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Photographs and Memories

Barbara Fifield
Outskirts Press, Inc. (2010)
ISBN 9781432752385
Reviewed by Charline Ratcliff for RebeccasReads (05/10)


I opted to read and review “Photographs and Memories” because it seemed as if the book would hold a powerful message for any reader who has experienced the loss of a family member or friend. I could also see the possibility of this book providing helpful information for those who have not yet experienced the loss of a loved one. Sadly, I was very disappointed with both the quality of the book as well as Barbara Fifield’s writing style.

To start, Ms. Fifield has a very choppy writing style. She seems to flit forward; then backward; then forward again with the same erratic pattern of a butterfly in flight but leaves the reader without the pleasant feeling one gets from watching the butterfly. There were also times when the author herself seemed to forget the sequencing of her own story. A great example of this would be the book’s back jacket where it clearly states “Suddenly and unexpectedly, Angela’s mother dies. Angela turns to her husband for support, but in the cruelest turn of fate, he too suddenly passes away. All alone, except for the helpless Martha, Angela must now gently coax her failing father into a nursing home.” Not to give too much of this book away but the CORRECT order of these events is: Angela’s father was placed in a nursing home, then Martha passed away, and then Angela’s husband passed away as well.

Moving on, I found Ms. Fifield’s descriptions of people, places and events shaky at best and the dialogue among the characters came across as stilted and unnatural. At times I was extremely put off by some of the character conversations as they seemed better suited to a five-year-old child than a sixty-one year old woman.

And finally, as far as the premise of “Photographs and Memories” I was expecting a book with a powerful message that could help people cope with loss. In the end, when I had finished reading it, I felt completely let down. There was no message and there was no power behind her words. It was basically just a recounting of events that the author has experienced. While my heart goes out to her for what she has been through this book comes across merely as therapeutic writing for the author and reads like a diary.