Comment from juliaSjames

Exceptional

Dear Mystery Writer, I love your vibrant write. It's easy to see that you love this village because you pay attention to delightful little details that others might overlook.

I wish you well in the contest.

Blessings Julia

 Comment Written 02-Nov-2019

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reply by the author on 03-Nov-2019

Thanks for the review. Oh yes, they love me there. Once, I was trying to set up a pizza delivery for my friends little restaurant and they thought that I had invented take~away. So clever!
Ha ha call me Domino!
Have a great Sunday.

reply by juliaSjames on 03-Nov-2019

LOL

Comment from Raul1

Excellent

Very good description of the place. I like how you wrote this story. A brief history of the village. Excellent work! No grammatical errors. Good luck in the contest!

 Comment Written 02-Nov-2019

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reply by the author on 03-Nov-2019

Thanks for the review Raul. It really is a special place...like you have gone back in time.
Have a wonderful Sunday, cheers.

reply by Raul1 on 03-Nov-2019

You're welcome

Comment from Ogden

Excellent

Your detailed description of the Zanzibar fishing village serves up more than just a sense of the Place. Its sights, sounds and smells are virtually palpable.

Ogden (Don)

 Comment Written 02-Nov-2019

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reply by the author on 03-Nov-2019

Thanks for the review Ogden. It really is a magical place with characters and such a beautiful setting. Have a wonderful Sunday, cheers.

Comment from Bill Pinder

Excellent

I would give you six stars if I had it for this very well written story that makes the reader feel like he's there. Great job with painting a descriptive picture of the location with your well chosen words. what an amazing thing if the children in the United States had that kind of friendly and respective attitude toward a teacher.

Again, what a noticeable difference with the women of very humble means being happy and chatting with each other.
Bill

 Comment Written 31-Oct-2019

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reply by the author on 31-Oct-2019

Thanks for the encouraging review Bill. The saying that it takes a village to raise a child is true. The kids are usually polite and well behaved, some of the little girls still give a little curtesy dip when they greet you. There are "aunties" everywhere if they do step out of line.
One reviewer did not like that I put in a few sentences about the tools of the trade can always be found outside their houses. Maybe I worded it wrong but I found that endearing. I loved wandering through the village on the narrow sandy paths and hear the goings on within.
They are very gentle people and I am a little loud and outspoken, but I won them over after a few years, ha ha
I remember one Ramadan at sunset. The families would sit outside to break their fast. I made the mistake of walking through the village at that time. What normally would take a few minutes, took me an hour!
I would greet each gathering with "salaam alaikum" then politely refuse their offers of food....about fifty times, ha ha
Cheers.

Comment from Apriori

Good

This piece flowed well and I enjoyed the many details that evoked a real sense of place. There was only one moment that I thought lapsed into abstraction: when you evoked their humble lives. I think this is more powerfully shown through the characters' actions. When you name it as you do, it loses some of its descriptive power for me.

 Comment Written 31-Oct-2019

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reply by the author on 31-Oct-2019

Thanks for the review. I understand what you mean and I will go re-read that section again and maybe express that differently. Cheers.