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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.
chelbakery's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-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? No
3.0
aclassicalmess's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
After close reading this text during my second reading I learned to appreciate it a lot more and come to the conclusion it’s actually really brilliant. Going from 2 stars to 4 stars.
creolelitbelle's review against another edition
2.0
These stories were okay for me. Some I really enjoyed, while during others I found my mind drifting. The stories felt like snippets of the characters’ lives. We were just given a brief glimpse to see what kind of lives they had and how they dealt with it. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job with the different character inflections.