What I really enjoyed about this piece is what a truly sweet, honest and inspiring story it is. It's about Patrick Chavez and his partner discovering that they were going to have a child, and what this did to their lives. The sound quality is very good, and the narration was clear, loud and easy to follow. The writing is powerful and visual. There is a part that describes Patrick climbing a flight of stairs to his house. I could really see him forcing himself up the stairs slowly, one foot in front of the other. It was like he was climbing toward the “turning point” itself. The scenes also move at an engaging pace; the story never lost my interest or attention.
The lack of music in the story was a bit disappointing. I feel as though there are some really raw moments in the story that could be enhanced by a sad piece of music. I also think some of the scene transitions could have been a bit more drawn out. That’s where the music could have really come in handy. It could have been used to build a little more tension. This piece is very sad at parts, but that emotion could have been brought out more with a song. The only other little nit-picky thing that I thought could go was the very first sentence. I think it would be more interesting if the story started with, “It wasn’t exactly good timing when it happened.”
Overall, I think this is a very moving narrative. It’s truly amazing what a child can do to people and the way they live. This child brought about a complete 180 for this couple, and it is very inspiring. It’s nice to hear about a real life happy ending for once.
Youth Editorial Board Review of "An Unexpected Life"
A. Greene
Posted on May 18, 2010 at 12:13 AM
What I really enjoyed about this piece is what a truly sweet, honest and inspiring story it is. It's about Patrick Chavez and his partner discovering that they were going to have a child, and what this did to their lives. The sound quality is very good, and the narration was clear, loud and easy to follow. The writing is powerful and visual. There is a part that describes Patrick climbing a flight of stairs to his house. I could really see him forcing himself up the stairs slowly, one foot in front of the other. It was like he was climbing toward the “turning point” itself. The scenes also move at an engaging pace; the story never lost my interest or attention.
The lack of music in the story was a bit disappointing. I feel as though there are some really raw moments in the story that could be enhanced by a sad piece of music. I also think some of the scene transitions could have been a bit more drawn out. That’s where the music could have really come in handy. It could have been used to build a little more tension. This piece is very sad at parts, but that emotion could have been brought out more with a song. The only other little nit-picky thing that I thought could go was the very first sentence. I think it would be more interesting if the story started with, “It wasn’t exactly good timing when it happened.”
Overall, I think this is a very moving narrative. It’s truly amazing what a child can do to people and the way they live. This child brought about a complete 180 for this couple, and it is very inspiring. It’s nice to hear about a real life happy ending for once.