Every Day a Holiday
A Storyteller's Memoir
Plainspoken yet packed with emotion, Ellis’s series of memories entertains and educates.
A collage of vintage memories and modern musings, this collection of vignettes will ignite a real spark of life in a contemporary society immersed in an artificial digital age. Elizabeth Ellis shares her personal experiences in Every Day a Holiday: A Storyteller’s Memoir.
Like sitting around a campfire listening to words of wisdom and humorous tales, reading this perceptive selection of stories will rekindle hope of finding an inner meaning to existence without climbing Mount Everest. Establishing that sense of purpose as well as seeking the companionship of family and friends may be at the heart of this sincere rendering of reality. In twelve holiday-themed chapters, Ellis offers her insight on a variety of topics. Steeped in the folklore and customs of her native Appalachia, she seasons her words with regional charm. Though she relocated to Texas, this Kentucky-born author retains a unique perspective of the world that flavors her writing with the positive and negative aspects of growing up in the mid-South.
Without grasping for profound statements, Ellis tells simply of incidents, events, and influences that have made an impression over the years. It is often the minor actions and not the monumental changes that leave the greatest mark on one’s psyche.
In one story, Ellis relates her childhood devastation when her misguided mother intentionally destroys the beloved blue satin lining of a jacket as a reprimand for enjoying pretty clothing: “When we got home from church, my Mother did not go to the kitchen the way she always did. This time she went straight to her sewing box. She got out her meanest, sharpest scissors. She sat down and cut the lining out of the jacket.” Plainspoken yet packed with emotion, this description gets to the point and to the ruined jacket with no melodrama. Ellis chooses not to dwell on her mother’s religious indoctrination, or the foolishness of such an act. Instead, she allows the situation to speak for itself. This straightforward stylistic technique is characteristic of her writing.
Ellis is an award-winning storyteller and a former librarian. She performs on stages throughout the country, entertaining audiences with her ingenuity and wit.
Writers who agonize over finding just the right word, obsessed with making a startling impact more than leaving a visual imprint, will learn from Ellis’s ability to present a scene in a concise yet commanding manner. Her goal is to entertain and educate, inspiring new traditions.
Reviewed by
Julia Ann Charpentier
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
