The Sweetest Hours: Love Stories...of a Kind

To call The Sweetest Hours a book of short stories would be like calling The Mona Lisa a painting. Each story is its own fully developed tale of love. And the theme of the book is love, not to be confusedwith the very different romance genre. Love comes in all forms and Laura Pedersen is a master story teller of them all. The strength of this book is two fold. The characterization in each story is in depth and complete. Pedersen can more fully realize a character, be it human or animal, in 20 pages than many authors can do in 320. The same is true for the wholly developed plot of each story in the book. Each story is a self contained look at a different side of love and relationships, in all its varied forms and in some forms only every thought of in this book. The joy of the stories comes from the writing style of Ms Pedersen. It is her descriptions that can break the heart or make one laugh out loud. Her ear and ability to create the dead-on metaphor is a gift to the reader. From describing a school lunchroom as a "terrifying hive of conviviality and torment" to a girl who felt like the "twin sister of a scallion" the language and choice of words through out the stories is unique and accurate. From Love Lucy comes this delightful description of what a dolphin might do for retirement after his life of performing is over. "It was rumored that Cypher had a pool on reserve for him at the Old Actor's Home in Los Angles. Flipper and Willie and Cypher would probably end their days sipping sardine blender drinks out of frosty silver metal buckets with paper umbrellas while being entertained by Borscht Belt comedians and Friar's Club members. "So these two dolphins go into a sandbar.." The piece True to Her Word is one that should go into short story anthologies as an example of classic perfection in the genre. A story of a past, present and future in one introverted woman's life that takes place in an independent bookstore is as heart warming and joyful as it can get. My only criticism of the book is its cover. It leads the reader to assume that the book is a collection of light romance or chick lit. This true piece of literature should have a less frivolous cover. It will be misleading to those who do choose a book by its cover art and design.

I've actually already said it on this book -- on the back cover: "A terrific new voice!" -- Sherri Caldwell, author of The Rebel Housewife [Rules] I said that about Laura Pedersen last year, reviewing her novels BEGINNER'S LUCK and HEART'S DESIRE, featuring Hallie Palmer, a 16-year-old high school dropout, runaway, semi-professional gambler/math genius. With THE SWEETEST HOURS, Laura Pedersen proves herself a seasoned pro, and fabulous in both novel-length and short-story format. Pedersen's strength is in her characters, whether human or animal. She paints wonderfully eccentric, vivid personalities you can't help but like, even in silly stories -- for instance, in "Love Lucy" about a man's obsession with a dolphin. Yet even in the zaniest, most absurd scenarios -- and there are more than a couple in THE SWEETEST HOURS -- she makes it work. Laura Pedersen's short stories are as clever, original, and enjoyable as her Hallie Palmer novels. There is something for everybody in THE SWEETEST HOURS. -- Sherri Caldwell, Co-Author: The Rebel Housewife Rules!

Laura Pedersen has established herself in the past with her vivid characters, charming stories and touching humor. She writes of human fears and funny friendships with equal aplomb, and tackles tough topics with tenderness and often surprising turns. Through it all, she maintains a finger on the pulse of what moves us and motivates us, what makes us cry, and most importantly, what makes us laugh. THE SWEETEST HOURS is true to Pedersen's tale-telling history. It is a collection of stories, each touching on compelling life experiences such as failed or revived relationships, the stuff that lies at the heart of humanity (even if, sometimes, it's not a person who is center stage in the experiencing). Here's a sampling: "Gus Hunts for a Job" is the first story in Pedersen's latest offering, and it is sweet and wonderful. The children have grown and Gus feels a huge emptiness, a need to fill the common void once filled by hours of activity with the kids he loves so much. A familiar story? Yes. Only Gus is a 142-pound yellow mastiff dog in search of a second career, not a middle-aged father. Pedersen gets to the heart of this big loving family dog, his role in the clan, his life at the center of an evolving home. And, you know what, he could be anyone experiencing empty nest syndrome; the story evokes such recognizable loss and yearning. In "This Santa's for Hire," a mother finds herself in the uncomfortable position of fessing up that Santa is a myth to two incredulous boys, her seven- and nine-year old sons. "The inevitable safe sex lecture couldn't be more challenging than this," she thought as she watched her boys cry at the shattering of their childhood illusion. But on Christmas Eve punk-rock babysitter Mindy sets the story straight once and for all for the boys, salvaging the holidays and their beliefs, albeit with an unorthodox myth of her own. Pedersen gives an unavoidable rite-of-passage a temporary reprieve in an unexpected and delightful tale. "Forth and Back" is a lifetime in a 2.2-mile walk to and from a mailbox. On his short journey to retrieve sundry bills and magazines, Zach Boxer confesses an affair, recommits to his marriage, proclaims his undying love for his daughters, and relives a defining moment from his youth. Similar recollections in the hands of a lesser writer could have befallen the fate of cliche. But Pedersen's Zach is refreshing in his internal dialogue, his candor, his confessions, and his acknowledgments of his biggest mistakes and greatest achievements. Even after admitting his ill-conceived affair (done just to see if he could get away with it), one can't help but like him when more is revealed. A collection of 12 short stories, THE SWEETEST HOURS is a book about nothing less than life in all its ugliness and beauty. Whether ordering a groom through the mail or mooning over an adonis lifeguard, the characters are living stories we've all heard or read before. But Pedersen is facile at delving into the complica

Like many guys, Gus is spending his life searching for love and adventure. He bounces from career to career, finally ending up content as a lifelong fraternity brother. Gus is a 142-pound yellow English mastiff. The short story 'Gus Hunts for a Job' is just one of twelve stories fresh from Laura Pedersen's pen and compiled in her latest book, The Sweetest Hours. Pedersen creatively shows different degrees and meanings of love in each of her stories. Love can be a babysitter keeping the dream of Santa Claus alive for doubting children, such as in 'This Santa's for Hire.' It also can be finding a person who differs from you, such as in 'The Casino Society,' a tale about a woman and her Alaskan mail-order groom. Equally amusing is the tale of a male reporter sent to research a hotel that guarantees women a night of romance. He unexpectedly finds it in 'After the Season.' From the shy bookshop owner who draws people together in 'True to Her Word' to the dolphin researcher who falls for a dolphin in 'Love Lucy,' each of the characters in these heartwarming stories is distinct and real. No matter the situation, there is something in these quirky, vibrant characters that speaks to everyone. Through them Pedersen weaves tales that blend humor, sorrow, and sometimes surprise endings in the games of life and love.

This collection of stories is original, surprising, sexy and fun. It was my choice for my book group and not only did everybody love it, but we had SO MUCH to talk about. We could have gone on all night. And it was wonderful to see how members of assorted ages had different perspectives on the various (and they ARE various) situations. Several of the stories also brought back lots of memories of growing up, not feeling confident, and the potential horrors of dating. However, my two favorites were about a different kind of love than what you find in a standard relationship. Without spoiling the endings (and Pedersen almost always has a terrific twist), one is about a mom telling her two boys that there is no Santa Claus, news which they're not quite ready to hear, and the other is about a family dog who doesn't have anything to do after the children in the house go off to college. (There are some great analogies in that one to how we treat our own aging society when they're no longer productive, or worse, when they'd like to be but no one will let them because America is rather youth-obsessed.) At least several of these stories are sure to go down as classics. But for the time being, they're an incredible combination of thoughtful, hilarious and bittersweet. A great read, as we like to say in my book group.