surprising twists and turns, and there’s even a bonus flash fiction piece, Pick Me, to brighten your day.
I loved this story and the concept of it as well. I loved every page of it. Every chapter was exciting. This is the first book that I have read from this author, I cant wait to read more.
Beginnings and Endings is a trio of short stories by Jane Suen. I really enjoy the variety of Suen’s work – I had read several of her books before it really clicked for me that they were by the same author! – and this collection really showcases her skill in storytelling. It gets four stars from me!
Although the three stories are separate and distinct, there is a thread running through them of commitment in relationships. We see couples’ relationships developing and enduring through the ups and downs of life.
My main (only?) complaint is that there isn’t more! The stories themselves are quite short and with only three of them (plus a bonus really cute flash fiction) this will not take most readers very long to read at all. I would have loved a wider variety of stories – perhaps including some in the realm of speculative fiction – that I could dip in and out of.
I would recommend this collection to readers looking for stories they can quickly enjoy in a coffee break or similar. They’re short, satisfying and thought-provoking. I think they could also work really well for reading and discussing with teenagers, as accessible stories touching on important issues as well as excellent examples of the short story format.
This is a set of three short stories. Each one has their own easy to read plot. The first is a happy love story between to college students. The second is a haunting but realistic story of a soldier back from war. The third is a happy but also a tragic story of a father and son trip to a carnival and farm. All three of these short stories I can see being built on and added to other books or becoming books of their own. The author wrote them well and I can’t wait to read more in the future! If you want some small quick stories to read these ones are great!!
Jane Suen has given us short stories in Beginnings and Endings: A Selection of Short Stories. Even though the stories are very short Jane did not skimp on the descriptive content. Each one is as different as night and day and evoke emotions a little pain, a bit of sweetness and a little bit of fun. Jane has mixed a lot of heart and feels in to make the stories memorable. My only complaint is they were too short. It would be good to see them made into longer stories. And just when you thought you were finished Jane gave us a little added bonus.
This is a book of four short stories which show how beginnings and ending can affect lives.
Story one is a couple sharing breakfast in a cafe, story two is a tale of how love overcomes all obstacles, the third story is a meaningful road trip gone right and the final story is about being picked out of a group.
A delightful selection of short stories which cheers the heart up.
Real life has beginnings and endings. Sometimes we must face an end to open our eyes to a beginning. This book contains three short stories that opened my eyes to the way that life just happens. We never know what is out there, but we have to keep searching until we find the right path for ourselves.
In Beginnings and Endings, the short story that spoke to me the most is called “The Accident”. In “The Accident”, there is a couple who are starting their day. The story speaks of all their hopes and dreams which were changed because of an accident. (I’m not giving away the story because it’s much better to read.)
Beginnings and Endings was 4 super short stories. I almost with there was a bit more to them. I think they were way to short to base an opinion off of. I think this was about 35 pages in total and can be read in one sitting. It took me about 20-25 mins to read all 4. What I did read was good but just felt like it brought new meaning to the word short story lol. This author is not new to me and I have read many books by her and enjoyed just about all of them. Looking forward to more by this author.
I have not read anything by Jane Suen until Beginnings and Endings. I LOVED all three short stories! My favorite was “The End Of Summer.” All of these stories have such emotion and are so powerful. Definitely 5 stars!
These three short stories are jam packed with detail and will immediately grab your attention. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened his book but was so very pleased with what I encountered. Great detail and story development. A fast and enjoyable read. You will love every moment you spend in these tales and be left wanting to read more.
Soulful and insightful
This little collection of well-written stories will get you thinking. Every story is different but draws you in and takes you on a little trip. I connected with each of the characters and felt their emotions shine through from happiness to heartbreak and everything in between. Even though each story is short it still felt complete. Highly recommend.
These cute short stories could have each been the first chapter of a book. They drew me in and really made me think about things a little different. My first time at the carnival or things that can change your whole life in the blink of an eye. These were really well written and will be looking for longer works by this author.
Suen’s short stories of beginnings and endings is an interesting little collection. I really liked the characters, especially in the first two, and felt that she gave them a lot of depth and intrigue in the few pages they had. Emotionally, they were powerful as well: the characters each being on the precipice of a major event in their lives. I could feel the shape of their hearts, if that makes sense. There was a quality of the unfinished for me in these however; they seemed like a well-written first chapter to a novel I’d love to read. The effect left me hanging, wondering if that was really the end. The third story used the setting and plot to a much greater degree than the first two. There are more description of vistas and more happenings in general in this last one. I found this one most powerful as a result. It was well-crafted and poignant. All in all, these are worth a read, and I think Suen turned them out well.
This is a very quick read as the stories are short. You could probably sit down and finish this book within 30 minutes. Maybe less depending on how fast of a reader you are. I enjoyed reading each one of them however there were a couple that kind of left me thinking that there needed to be more. A couple of them were fantastic and I would have loved for the author to have continued them. Out of all the short stories, “The End of Summer” was my favorite of them all and I wasn’t quite expecting it to turn out as it did. It really choked me up and brought tears to my eyes. I was concerned when I realized how few pages there were in the book but was thoroughly pleased with the stories.