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"Janey's January" by Janey (swapping husbands)
10, 10, 10
"Janey's January" by Janey. Guest review by Sandman. (sandman@bitsmart.com). I have certain preferences when it comes to the stories I like to read. I love a story where there's an overall flavor of reality; I love a story where I can get to know the principals before everyone starts hopping into bed; and I really love well written stories that combine both of the above. This story most definitely qualifies as all of the above. Janey, who is married to Bob, is talking to Beth who is married to Steve when Beth says Steve has a crush on Janey. What follows is a rather long flirtation filled with excitement, humor and doubt before the inevitable happens along with an expected twist at the end. OK, the sex wasn't the hottest thing ever written, but the story attempted a flavor of reality and in reality sex is rarely earth shattering and life- changing. Actually this summary really doesn't do this story justice. It's like analyzing a Steven King novel. Break down a Steven King plot and you're going to be laughing your ass off; the trick is all in how ole Mr. King manages to write so folksy he can blind you to the improbability of what is actually happening. Janey makes this husband-swapping story believable and very fun in much the same way Mr. King can make us believe a car can be possessed. The devil of course is in the details, and that's exactly where this story shines. Now here is a personal note to the author and would-be authors: In this day and age there's no excuse not to have an e-mail box so that readers (like me) can read these stories and write a short note that hopefully will encourage more such stories. Free e-mail boxes can be obtained at hotmail.com, lycos.com, yahoo.com, and the granddaddy of them all juno.com. Writers, being a creative lot should have no trouble inventing fictional "real" names and addresses these sites ask for. You can even visit www.netforward.com and set up a forwarding address to get that last measure of control over your anonymity. This is exactly the sort of story I'd read and then sit down to write a short note to the author saying how much I enjoyed it and how much I look forward to seeing future stories. Since I've been deprived of that I guess this review will have to suffice; I just hope Janey reads the CR! Since Celeste has found out we're neighbors she's been sending me an awful lot of really good stories (probably in hopes of keeping me so busy reading good stories I don't have time to write the Celeste's wine bottle chapter). This one definitely ranks among the best of the best that I've reviewed. It's certainly getting my recommendation as a good read. Ratings for "Janey's January" Athena (technical quality): 10 - A few easily overlooked problems. Venus (plot & character): 10 - Real life that works. Celeste (appeal to reviewer): 10 - Definitely my style. |