How She Knows What She Knows about Yo-Yos: Stories

I bought this book after hearing its author read at the Folk Art Center in Morehead KY. (If she shows up where you are, go hear her. Mary Ann Taylor-Hall is a _fine_ reader.) The stories in this collection are astonishing in their depth and breadth. Whether Ms. Taylor-Hall is writing about a woman living alone on a Kentucky farm, or a schoolteacher on an tropic isle, or an elderly woman pondering the mortality of her cheating husband, the setting becomes part of the story. "Sense of place" is a creative writing cliché, but its presence is often the difference between a good story and a great one. Taylor-Hall nails it every time. Literary short stories --by which I mean stories that are character rather than plot driven-- are my favorite literary form, and this is just plan as good as it gets.

This book was enjoyable. I was able to relate to the stories, characters, and places. This book is a fast read for anyone who enjoys good literature.

Mary Ann Taylor-Hall has written an exquisite book.Her stories are filled with characters that capture our interest from the moment we meet them.There is an abundence of emotion in her writing,from humor to sadness and the characters become real from the moment we meet them.In the title story Undella captures our imagination from the first description of her standing in a crowd wearing a pith helmet!What a woman.At first glance,the tone and language of the book is delightful and easy to read,on a deeper level it explores issues of both culture and gender that are extremely thought provoking. I enjoyed everything about this book.Not just the writing but the cover photograph,the graphics and embossed pages made this book very memorable.I highly recommend it.