Four Bittersweet Romances & A Four-Act Closet Drama
A slice of romantic realism featuring two different interpretations of love.
Book Summary
Four Bittersweet Romances & A Four-Act Closet Drama
Description
Review Rating: 5 Stars – Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ FavoriteFour Bittersweet Romances & A Four-Act Closet Drama is a collection of short stories and dramatic works penned by author Lawrence G. Taylor. As the title suggests, this work takes on a romantic theme and presents realistic romances with both the highs and lows of emotional sentiment. Centering especially on the cultural differences and intricacies of “All stories in this book are impressive, so different, yet making an indivisible whole.”– customer review
THE BALLAD OF CALLE AND MAJA: A slice of romantic realism featuring two different interpretations of love. Maja sends crushes to Calle. He is flattered and smitten with Maja, but his fear prevents him from approaching her. They eventually became friends. Maya is involved in an unhappy relationship with Jose and has difficulty ending it. Calle intends to assist her in breaking the spell Jose has cast over her.
TWO GIRLS IN A CAFÉ: A young man is the subject of a contentious discussion between Felicity and Ruth. The two girls, one American and one British, were sitting in a café when they saw the young man walking down the street. They claim to have met him, but their opinions differ, regarding his personality.
Amazon Review: “Contemporary, witty, honest and ironic.”
BINKY’S REVERIE: Binky is a young Caribbean man with a romantic streak, and Linda a young Swede. Following their close friendship in London, Linda invites Binky to Sweden for a holiday. Binky hopes that their friendship to blossom into something romantic. But there are no guarantees in love.
GETTING IT RIGHT, IF EVER: A romantic fantasy tale. Set in the early 70s in two fictitious nations. TeeGee and Vikland. Molly, age 45, invites Benji, age 40, to visit her homeland. Benji is overwhelmed and seizes his first opportunity to travel abroad. Then, one day, Benji sees a woman and becomes besotted with her beauty. His pursuit is anything but typical. What are his prospects?
TELL ME WHO MY ENEMY IS—a four-act closet drama, Berry (an Afro-West Indian) and Gun and Kerstin (two Swedish cronies) are socialising. Sam, the Afro-American in time, barges in on the trio. The two black men express contrasting perspectives on what’s it like to live in Sweden. Berry becomes belligerent towards Sam. The girls are taken aback by the men’s squabbling and animosity towards one another. As time passes, the two Swedes become embroiled in a heated debate
A brief introduction to my writing
I’m a short story writer who is not comparable to great storytellers, and I do not anticipate that everyone will appreciate my writing. Nevertheless, I believe my stories offer an authentic perspective numerous reviewers have praised. The tales describe the challenges faced by a few Caribbean expatriates in Europe. The setting is predominantly the 1970s, but the themes remain relevant: alienation, loneliness, romantic relationships, and the struggle for a better life. I hope that more individuals will read and enjoy my stories. However, marketing books to the “right reader” remains one of the challenging tasks for many independent publishers.
What readers say about the book🧐
A collection of stories, some humorous, some sad. A collection that gives the reader food for thought with lines such as, "Social media...transforming love into an incomprehensible commodity." The first short story, The Ballad of Calle & Maja brings up questions such as: Can we really escape from our past? Are some of us so haunted by family memories, that we can't escape them? Can people really start anew, despite experiencing trauma like abuse? The four act play brings up other questions: What is it to belong? When one emigrates to another country, can that person fully see it as home? If a country is supposed to be more liberal, democratic, do social ills ever cease, or lessen to a greater degree? These are questions pondered by many, especially during times like these. I recommend this book, Four Bittersweet Romances & A Four Act Closet Drama to anyone pondering these questions.
Deviana Dean
About the Author
Lawrence G. Taylor
I was born in Guyana, went to England, and worked and studied in London and relocated to Sweden in autumn 1969.
In the 70s, I tried my hand at mainly writing short stories, a four-act closet drama, a novella, and an unfinished novel. I had spent two years nurturing the ambition to become an author of some repute. But the going was tough, creating a feeling of insecurity for the future. In time, I shelved the idea, got a hospital porter job, and later obtained a BA (Eng. & Edu.). I enrolled in a 4-term course for mental-health carers after a summer job at a psychiatric hospital. After that, I completed the first two stages of psychotherapy education and several short studies in cognitive therapy. After retirement in 2007, I did private mental health counselling for several years, which ended in 2015.
In February 2016, my debut book appeared: Strangers In Another Country – a collection of two short stories and two novellas, available in e-book and paperback at Amazon. This collection and the rest of my stories fall under literary fiction, except for the short story Darker Than Blue – This Mortal Coil, an experimental blend of fantasy, dystopia, and satire.
On December 9th, 2016, I published a novella, The Eternal Struggle: An Amorous Story.
In March 2017, a short story appeared, Two Girls in a Café.
Making Sense of Past Time – a Novel available in paperback and e-book format.
Tell Me Who My Enemy Is – a four-act closet drama published this summer (2018).
The Ballad of Calle and Maja – a novella published Nov 2018.
Getting it Right, if Ever – Romance Novella available for pre-order; to be published
August 22nd -19
Four Bittersweet Romances & A Four-Act Closet Drama was published on November 3rd, 2019.
Short Story “Darker Than Blue – This Mortal Coil was published July 24th, 2020.
Religion as tormentor of the soul and a negative refuge – an essay (an assignment from my university days in the 70s: Go Tell It on The Mountain by James Baldwin, a Black American writer (1924 – 1987)
Binky’s Reverie is a YA story revised and first appeared in my debut book, Strangers In Another Country. This collection of stories received 21 reviews.
A Day In The Life Of Charlie Cheddar – a story which appeared in my debut book.
“Betty And the Black Puppy – Short Story – YA Kindle Edition. Revised (Dec 2021). It is one of four stories in my debut book.
Darker Than Blue––This Mortal Coil ––a dystopian short story set in the fictitious nation Atlantis Island in 2030. Published June, 2020.
SHORT STORIES NOVELLAS A CLOSET DRAMA (a collection of most of my already published writings.
Regarding reviews of my books, reviews are available at Amazon.com.
MY BOOKS ARE REVISED AND UPDATED (2021-2023).
Today I put out STRANGERS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY––A Short Story. February 22, 2023.. The story appeared in my debut book (a collection of four stories) with the same title. The other three stories have appeared as Single stories.
WHAT IS MY WRITING ABOUT?
The reader will likely enjoy my stories for the following reasons.
My writing is literary fiction, which is no longer popular.
My stories are grounded in realism, with a dash of fantasy or humour for flavour.
Based on input from reviews, the target audience will likely be socially, culturally, psychologically, or philosophically minded. I take pleasure in leaving the reader with something to think about. Themes include loneliness, romantic relationships, migrants’ yearning for a better life, and their social and psychological issues in a setting rife with prejudice and xenophobia.
The only exception is my short story Darker Than Blue––This Mortal Coil, in which I attempt satire, comedy, and fantasy.
My Twitter account is @lgt41, and my blog page is lgt41blog.wordpress.com. I’m a hobby photographer, and you can view several of my images at https://www.foap.com/community/profiles/lgt41
I sincerely hope you find my stories enjoyable, and a review of my books would be much appreciated.
Lawrence Gordon Taylor
Are you ready to read it now?
A slice of romantic realism featuring two different interpretations of love.