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Wednesday 22 May 2019

Book Review: Circle of Words by the Brussels Writers Circle

Last Updated: 13 September 2021

Circle of Words by the Brussels Writers Circle cover

AD* | Founded in 1997, the Brussels Writers’ Circle now has about 200 members of many nationalities. The group meets and discusses works in English, and is open to both mother and non-mother-tongue speakers. It is indeed proud to count members from Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and to publish this sample of their work.

It has been a long time since I've dipped my toe into an anthology, and this one has been on my tbr for quite a while, so I was excited to start reading this volume. This anthology features a truly eclectic mix of writing, spanning forms as diverse as poetry to travel writing, and everything in between! When it comes to fiction, short stories of nearly every genre conceivable are present in the anthology, making for an end result that is varied and engaging.

As is the case with any anthology, I enjoyed some contributions a lot more than others. In particular, a few that stood out to me were Rodeo Chameleon by Kevin Dwyer, The Legacy by Sarah R. Harris, and Maltese Stories by Larisa Doctorow Zalesova.

Rodeo Chameleon intersperses the present with a nostalgic air of the past, creating a disjointed yet oddly captivating story that really makes you think. Although it may not be the happiest of tales, this short story succeeds in perfectly capturing a certain element of childhood that many of us forget to remember.

Moving onto poetry, my personal favourite within the anthology was The Legacy by Sarah R. Harris. Similar to Rodeo Chameleon, yet also simultaneously dissimilar, this poem encapsulates the ageing process and what it means to grow old, explored from two very different points of view.

Last but certainly not least, the third standout contribution was Maltese Stories by Larisa Doctorow Zalesova. This author features extremely heavily in the anthology, but this short story was definitely my personal favourite. Gripping and suspenseful, it hooks you in and keeps you turning page after page to find out what happens.

All in all, I enjoyed reading Circle of Words and exploring the diverse mixture of writing featured within the pages of the anthology. I look forward to reading more from some of these authors in the future!

Rating: 3 stars

Circle of Words is available to buy now.

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* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Will you be reading the anthology? Let me know in the comments below!

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