Wingles and Wafoons by Vera Searles

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kailhofer
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Wingles and Wafoons by Vera Searles

Post by kailhofer »

This is a cute little story.<br><br>It is somewhat predictable, but I really didn't mind, since Edna is such a disagreeable character that I didn't mind watching her get her comeuppance.<br><br>No major quibbles over grammar issues.<br><br>The set dressing was scant, and therefore kept the setting from feeling real to me. I like all the senses to be employed in describing the world, and didn't find that here.<br><br>On character development, Herb passes the sympathy test with flying colors. I'd had enough of Edna by the 4th paragraph, let alone live a life with her. However, I didn't see him grow. I'd have liked him to open the jar on purpose--just to get a minute's peace, if nothing else.<br><br>I didn't understand why Herb kept hearing the Wingles and Wafoons if he didn't have the jar yet. Was this a premonition? Likewise, will he now hear Edna yelling at him all night long, like the wafoons?<br><br>The dialog was well handled. The characters had clear, separate voices.<br><br><br>So, a little room for improvement, but not bad at all.<br><br>Nate
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Robert_Moriyama
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Re: Wingles and Wafoons by Vera Searles

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

As Nate the K. said, this was a well-executed if deliberately lightweight tale.  One wonders if Ms. Searles had anyone in particular in mind when she wrote about Edna (a mother-in-law, perhaps?) ...<br><br>Death (or eternal enchanted sleep as a knick-knack) seems a bit harsh as a punishment for being a shrew, but, as Nate said, we only had to put up with Edna for a few pages, while Herb had suffered for decades.  If they had children, or if Edna had friends in the neighborhood, I wonder how Herb will explain Edna's absence?<br><br>Just for fun, Ms. Searles might entertain ideas for a sequel to answer those questions.  There are a lot of different angles she could pursue:  Herb's adjustment to life without Edna (Will he miss her, eventually?  How will he explain her disappearance, to say nothing of the disappearance of her mountainous collection of kitsch?); Herb turning to the Dark Side of the Wingles, using the jar as a trap to rid himself of anyone who annoys him; The Revenge of the Wingles, where Herb faces punishment for doing such a poor job of safeguarding his faerie guests (prisoners?) ...<br><br>Any connection between the Wingles and Wafoons operator and the proprietors of the Shottle Bop, Needful Things (or, to stretch the point, The Weapon Shops of Isher)?  Just wondering.<br><br>Robert M.<br>
Last edited by Robert_Moriyama on November 10, 2004, 03:49:33 PM, edited 1 time in total.
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