I read this story at Flash Fiction Online, a favorite site dedicated to "bold" and "brief" fiction. Flash fiction, if you will.
Length: 4 minutes
Genre: Humor
General Impressions
Q. How's the hook?
The author sets the scene immediately, informing the reader that the event takes place at a tea party attended by a grandmother-granddaughter duo.
The author also sets the mood immediately, stating that the grandmother has never felt prouder, whereas the granddaughter has never looked more miserable.
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| “Lavatera” by Provincial Archives of Alberta, No known copyright restrictions |
Q. What made me want to keep reading?
I wanted to know why the granddaughter was miserable. When the author reveals that the granddaughter is 13 years old, that partially explains it. Thirteen-year-olds aren't typically thrilled with their elders.
But spending time with a grandparent can be a beautiful thing, and I wanted to know the situation.
Here's another reason I wanted to keep reading: The writer begins this satirical piece with plenty of plant-themed puns. I wanted to see if she would continue to keep up her punny pace.
Q. What did I think of the plot?
The plot is secondary to the punny writing style, in my opinion.
In fact, I wondered if the writer's primary goal was to cram as many plant puns as possible into one short fiction piece. I wondered if this was an assignment for a writing class. "Write a short story with as many puns as possible."
That's not a criticism. Given the ending, the plot was surprisingly deep when you consider how short and punny the story is.
Q. Did I enjoy the main character?
Grandmother Hyacinth and granddaughter Callie (Calanthe) are dynamic characters, and both do a bit of growing and changing over the course of the story. I'd say Hyacinthe grows and "improves" her character more than her granddaughter, but they both become better people in the end.
Q. How was the writing style?
I enjoyed the punny style of this story, which is written in the third person and favors the point of view of Grandmother Hyacinthe. But the puns may have been a bit distracting. I had to read the story twice to absorb its full chain of events and their meaning.
Q. Is the ending satisfying?
While the ending is satisfying, like I said, I had to read the story twice to digest its full meaning. That's probably because I was distracted by the puns.
A more astute reader might not have had to read it twice. Still, I was glad I gave it a second read so I could fully appreciate the character development.