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Lawrence G. Taylor

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Strangers In Another Country Kindle Edition

by Lawrence G. Taylor (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

15

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Set in London and Stockholm in the late 1960s, these four stories are driven more by characters than by action. The protagonists face social, economic, and existential problems.

David frets about discrimination in the workplace but is rude and vain during a dispute with his girlfriend. Charlie is a poet suffering from the blues and disillusioned with life. By chance, Charlie meets a new male friend who promises to set him up with a date.

Binky has romantic notions of women and love from Hollywood movies and some Shakespeare sonnets. Unemployed and only arrived in England a few months, he borrows money to venture on a holiday to breathe life into a half-baked romance for which he has high hopes despite his common sense.

Then there is Moby, an outsider struggling to come to grips with himself and others. His faith in black solidarity comes to a test when he runs into a black male American who needs somewhere to pass a few days. The main characters are migrants from the English-speaking Caribbean.

Themes include unattainable dreams, loneliness, alienation, disappointment and insufficient black solidarity. There is some humour to alleviate the frustration and pain in these stories. The question is whether this handful of fringe figures can lead a better life in a predominantly white country.

Author's Note: Following the above-mentioned review, this collection of stories has been professionally edited. I choose to reprint the review here because I consider it balanced and objective.

4.0 out of 5 stars

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A collection of stories set in the 60's, written in the style of the 60's

Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2016

Moby, the protagonist in the title story of Lawrence G Taylor's short fiction collection muses, "...life seems to be like that, not providing us with all the right things in one place." It's much the same with his collection of short fiction, "Strangers in Another Country.

If books that have less than perfect spelling or syntax easily agitate you, then "Strangers in Another Country" may not be for you. If however, you prize an honest voice and memorable characters that will remain with you long after you close the back cover, then this book has much to offer.

This series of two short stories and two novellas are all set in the 1960's and feature protagonists who have left homes in South America to live in Europe. These are not sympathetic characters you cheer for. Even knowing their insecurities and difficult backgrounds, they seem selfish and narcissistic. Sometimes you want to reach inside the pages and slap them, yet despite it all you can't help turning the pages to follow their journey.

But the real magic of this book is its style. There is a particular and recognizable sound and shape to the fiction written by men in the 60's. The voice, tone, pacing are all quite different than today's stories, and in this collection Taylor manages to brilliantly capture that 1960's narrative style. Within the first 10 pages I was entirely enchanted by this unexpected time travel.

I am impressed with the raw potential of these stories. I hope to see more of them.

Print length

126 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

28 February 2016
Reading age

16 - 18 years
Grade level

7 - 12
File size

746 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01CDKRQOC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lawrence Gordon Taylor (28 February 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 746 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 126 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1695375335

Customer Reviews:
15

About the author

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Lawrence G. Taylor

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I was born in Guyana, went to England, and worked and studied in London and relocated to Sweden in autumn 1969.

In the 70s, I tried my hand at mainly writing short stories, a four-act closet drama, a novella, and an unfinished novel. I had spent two years nurturing the ambition to become an author of some repute. But the going was tough, creating a feeling of insecurity for the future. In time, I shelved the idea, got a hospital porter job, and later obtained a BA (Eng. & Edu.). I enrolled in a 4-term course for mental-health carers after a summer job at a psychiatric hospital. After that, I completed the first two stages of psychotherapy education and several short studies in cognitive therapy. After retirement in 2007, I did private mental health counselling for several years, which ended in 2015.

In February 2016, my debut book appeared: Strangers In Another Country – a collection of two short stories and two novellas, available in e-book and paperback at Amazon. This collection and the rest of my stories fall under literary fiction, except for the short story Darker Than Blue – This Mortal Coil, an experimental blend of fantasy, dystopia, and satire.

On December 9th, 2016, I published a novella, The Eternal Struggle: An Amorous Story.

In March 2017, a short story appeared, Two Girls in a Café.

Making Sense of Past Time - a Novel available in paperback and e-book format.

Tell Me Who My Enemy Is - a four-act closet drama published this summer (2018).

The Ballad of Calle and Maja - a novella published Nov 2018.

Getting it Right, if Ever – Romance Novella available for pre-order; to be published

August 22nd -19

Four Bittersweet Romances & A Four-Act Closet Drama was published on November 3rd, 2019.

Short Story "Darker Than Blue – This Mortal Coil was published July 24th, 2020.

Religion as tormentor of the soul and a negative refuge – an essay (an assignment from my university days in the 70s: Go Tell It on The Mountain by James Baldwin, a Black American writer (1924 – 1987)

Binky's Reverie is a YA story revised and first appeared in my debut book, Strangers In Another Country. This collection of stories received 21 reviews.

A Day In The Life Of Charlie Cheddar – a story which appeared in my debut book.

"Betty And the Black Puppy – Short Story – YA Kindle Edition. Revised (Dec 2021). It is one of four stories in my debut book.

Darker Than Blue––This Mortal Coil ––a dystopian short story set in the fictitious nation Atlantis Island in 2030. Published June, 2020.

SHORT STORIES NOVELLAS A CLOSET DRAMA (a collection of most of my already published writings.

Regarding reviews of my books, reviews are available at Amazon.com.

MY BOOKS ARE REVISED AND UPDATED (2021-2023).

Today I put out STRANGERS IN ANOTHER COUNTRY––A Short Story. February 22, 2023.. The story appeared in my debut book (a collection of four stories) with the same title. The other three stories have appeared as Single stories.

WHAT IS MY WRITING ABOUT?

The reader will likely enjoy my stories for the following reasons.

My writing is literary fiction, which is no longer popular.

