Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist


Fiction - Anthology
178 Pages
Reviewed on 04/07/2021
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Theodore Jerome (Ted) Cohen is an award-winning author who has published more than ten novels--all but one of them mystery/thrillers--two books of short stories, and eight flash-fiction anthologies. He also writes illustrated storybooks for children (K-3) in the series Stories for the Early Years as well as Young Adult (YA) novels under the pen name "Alyssa Devine." During the course of his 45-year career he worked as an engineer, scientist, CBS Radio Station News Service (RSNS) commentator, private investigator, and Antarctic explorer. What he's been able to do with his background is mix fiction with reality in ways that even his family and friends have been unable to unravel!

Dr. Cohen's writings (he holds three degrees in the physical sciences) have received the highest reviews from Feathered Quill, Hollywood Book Reviews, Kirkus Discoveries, Pacific Book Review, Reader Views, and Readers' Favorite, among others, with many of his books recognized for their excellence through medals awarded by several of these same organizations following their annual book competitions. In 2017, for example, Readers' Favorite awarded Dr. Cohen's first short story anthology, The Road Less Taken: A Collection of Unusual Short Stories - Book 1, a Silver Medal while the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs (NABE) awarded the same book its Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Best in Category: Short Stories. The NABE also awarded Dr. Cohen's collection, Creative Ink, Flashy Fiction: Flash Fiction Anthology - Book 3, its Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Best in Category: Anthology - Winter, 2018.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Astrid Iustulin for Readers' Favorite

Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist is a collection of short stories written by Theodore Jerome Cohen and Alyssa Devine, the author's pseudonym for some of the stories. Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist comprises both very short stories, less than a page long, and some longer tales. They center on women of all ages, from infancy to old age, and portray them and their behaviors by taking inspiration from photos found on the Internet. The picture is at the beginning of every story, so Flash Fiction Stories seems like a photo album in some regards. In this collection, Cohen (and Devine) offer us a variety of themes, people, and events that are usually paradoxical, often humorous, and always surprising.

What a superb book Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist is! I enjoyed reading it for the unpredictability of the stories and the accuracy with which they are written. Cohen (and Devine) perfectly demonstrate their love for the art of writing both in the choice of the subjects and in the way they pen their stories. While the shorter stories stun you with their wit and conciseness, the longer ones surprise you in the deep meaning they have. I particularly liked the last one at the very end of the book; it is the best farewell a reader can have from all these adventures. It is a pity I cannot linger on all of them and their features, but I can say each story is a gem worth reading. I recommend Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist to all readers who love short prose and appreciate its value.

Marie-Hélène Fasquel

Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist by Theodore Jerome Cohen is a convincing anthology that includes fifty-seven texts. It interestingly starts with “Bridge” and ends with “Moment of Truth”, and this choice of titles is quite telling. It explores all types of areas in order to paint numerous pictures of womanhood in its great variety. Flash fiction is the perfect genre for such an endeavor. A fun fact is that the majority of the stories in this series (most often less than 250 words) were inspired by random, unusual pictures found on the Internet.

Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist by Theodore Jerome Cohen is a surprising and delightful collection of flash stories focusing on fifty-seven “faces” of womanhood. It starts off with a drug addict and tackles a murder, “Suspicious”, then asks questions of Dorothea, the photographer who took the worldwide famous picture titled “Migrant Mother”, just to name a few of my favorites. The stories take us in turn to Warsaw, Louisiana, and so many other places. They also make us travel in time and revisit history.

To top it off, the stories are beautifully written and illustrated. They are original, clever, make you ponder (one of the most important things about literature, I believe), and entertain you. They are all extremely different and this is what makes this book so precious. It explores womanhood in a diverse and unbiased way. The art of storytelling is difficult but managing to keep stories well-plotted and entertaining in so few words is a real challenge and the author passed this test with flying colors. Thank you!

Foluso Falaye

Theodore Jerome Cohen presents 57 women-themed short stories in Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist, exposing unique things about every woman in the book: strength, beauty, limitations, regrets, hopes, adventures, secrets, addictions, and more. Most of the stories are 250 words or less. Some of the stories depict relationships affected by war, while others focus on the dark subject of suicide. A number of the stories are actually based on real characters, as indicated in the "Endnotes" section by the author. From the cigarette-loving elderly woman and the lady who caught her man looking at another woman to the female wrestler who keeps the identity of her son's father a secret to hold on to her independence, each story brings a fresh and lasting sensation.

If you love to meet people and would like to immerse yourself in their unique personalities and experiences through a book, you should definitely read Flash Fiction Stories with a Feminine Twist. Each vivid and colorful story felt like a photograph or a short video, and every page made me eager for more. The beautiful pictures at the beginning of each story ensured a more memorable and pleasing experience. It's hard to choose a favorite, but I so loved David and Claudia because they made me realize the value of appreciating the "little things" in life. As short as many of the stories are, they pack an amazing level of surprise at the endings. I didn't know I could enjoy stories as short as 250 words, but Theodore Jerome Cohen has certainly changed my mind. I want more!