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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
I always find it difficult to rate a book of short stories because there are always some I loved and some that went in one ear and it didn't dishearten me to let them fly straight out of the other. In this case the few that would have exceeded the 3 star rating, had they been published standalone, were Porcelain and Pink, The Diamond as Big as the Ritz, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and "O Russet Witch!".
As for this particular edition, I love this series of Alma Classics, partly because of the interesting pictures and notes on the author, and partly because I am rather partial to the cover art - I do love a bit of foiling detail in a book cover!
As for this particular edition, I love this series of Alma Classics, partly because of the interesting pictures and notes on the author, and partly because I am rather partial to the cover art - I do love a bit of foiling detail in a book cover!
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The most interesting story is the sci-fi Benjamin Button one, found the others so-so.
So many gems (figuratively and literally) of stories in there.
I've been wanting to read this collection for a while because it contained the short story "Benjamin Button", upon which the movie was based. Unfortunately, I was fairly disappointed in that particular story, as it felt so inconsequential and lackluster.
There were a few stories I did enjoy, namely, "The Camel's Back", "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz", and "The Lees of Happiness". I'm not sure these particular stories make up for the disappointment of "Benjamin Button" and several other stories, but at least the book as a whole was redeemed by them.
In the end, it could be I am not cut out to read short stories: by the time I have figured out who the characters are, it's over!
There were a few stories I did enjoy, namely, "The Camel's Back", "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz", and "The Lees of Happiness". I'm not sure these particular stories make up for the disappointment of "Benjamin Button" and several other stories, but at least the book as a whole was redeemed by them.
In the end, it could be I am not cut out to read short stories: by the time I have figured out who the characters are, it's over!
Gatsby is most definitely the masterpiece of Fitzgerald's canon. Not to say that these short stories were bad, they just generally weren't as compelling as I expected them to be. A few shined out though like "The Diamond As Big As the Ritz" and especially "The Lees of Happiness." Even the annotated table of contents was amusing, though, so my love for Fitzgerald is not tarnished, but swelling.
I really didn’t enjoy this. I found it boring and tedious and didn’t care about any of the characters in any of the short stories. I understand that there is probably a lot of literary merit because the writing is good but I just found that the long winded writing made it even more boring and generally bland.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
While I mostly picked this up for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I will say that a few other stories in this collection was both more entertaining and more engaging. Fitzgerald writes some unlikable characters and unfortunately, some boring short stories, one of which is the title story.