Customer Reviews

The Thing About Second Chances Is...

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This collection of fiction is at once focused and diverse. Part of the fun of reading the pieces in this book is to get completely caught up in one of the stories or plays, and only after you've finished it begin to realize its theme was "second chances." I especially liked the play about the family who inherited a valuable painting, but didn't know if it was real or how their grandmother had obtained it years before. I also enjoyed the story that took place during the lunch following the funeral of a beloved young man. The voices seemed so real, I almost felt like I was eavesdroppring. Great all around.

Polyphony Press has done it again. Second Chances is as engrossing book as their first book, The Thing About Love Is..., which I found myself so completely involved in that I missed my stop on the "L". Second Chances has the same effect. The stories and poetry are so rich with the writers voice, it's as if they were whispering their tales and sonnets into your ear. Georgalas has pulled together a group of very talented writers to form a strong and powerful whole, a human touch from page to mind. I reccommend this book to anyone who know how it feels to look back and then forward. (Namely all of us.)

When I saw the title of the second book from Polyphony Press, I was naturally intrigued. After fending off a barrage of "what if's" from my own life, it was time for some serious reading. And it was serious...and funny...and fascinating. This is an anthology that provides approachable, thought-provoking material without beating the reader over the head with smarmy reminders of its own intelligence. It is fitting that there are as many topics for second chances as there voices. With issues from religion to relationships, mortality to marriage, there are also some great life lessons. I was delighted that there were no references to winning lottery numbers or "final answer(s)." What a reader will find is that the tickets held by the myriad of characters may not contain the winning combinations, but the stories that result are priceless.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, especially the anthology format. I could sample a variety of styles and voices, and found the focal theme of second chances - regret, renewal, indecision, anticipation - haunting yet satisfying. In unique and wonderfully written pieces, the authors ably portray earthy and poignant bits of life. At times, I felt a bit like a voyeur, invisibly watching moments of growth, or the promise of it. I highly recommend this book. It will entertain you, move you, and linger on your mind.

With "The Thing About Second Chances Is...," the folks at Polyphony Press prove that the excellence of "The Thing About Love Is..." was not a fluke. Comprised of another diverse group of writers, "Second Chances" explores the universally appealing "What if?" factor. There's no fluff here; instead you'll find a fascinating combination of anguish and joy that is utterly human. As it would be inappropriate to point out my personal favorites from the book, I will say that some pieces held a stronger appeal for me than others, but that each piece has something to offer. The second chances covered are suprising in their creativity, and with a mix of poetry, short stories, a screen play and a stage play, there should be a little something to meet every preference. I invite you to find your own favorites.

I am impressed with the depth of outstanding writing in this anthology of work! I thoroughly enjoyed Maryruth Clarke's poems The Noo Noo and I Didn't, she captured the secrets we all have and put them on paper. Brooke Bergan's work the Muse and Poets are different types of poetry individual though they works exceptionally well in this group of writers; the muse speaks of poets in a diffent culture rich with detail; poets tells us stories of poets and their habits and who they are maybe we knew these things but it is told to us in a lyrical fun style. I look forward to see more anthonlogys from Polyphony Press and these writers.