Reviews

The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

novelesque_life's review against another edition

4.0

RATING: 4 STARS
1922 (reissued AUGUST 9, 2016); Ecco/HarperCollins
(Review Not on Blog)

I have probably read Mansfield before in high school or university but I cannot remember at this point. At least, the stories in this novel did not spark a connection. Yet, Mansfield's writing feels familiar. I really enjoy the way she brings characters to life and gives the reader a sense of the time and place where these characters live. I read this book over two days picking it up when I had short spurts to read. I would say this is a good book for the nightstand when you need to read but don't have the time to give a novel a chance. I am looking forward to reading more of Mansfield.

***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***

elliemcc11's review against another edition

3.0

Child-like quality to these stories. Not sure how much I liked them.

margu's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

danpeachey's review against another edition

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

luufranz's review against another edition

emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Katherine's writing is lovely, I really enjoyed "at the bay" and "the garden party"! Unfortunately, I thought most of these short stories were a bit slow and boring :(

sarah_dietrich's review against another edition

4.0

Katherine Mansfield's The Garden Party is a beautiful collection of short stories. Mansfield's writing is beautiful & some of the subjects she tackles are challenging in subtle ways, quietly subversive. I found it interesting that some of the stories had a New Zealand feel, while others had more of an English feel. This is a really solid collection, but nothing in here blew me away - instead it motivated me to read more Alice Munro.

coops456's review against another edition

1.0

I learned that I don't really get Katherine Mansfield. Overly descriptive and downright odd in parts.

dc14's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No

3.5

bookishwendy's review against another edition

3.0

This was a soothing and enjoyable story collection. Like most of my experiences with collections, many of these have a very similar style--in this case very slice-of-life every-day experiences among various families in early 20th century colonial Britain. There is often an undercurrent (or over-current) of class distinction, or people in unsatisfied marriages, and I found that the stories I liked best were the ones that were a little more morbid and elliptical, and that didn't come out and proclaim the "point" up front. Actually, I found the famous Garden Party story not as interesting as, say, the one about the dead colonel's daughters, or the confessions of the lady's maid. Good for a rainy day.

alprnt's review against another edition

3.5

My favorite stories were At the Bay, The Graden Party, The Voyage, and An Ideal Family.