Fifty/Fifty and Other Stories

A collection of short stories, my favourite being The Seventeenth Door, Matthew W. McFarland wins readers over with his quick, dry writing, which leaves readers wanting more. Sometimes sick and slightly twisted, McFarland does not shy away from topics in his stories such as suicide, murder, and just above all weird stuff, so the faint of heart should not give it a try. I'm in love with Irish author's, so I'm a little biased, but trust me, it's good.

The following review may contain spoilers and is based on the ebook edition of Fifty/Fifty and Other Stories from a librarything.com giveaway.

Fifty/Fifty and Other Stories is a quiet contemplative book comprised of 11 separate stories connected by the underlying theme of human psychology. Each story has its own charming manner (though some are notably more interesting than others) and there are a few unexpected twists throughout; "Defenestration," "The Seventeenth Door," and "Fifty/Fifty" are perhaps the best stories in the collection.

"Defenestration" is about a man falling out of a window. Rather than having his life flash before his eyes as he plummets to his doom, the man's dying thoughts are of cats and science experiments. Although show more his lengthy inner-monologue stretches reality quite a bit, it's interesting, and the ending manages to be both peaceful and somewhat unsettling.

In "The Seventeenth Door," a young woman is collecting information for the census when she finds herself in an unfortunate predicament. Despite (or perhaps because of) the gruesome ending, this is one of the most book's most consuming stories.

"Fifty/Fifty" concerns a policeman and a suicidal bridge jumper. It starts out both beautiful and sad, and, after reading a particularly heartrending description of the policeman's past experience with "jumpers," it was an instant favorite. Unfortunately, the ending is overly saccharine; but considering the sensitive subject (and the desire for something cheerful after reading the ending of "The Seventeenth Door"), a sadder ending would feel almost unjustified.

Overall these stories are recommended as short reads before bed (with the exception of "The Seventeenth Door," which might be more suited for a sunny afternoon), or- if you're in the mood to think about people- an hour-long trip into the human psyche. show less

Fifty/Fifty and Other Stories by Matthew W. McFarland is a collection of 11 short stories. The plot of each of these ranges from a very short story of a man's love for his trumpet, a man's final thoughts as he plummets to Earth and a policeman trying to convince someone not to jump and everything in between.

The stories themselves range from only around 3 pages to 15 or so. Each one is worth reading, no matter how short. I was pleasantly surprised by this short book. The descriptive writing is fantastic and, as most of the stories can be a little ambiguous, it's the description that carries them. Even the characters themselves are ambiguous, with only 3 or so characters given names and most not even given a specific gender- though I show more would guess that most of the characters are male.

The tie-in that connects all the stories would be their tone. With a few exceptions, most of them deal with quite dark or disturbing topics. Not dark enough to be horror, but certainly not light-hearted. A few of them will make you laugh and a few will make your blood run cold.

A short read I would definitely recommend. Fantastic writing and realistic characters, with a very thought-provoking look into the human mind and the way we deal with different situations.

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own. show less

I received a free e-copy of this book from the author through LibraryThings. An honest review was requested.

“Fifty/Fifty, and Other Stories” by Matthew McFarland is a medium length book of short stories penned by the very talented author. The eleven tales in this anthology run the gamut from the humorous to the serious to the bizarre. Right off the bat, the first short story in the book, “The Burning Bar”, sets the tone for the rest of the book. That tale is only 3 Kindle pages long, yet it manages to still catch you by surprise at the end. Many, if not most, of the tales in this collection will surprise you at the end; the author has a real knack for twisting his endings. He also has a knack for writing stories that keep the show more reader involved from start to finish.

Most short story books are prized for their ability to let you read a quick story while waiting in line, then close the book until the next time you’re waiting in line. “Fifty/Fifty” is more like a novel, in that you won’t want to stop reading at the end of any of the stories; you will read this book straight through, because each story just has a way of grabbing your attention and you won’t want to wait to see what the next story will be like.

Matthew McFarland can create characters you really want to care about, but he can also create characters you will simply feel sorry for. Then there are stories like “The Bicycle” which had me smiling all the way through it, and when it finished I was very happy for the players. I could relate with the first half of that story, as if he had written it specifically about me, but it was the second half that I wished I could relate to more closely.

This author writes as if he personally knew every person and every situation he writes about… his characters are that real. I recommend this book of short stories for anyone with a wide range of interests, and anyone who likes to be entertained. show less

What I like the most about short stories is that they are short, but done right, that's all I need. This collection is done right. There is something for everyone. There are a couple of creepy ones that make you tingle. There are a couple of suspense ones that keep you reading to find out how it's going to end. There are nostalgic ones with great descriptions that make you remember too. I read through these quite quickly and really enjoyed them. Looking forward to more from this author. Thanks to the author for the giveaway which in no way affected my opinion.

A quaint collection of 11 short stories. It is a very quick read and i believe worth the effort. Several of the stories are more developed than others but all of them have a good sense of connection to those everyday thoughts and feelings we experience during different times of our lives or events we experience. These stories have a simplicity that is charming. Wee Tiny Spiders has me rethinking the use of fire on those little buggers.

50/50 is a collection of short stories , some will bring a chuckle and some will leave you scratching your head in wonder. Each story pulls you in from the beginning and I like that in a book. Its the perfect read if you don't have much time but want to get some reading in. I won this from LibraryThing Member Giveaway and I recommend this book.