Choose Your Own Romance is a very clever and well-written entry in Storme Winfield's Romance Novel Comp 2002 which drew only two – but two outstanding – entries, whose results were announced on Valentine’s Day, appropriately enough. Emily Short says it all about this highly entertaining, appropriately “florid” piece of romance novel: ”Created with Jon Ingold's Adventure Book, CYOR offers the reader the opportunity to steer its strangely-fated heroine through the various twists and turns of Love. As sheer coincidence would have it, a nontrivial percentage of these twists are in some way associated with cheeses. But I'm sure that's entirely accidental. To proceed: As might be supposed to befit a choose your own romance, this work is whimsical and light; its chiefest grace is the delightsome prose, which blends to a nicety the modest mannerisms of speech appropriate to a refined lady with the strength of feeling that will inevitably engender itself in the breast -- er, upper torso -- of a Person of Romantic Temperament. To say more of the plot would be to reveal overmuch, if plot it may accurately be said to have; for like many of its ilk, Choose Your Own Romance is narratively wayward and frolicsome. In short, a highly entertaining piece. This will scarcely surprise those familiar with Mr. Dyte's previous work in the field of parody (Sycamora Tree, Pick Up the Phone Booth And Aisle [for the concept of which, at least, he is to be blamed, even if other rash parties partook of its implementation]).” Two thumbs up, way up! Reviewed by: Underdogs |