A MANSION DISCLOSES ITS SECRETS

THE MANSION STORIES is a collection of three unique yet connected short stories: "The Mansion on the Corner," "Names, Dates, and Places," and"Hearts' Reunion". Once again James M. Garrett writes about what he knows. He bases subjects on his overall life experiences, including his time in the service to his country and his 27 years as a high school teacher. In his second novel the published, award-winning poet, has woven his poetry within the prose to fully reveal and enhance the feelings and emotions of the well-crafted, believable characters. The poems add texture to the imaginative narration.

When the young man in the first story, "The Mansion on the Corner," gently brushes the long, dark hair of the young woman in his life, the poem following the scene adds depth to the inner emotions of the young couple. You can feel their growing love for one another, but at that time they are unaware of the heartache to come. Although there are no poems in the second story, "Names, Dates, and Places," the vivid descriptions of the past and present draw the reader into the lives of the characters. In "Hearts Reunion," the last story in the trilogy, the poem at the beginning expresses the nostalgia, apprehension and dynamics of a class reunion. It allows you to look into the minds of the attendees to set the scenes to come. The poems interspersed throughout are blended into the flow of the fictional word picture drawn by the author.

This technique is a departure from his first novel, BENICIA AND LETTERS OF LOVE. In that novel he composed over 140 "letters" concerning love and the town of Benicia. His many readers found the letters to be genuine without an over-inflated sense of reality. Individuals were moved to both tears and laughter by the romantic missives that transcend time and geographic location. They could read one at a sitting or a larger number at a time. The concept is the same in THE MANSION STORIES. As an episodic writer, he tells many small stories within the larger ones. A reader once again can read one section or more in a session. One of James' favorite philosophical thoughts, "Names, dates, and places change, but concepts stay the same," is an overall inspiration for the three stories. There is a similar romantic thread running through the narrative, which can be seen in the various time periods occurring in the stories. An intriguing question is presented: are the same souls present through the centuries, only in different bodies? The Mansion is the key element and remains constant through the years. People come and go. To some The Mansion was merely a house, to others it was a home.

This book will grab your interest from the first page and hold it through the last words. The circle of the journey of life through the centuries will be evident when you have finished reading all three stories. The Mansion will have revealed its secrets. Regardless of your age and/or lifestyle, you will enjoy and be rewarded by the stories of love and loss and reconnection. You will want to recommend this book to your friends or give it as a gift any time of the year.