Nine to Ninety Stories across the generations by Susan Ioannou "a wonderful array of captivating narratives" — Canadian Book Clubs

eBook Edition

Paperback Edition

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About the Book
Table of Contents
Readings
Response
Order Information

About the Book

Over the years, many have already delighted in Susan Ioannou's fiction published in literary magazines. "Your wonderful story," responded Welwyn Wilton Katz (Canadian Author Magazine). Maggie Lacroix (Wynterblue Thunder) wrote, "It's lightened my day with a giggle and a smile!" Susan's prose also received the Okanagan Short Story Award and placed high in the CBC Literary Competition, Literary Network Short Fiction Contest, Sunday Star Short Story Contest, Other Voices Fiction Competition, and The Larry Turner Award. Now her stories have been brought together in a single Large Print volume easy to read and enjoy.

Written in a rich variety of voices, the colourful narratives aim to entertain. They begin with a little girl's weekend in an artist's home, then shiver from a "Giant-Lady's" wintry farm, to summer dining in a mansion and a boy's exotic lunches on a neighbour's porch. A university student delights in her debonair "older man", a corporate executive rediscovers romance, an immigrant's daughter searches for a lost homeland, and women challenged by advancing years cope each in her unique way. Realistic, bizarre, funny, or touching, the stories in Nine to Ninety promise a potpourri of diverting reading.

Readings

April 4, 2009
"A Ruffle Between Friends" from Nine to Ninety read by Marlene Dean on the National Broadcast Reading Service program Stone Soup Anthology.

June 3, 2009
Author reading and book signing at McNally Robinson Booksellers, Shops at Don Mills, Toronto.

Response to Nine to Ninety

"The women portrayed in this book come from different generations but the author depicts each with sensitivity; her characters are captivating, from the inquisitive Lucy to the grumpy Elaine. We come to realize that women are not only mothers, sisters, daughters, and grandmothers, and Ioannou's portrayal of their complexity pushes home the truth that women are distinct. Her rendering is both tender and tough. These are women with whom we want to sit down and share a cup of tea. And the tea is just fine, Susan Ioannou. Just fine." – Mary Barnes, Prairie Fire Review of Books, Vol.10, No. 3, 2010.

"Several of the stories by Ioannou were slightly reminiscent of the writing style of Lucy Maud Montgomery, while other stories reminded me of the British author Barbara Pym. Nine to Ninety, Stories across the generations has something for everyone. A very entertaining and delightful book with stories that will touch your heart." – Paula, Canadian Book Clubs, Book Reviews Forum

"It is a difficult task to write stories that appeal to several generations. When writing this type of book, the author must find a common perspective to engage her readers. In the example of Nine to Ninety, author Ioannou imparts gentle lessons in humanity in her stories, relating them with clear prose and humour. . . .
    "For the teacher, the book offers numerous examples of literary concepts, such as point of view, symbol, and metaphor. It also draws our attention to the assumptions individuals make about themselves and each other—an important learning opportunity for young adults.
    "The vocabulary, literary, social, and historical references in the book are intriguing enough to challenge readers, but not intimidate them. Although the stories could have benefitted from a less Eurocentric emphasis, they will appeal to readers from a variety of backgrounds." – J. Lynn Fraser, CM, Vol. XVII, No. 13, 2010

"I'd like to say how much I enjoyed reading your book. I felt as if I were there myself, in each story . . .You're a truly gifted story teller." – Tina Papoutsis, Don Mills, Ontario

"[Nine to Ninety] finally arrived—am most impressed . . . I think some of your stories will be great for our kids in Bridging the Gap. We have finally received a grant for a Drama and Art program, and hopefully I can now encourage story time and story telling, in competition with TV." – Shirley Follen, Belleville, Ontario

"I have read your wonderful creation Nine to Ninety. I loved how the stories display the little things in life that stay in our memories and shape us." – Heiderose Lee, North York, Ontario

Table of Contents

A Taste of Darkness, a Square of Light Jamie and the Giant-Lady My Lunch with the Rich People Eating with Mr. Bender It's O.K. to be Different Improving Our French A Ruffle Between Friends I'd Call That Kindness

The Quilt Take a Memo, Doris Day Mrs. Minton Returns Heimat Ilse's Vacuum Final Meeting Elegy for Mrs. Murchison

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Copyright 2010 Susan Ioannou

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Order Information

Nine to Ninety: Stories across the generations, by Susan Ioannou

Standard Paperback (Wordwrights Canada, 2017), 158 pages, ISBN 978-0-920835-46-3.

eBook (Wordwrights Canada, 2010), eISBN 978-0-920835-32-6.

Large Print Paperback (Wordwrights Canada, 2009), 260 pages, ISBN 978-0-920835-30-2, $24.95. Limited number available. Contact susan.ioannou[at]gmail.com.