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Keys, Portraits of Trials and Truth

Keys, Portraits of Trials and Truth

by James Lloyd
Christian - Fiction
258 Pages
Reviewed on 03/16/2020
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Keys, Portraits of Trials and Truth by James Lloyd is a collection of three short stories in which you will discover that as long as you have faith in God, everything will be all right. The first story called “Waiting” is about a young man named Paul. There was a time when he was a very patient and careful man, but things changed when he lost his will to be good. But God has his ways to send help when you least expect it and Paul is in for a big surprise. In “Will to Soar,” Will Saxby is fighting with self-doubt. He does not believe he is good enough for the best things in his life, even if the people around him tell him how amazing he is. His opinion will change when he realizes that his life is so much better than the less fortunate. “Inside the Orchard” is the story of Edith, an overachiever who is obsessed with her law school professor. But when she sees the world from the eyes of someone else, she is in for an awakening that will make her realize how superficial her life was.

Keys, Portraits of Trials and Truth by James Lloyd is filled with some truly beautiful stories about how your faith in God can be tested and awoken if you take a chance. I enjoyed how James Lloyd creates ordinary yet such unique characters. You can find traces of yourself in Edith, Paul, and Will. The three of them are incredible people, yet they have flaws that make them vulnerable just like you and me. The narrative is so hopeful even when these people are going through a hard time. The writing style is simple, but it is powerful. You will feel every word inside your heart. The heart-warming messages inside these stories will give you hope and make you feel a little better about yourself.

james brown

Customer Review

Don S and TeamGolfwell
5.0 out of 5 stars
I thought these three stories were very entertaining and refreshing
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020

James Lloyd who in my opinion, is a highly gifted and very entertaining author.

I enjoyed reading “Keys, Portraits of Trials and Truth” by James Lloyd” a trilogy of short stories, “Waiting” “Will to Soar” and “Inside the Orchard” which were very well written and created by this highly intelligent author who sends a heart-warming message to the reader in each of the stories. I felt this author has a unique and excellent ability to write meaningful and positive short stories.

In my opinion, these three stories are very refreshing stories and creatively done which made me reflect on my own life, with a high degree of emotion. This new fiction author writes in an easy to read and very descriptive manner with excellent pace which kept my interest as I continued to delve further into each story. For example, this author easily and very cleverly drew me into the first story about Paul who lost the love of his life in a car accident.

“While staring long and hard at her photo this time, he said to himself, in a low and sorrowful tone, “So much of who I was, left with you, Princess”. He clutched the photo tightly, holding it close to his face and kissing it repeatedly, as tears streamed from his eyes. “I hardly recognize what’s left of me anymore.” He then held it against his chest as if it was a warm embrace, rocking back and forth from desperation. As he wiped his face dry from any lingering traces of emotion, his phone rang repeatedly, and this was a call that would change his life forever…”

I enjoyed the way the author developed this first story, with intensity, drama, twists and turns, unexpected events, and wonderful resolution.

In the second story, “Will to Soar” is about a man named Will who the author describes as someone with a low opinion of himself even though many others admire him. He begins this second story with a thought-provoking prologue exhibiting the poetic ability of this very talented author and I liked the way the second story began (as he did with the first story) with an excellent yet concise description of the main character and his background. I felt he intelligently gave just the right amount of description without laboring over who Will is and then unexpectedly throws the reader into highly interesting events. I also very much enjoyed the magical ending of this excellent story.

The third story “Inside the Orchard” is about Edith, an overachiever is very interesting, dramatic, very descriptive, thought-provoking and very well written. I felt this was the most intense of the three stories and enjoyed it very much.

Finally, I liked the way the author intelligently uses well thought out similes in his writing and enjoyed the dialogue which I felt was to the point and increased the drama and intensity of the story. All in all, I marveled at the way the stories were developed quickly, the unexpected events, the crises, the emotions, and inspiring resolutions. Well done and I highly recommend this book!


Al D
5.0 out of 5 stars
The author religious perspective
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2020
Format: Paperback
I was quickly consumed and hypnotized from the very first page to the end. As the author commingled his thoughts with his beliefs and methodologically serve it up to his readers, I couldn’t help but finding myself temporarily disarmed of my own belief and slowly being pulled into his world. For a moment, I even began to identify with the character Will, so much so that I teared up several times and was forced to take a breather and allowed myself to escape back to reality. I must admit that there seems to be one too many unnatural coincidences, but I guessed the author used these instances to convey to his reader the power of positive thinking. I also admired how well each character was developed. I’m not a believer, but it was a journey well worth taken.
Kudos to the author.


BH
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is a "Must Read"!
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2020
Format: Paperback
This book was written as a trilogy, and all three stories were a great read! The suspense in each story kept me turning the pages. The characters came alive for me! This gifted author has a very vivid, and creative imagination. Although these stories were fictional, there were some powerful messages in each story line that one could apply or relate to in real life. I look forward to reading future works by this author!