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Villa Victoria – a novel by Bryan Smith
Gordon M. Smart Publications
ISBN: 0-9732104-2-7
A review by David Fraser
Twenty
years from now I’ll be getting on the waiting list for Villa Victoria,
a mythical place created by Bryan Smith. His short novel is a galloping romp
depicting the “Fawlty Towers”
of retirement homes that in many instances dispels the stereotype of our aging
population nodding off in chairs all day or wasting away merely waiting for the
grim reaper to finally arrive.
The
residents of Villa Victoria represent
a cross-section of life, a set of vividly described characters in harmony and
conflict, treated with compassion and understanding by an omniscient narrator.
If you are a part of our aged population or a baby boomer that sees his or her
aging parent’s lifestyles, and also his or her own imminent journey toward the
senior side of life, this is a book that will make you laugh, cry and keep
turning the pages. Farce, slapstick, intrigue, and passion are woven into a
plot or series of plots that require inventive problem solving. These unusual
and unique memorable characters are depicted by Bryan Smith through narration,
genuine dialogue and fast-paced action. In a world where sensational acts of
cruelty are depicted daily in our various media, Villa Victoria is a refreshing journey into daily lives where sex
is sometimes comic, sometimes tender, where real mysteries and crimes are
solved by ingenuity and proactive effort, where romance and good deeds are
celebrated.
Everyone
should read this book no matter what age so our culture can get back a more
respectful attitude toward all our citizens. Look for some enterprising
director to ask Bryan for a
screenplay; I can see a television series or a stage play in the future.
E-mail Bryan Smith
David Fraser lives in Nanoose Bay, on Vancouver Island.
He is the founder and editor of Ascent Aspirations Magazine, www.ascentaspirations.ca,
since 1997. His poetry and short fiction have appeared in 40 journals including Three Candles,
Regina Weese, Ardent, and Ygdrasil. He has published a collection of his poetry,
Going to the Well (2004), a collection of short fiction, The Dark Side of the Billboard
(2006)and edited and published Ascent Aspirations Magazine Anthology One(Dec. 2005)
and Anthology Two Windfire (Summer 2006)
http://www.ascentaspirations .ca/aapublishing.htm
David is currently the BC Federation of Writers Regional Director for The Islands Region
David Fraser has a BA in English from University of Toronto, and an MEd in adult
education from OISE. In Ontario he taught English, Creative Writing Writer's Craft
among other subjects at the secondary school level for 30 years. He was the ski school
director for High Park Snow School for 8 years. Currently he is a full time writer who also
teaches skiing at Mt Washington in the winter.
E-mail David Fraser
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