My stories are grounded in realism, with a dash of fantasy or humour for flavour.

Based on input from reviews, the target audience will likely be socially, culturally, psychologically, or philosophically minded. I take pleasure in leaving the reader with something to think about. Themes include loneliness, romantic relationships, migrants’ yearning for a better life, and their social and psychological issues in a setting rife with prejudice and xenophobia.

The only exception is my short story Darker Than Blue––This Mortal Coil, in which I attempt satire, comedy, and fantasy.

My Twitter account is @lgt41, and my blog page is lgt41blog.wordpress.com. I'm a hobby photographer, and you can view several of my images at https://www.foap.com/community/profiles/lgt41

I sincerely hope you find my stories enjoyable, and a review of my books would be much appreciated.

Lawrence Gordon Taylor

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Top reviews from other countries

Whitney Reinhart

Read this one with your heart...

Reviewed in the United States on 1 December 2021

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I readily admit to needing a bit of distance between reading Strangers in Another Country and writing my review. The stories and characters are compelling, providing a sometimes uncomfortable glimpse into the struggles, cultural difficulties, misunderstandings, hopes, dreams, disappointments, and triumphs experienced by those who find themselves in a new country. There were moments when I felt my heart would burst as I rooted for the characters in this book. Likewise, there were moments when I was impatient with them for their lack of understanding. This caused me to step back and consider the privilege of my own life. I have never uprooted my life in pursuit of a dream promised by a foreign land. Taylor doesn't tell us why his characters left Guyana, but it doesn't really matter, does it? The bravery required to act on the decision to leave is unfathomable. I am grateful to Lawrence Taylor for writing this book.

All of that said, occasionally Taylor's writing style feels a bit stiff or formal and could possibly have benefitted from an additional editorial review. Please don't let this distract you from the heart of his stories. Instead, learn from them and consider how you would handle the circumstances his characters find themselves in. Taylor writes from his heart to yours. Accept his gift.

Deviana Dean

Belonging

Reviewed in Canada on 11 December 2016

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I enjoyed this collection of two short stories, and two novellas--one of the themes that struck me is the desire for belonging. What is home? Where is home? For many people of colour, that question is ever present in our minds. It was brought up beautifully, a meditation in this work. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Vermont Reviewer

Rated 5 Stars. Well written.

Reviewed in the United States on 6 June 2016

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Strangers In Another Country
By Lawrence G. Taylor

This book composed of two short stories and two novellas was an excellent read. The author Lawrence G. Taylor has shown in his created characters life lived in the 60's. I love the famous quote from the book. “Every secret of a writer's soul every experience of his life, every quality of his mind is written large in his works.” Virginia Woolf. A Day In The Life of Mr. Charlie Cheddar takes place in London in the summer in the late 60's. The character Charlie has “an acute stomachache a well performed act of insincerity to mislead his supervisor. Reading and writing had become the centre of the writer's private life. I found the book to be a fun read. The author has a wonderful ability to create characters who live a life of suffering many of the emotions that we as humans sometimes visit. Whether real or imagined. The stories are well written. Betty and The Black Puppy was also an interesting read. The final two stories “Binky's Reverie” and “Strangers In Another Country” show that the characters are feeling many emotions as a result of their cultural differences. Feelings of frustration, anger and pain and of feeling lonely. One of my favorite lines from the book. “A weird thing how the mind works how it summons up thoughts without consulting the will.” Both of the last two stories in the book are also great reads. The author Lawrence G. Taylor has the storytelling capacity to make his characters come to life. In the world that he creates in each of his stories. The emotions and faults as well as the success and failures come to the surface. The stories were delightful. I rated them 5 stars. Looking forward to reading more by this author.

2 people found this helpful

Mom by Love

Lacks drama. Basic themes of wandering around London and Sweden as an ex-pat.

Reviewed in the United States on 12 November 2016

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I went into this book not knowing the author's intent. By the beginning of the second novella, I was hooked on his style, but the characters still weren't doing anything for me. After finishing the book, I went back and re-read the two short stories in the beginning. They had much more impact on me this time, but they still were missing any power. There is no definite crisis, building excitement, or denouement in "A Day in the Life" or in "Binky's Reverie." Further, the actual grammar of the author, probably because of his West Indian heritage, needed a bit more editing. Not sure what I think of this book.

Warren

A collection of stories set in the 60's, written in the style of the 60's

Reviewed in the United States on 28 July 2016

Verified Purchase

Moby, the protagonist in the title story of Lawrence G Taylor's short fiction collection muses, "...life seems to be like that, not providing us with all the right things in one place." It's much the same with his collection of short fiction, "Strangers in Another Country.

If books that have less than perfect spelling or syntax easily agitate you, then "Strangers in Another Country" may not be for you. If however, you prize an honest voice and memorable characters that will remain with you long after you close the back cover, then this book has much to offer.

This series of two short stories and two novellas are all set in the 1960's and feature protagonists who have left homes in South America to live in Europe. These are not sympathetic characters you cheer for. Even knowing their insecurities and difficult backgrounds, they seem selfish and narcissistic. Sometimes you want to reach inside the pages and slap them, yet despite it all you can't help turning the pages to follow their journey.

But the real magic of this book is its style. There is a particular and recognizable sound and shape to the fiction written by men in the 60's. The voice, tone, pacing are all quite different than today's stories, and in this collection Taylor manages to brilliantly capture that 1960's narrative style. Within the first 10 pages I was entirely enchanted by this unexpected time travel.

I am impressed with the raw potential of these stories. I hope to see more of them.

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Strangers In Another Country Kindle Edition

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About the author

Lawrence G. Taylor

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