Anna Adams (3)

When dreams suddenly come true but lead in unexpected directions…and that might be exactly the way it has to be.

Maude has grown up in a little town in France, raised in a small family after her own parents…well, she has no clue what happened, and her adoptive family isn’t giving the slightest hint to anyone. While she’d love to know the truth, her true +She has one dream: to become a professional opera singer. When a class trip to Paris leads her to a small café, where she performs show more a quick pop-song for a fun, someone posts her performance on the internet. And it goes super viral. Talent scouts and record companies come knocking at her door, and her adoptive parents see dollar signs. But Maude has no intention of becoming a popstar. Her heart is set on opera. When she comes across a mysterious note from her mother, which mentions her father and New York, Maude finally agrees to one of the deals. While the music business has plans and dreams for her career, she intends to only play along until she achieves her true goal, finding out more about her father.

In some respects, this is a Cinderella tale, but it also takes off in an original direction as it swirls through difficulties of the music industry, finding where one belongs, and a little romance, too. The read flows very well, but then, Maude is an enjoyable character to follow. She is timid enough to make it easy to feel for her and is determined but needs to learn to trust her gut and stand up for herself. She’s kind and warm, and carries quite a bit of character arc by the end. Much of the story rotates around her dealing with others as she tries to discover the secret behind her background and find her own spot in life. So, it also leans toward a coming-of-age.

While the tale is easy to read and carries a lighter side, it also holds nuggets of depth to add richness without going overly deep, too. There’s a little historical goodness, which comes to light as Maude learns more about her parents. There’s diversity and the weaving of other cultures and backgrounds. There’s a look at instruments, music, and glimpses at the harder edges of money, power, and greed. And there’s family warmth.

Fans of life drama with a touch of romance and a hint of achieving dreams despite difficult beginnings are going to want to take a peek at this one. I received a DRC and enjoyed this adventure quite a bit. show less

This short story really spoke to me from the artistic point of view because it discusses the argument of whether street art is 'real art' or not, an argument that I sometimes ponder myself. I think that the way the characters were introduced was really interesting because the action never seemed to stop and the dialogue made them both completely individual.

I really loved the writing style of this story and think that I would actually really like it to be made into a full length novel at some show more point! The dialogue was genius at points and really made me think about some of the points raised.

I would definitely recommend this short story to anyone who wants something well-written or has an interest in art. show less

A vibrant, gritty short story that unveils a respect and admiration between two different people with the common love for art. A little mystery and a twist leads this story to an interesting place that is unexpected. An appealing Parisian setting and characters with a lot of depth make this great read.

Why, oh why, did I even bother reading this book? It's like Bubble Gum and Cotton Candy had a baby and named it Saccharine. Gak.