Paul Griner

It turns out that “Follow Me” is quite the appropriate title for this book of short stories by Paul Griner. Not only is it the title of the first story and the request of the photographer in that story, but it also alludes to several stories within this book in which characters actually move from one story to another. In fact, it was those stories that I found to be among the book’s best.

One character, a construction worker named Bolen, made his way into three stories in a row. I found him the most intriguing character in this book and could see him heading straight for a novel. He’s kind of a down and out construction worker, a bit gritty, but believable in a way that makes reading about him interesting. Bolen was central to “Why Should I Wait”, my favorite story, in which he and nurses in a hospital cafeteria have a conflict about who should be allowed to eat there.

Some of the stories in this book focus on rather unusual objects. In “Nails”, a doctor remembers damaging one of his son’s fingernails and later goes on to specialize in medicine related to nails. In two related stories, “Clouds” and “Grass” two brothers focus individually on these items. In the first story, Eugene lies in a farmer’s field, studies clouds, and thinks about his dead wife and difficult relationship with his two daughters. In the second story, Eugene’s brother studies grass and becomes his Eugene’s caregiver as well as caretaker of his family’s gravestones.

In yet another story, a man struggles to make ends meet. He takes a job as a box loader for a shipping company, but is disliked by his co-workers for being too straight. An excellent story with an unexpected ending, “Boxes” had once been published in Playboy.

This is a pretty strong book of short stories with characters that are less than perfect. The stories have little twists, but basically all are psychological studies of individuals. With the exception of “If There Hadn’t Been a Monkey in the Car She Would Have Sung”, which I thought was downright silly (a woman decides to let a monkey run loose in a store for revenge), I found this book quick to read, well written, and very enjoyable.… (plus d'informations)

The German Woman, by Paul Griner is a book that begins during World War I and ends during World War II. The book begins with a doctor and his nurse trying to care for patients that were injured during the horrific period of WWI, when Jews were killed, Slavs were killed, and extreme chaos, hunger and deprivation reigned the lands of Europe. Their endeavors were difficult, as there was not enough medicine and equipment to care for the injured.

From there we skip to 1944 WWI, when the rest of the story line unfolds.

Although the story line of The German Woman is strongly written by Paul Griner, and it is extremely vivid in its depictions of war, I was disappointed in the novel. The book, for me, was not a page-turner (but that isn’t necessarily a negative thing). It is historic in content, yet there was something about the story that left me a bit unsatisfied. I can’t define why, it is what it is. Which is not to say I didn’t like the book. Overall I did like The German Woman, but I wasn’t completely thrilled with this book of espionage and romance. It didn’t entirely intrigue me.… (plus d'informations)

This novel begins with Kate Zweig and her husband, Horst. Kate is English and Horst German, however they are both serving in a German field hospital during World War I. They endure the immediate post-war period together, including the blockade that ended many lives. Very shortly after this glimpse into Kate’s life we are transported to a new time and place: London during the second World War, Kate now a widow caught between two nationalities and loyalties. Kate meets Claus, himself of a conflicted background, and the two connect immediately. This is a love story set against the backdrop of a destroyed London that questions patriotism, loyalty, and warfare.

Although I found the beginning of this book to be slow and the ending unsatisfying, for the middle portion I could not put it down. The characters of Claus and Kate were very well written, the impression of the bombings of London and the wardens was fascinating, and the spy thriller portion was . . . okay. So you can’t have everything in life, overall this is a very solid read.… (plus d'informations)