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perjacxis's review
3.0
Short story collections are often a mixed bag and this was the case for me here too. My favourites were “The Giant Wisteria” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Shadow” by E. Nesbit, and “There Their Fire Is Not Quenched” by May Sinclair.
piedwarbler's review
4.0
When you read these stories, you wonder why it’s the ones by the male authors that are so much better known. E Nesbitt’s story called The Shadow really freaked me out. I also liked With or Without Buttons, which involves a lighthearted trick that turns into a frightening episode in the narrator’s life.
I shall not look at The Railway Children in the same light now!
I shall not look at The Railway Children in the same light now!
laurynreads's review
4.0
This is SUCH a good anthology! I really enjoyed reading more from some women I’ve read before and meeting lots of new writers! Some of these were genuinely spooky and I loved it
savvylit's review
dark
slow-paced
3.5
Women's Weird is a delightful collection of strange stories that would and should fit right alongside better-known male contributions by the likes of Lovecraft and Poe. The stories featured in Women's Weird are primarily hauntings ranging from possessed saucepans to slimy, undead satanists. One of the most memorable stories in the collection, Hodge by Eleanor Mordaunt, features two young siblings who awaken a primitive man. Their discovery, Hodge, comes to represent the siblings being forced to grow up and learn about the worst of humanity's base instincts.
Overall, I really enjoyed the range and talent featured in this collection. However, I'm not sure that Women's Weird is something I would recommend to anyone unless, like me, you also have a near-academic interest in weird stories by women throughout the ages. It could also be worth a read if you just enjoy classic stories that are weird but not too scary.
Overall, I really enjoyed the range and talent featured in this collection. However, I'm not sure that Women's Weird is something I would recommend to anyone unless, like me, you also have a near-academic interest in weird stories by women throughout the ages. It could also be worth a read if you just enjoy classic stories that are weird but not too scary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Sexism, Mental illness, Murder, Misogyny, and Death
nagornaya's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
caracabe's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
13 tales of weird horror by women, all originally published between 1890 and 1940, and only one I’ve read before. (“Unseen - Unfeared,” by Francis Steven’s.) All are excellent. Editor Melissa Edmundson’s introduction is interesting, but full of spoilers, so I suggest you read it after reading all the stories. You might want to read the end notes for each story first, though, to get a handle on unfamiliar terms.
ledge's review
Most of these are fairly straightforward ghost stories (albeit with more of a feminist perspective than usual) rather than weird fiction, some more successful than others. I particularly enjoyed The Shadow by E Nesbitt and The Book by Margaret Irwin, the latter quite original and very effectively done.
thegothiclibrary's review
5.0
Weird fiction is a subgenre of horror that today is generally associated with H. P. Lovecraft and the other writers in his literary circle. But Howard and his bros weren’t the only ones cleverly blending fantasy with supernatural horror and getting published in seminal pulp magazines like Weird Tales. During the time period from the tail-end of the Victorian era to the beginning of World War II, women were extremely active in pushing the boundaries of the traditional Gothic tale or ghost story to create worlds that are uncanny, unfamiliar, and ultimately weird. Unfortunately, Lovecraft seems to get all the attention and reprintings while these women wallow in obscurity. Melissa Edmundson and Handheld Press have set out to change that. Women’s Weird contains thirteen stories from this era along with an extensive introduction about women’s involvement in weird fiction written by the editor.
See my full review here: https://www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-womens-weird-bringing-female-authors-back-into-the-spotlight/
And a brief run-down of the stories:
-The Weird of the Walfords by Louisa Baldwin--The young Walford heir sets out to destroy the family heirloom bedstead that haunts him with its history of death. But some things are not so easily destroyed.
-Let Loose by Mary Cholmondeley--A young architect travels to a remote village to study a mysterious fresco in a crypt, but accidentally sets something free that ought to have been laid to rest.
-The Giant Wistaria by Charlotte Perkins Gilman--When a group of young couples rent a cottage for the summer, they hope to discover a fun haunting. But the haunting they dig up is more tragic than entertaining.
-The Shadow by Edith Nesbit--A group of young girls tell ghost stories at night after a Christmas dance and invite the stern housekeeper to join them. She tells of a mysterious shadow that haunted the home of her best friend and former lover.
-Kerfol by Edith Wharton--At the behest of friends, a young man visits the castle Kerfol which he is considering buying. But to his surprise he finds not a living soul on the estate to greet him, just half a dozen strange dogs.
-Unseen-Unfeared by Francis Stevens--In this almost Lovecraftian tale, man stumbles across an exhibit, where a scientist uses a special filter to reveal invisible creatures that surround us and seem to emanate from negative thoughts.
-Hodge by Elinor Mordaunt--A pair of siblings discover a prehistoric forest preserved and hidden in the marsh, but some things are meant to stay in the past.
-There Their Fire Is Not Quenched by May Sinclair--Harriott's bad luck in love leads her to engage in an ill-considered affair. But even after they end their relationship, she learns that she cannot escape her sins.
-The Haunted Saucepan by Margery Lawrence--When a rents a fully-furnished apartment, he finds that it comes with its own ghost ... in the form of a haunted saucepan! It's an impressive enough feat to turn a mundane kitchen utensil into something terrifying, but even more thought-provoking is the commentary it suggests on gender and domesticity.
-The Twelve Apostles by Eleanor Scott--An American man moving to England seeks out an estate with a genuine ghost. But he gets more than he bargained for when it turns out his new home used to house a Satanic priest.
-The Book by Margaret Irwin--Mr. Corbett is searching for something new to read when he stumbles upon a mysterious tome that seems to contain accounts of evil and devil-worship. He becomes increasingly obsessed with the book, even as terrifying instructions begin appearing on its formerly blank pages.
-Couching at the Door by D K Broster--A hedonistic author is haunted by a terrible sin in the form of a sentient fur boa. In order to free himself, he must pass the sin on to someone else...
-With and Without Buttons by Mary Butts--Two sisters decide to fabricate a haunting for their obnoxiously rational neighbor by planting old gloves and weaving a story around them. But their antics seem to stir up a genuine ghost whose story closely matches the one they've made up.
See my full review here: https://www.thegothiclibrary.com/review-of-womens-weird-bringing-female-authors-back-into-the-spotlight/
And a brief run-down of the stories:
-The Weird of the Walfords by Louisa Baldwin--The young Walford heir sets out to destroy the family heirloom bedstead that haunts him with its history of death. But some things are not so easily destroyed.
-Let Loose by Mary Cholmondeley--A young architect travels to a remote village to study a mysterious fresco in a crypt, but accidentally sets something free that ought to have been laid to rest.
-The Giant Wistaria by Charlotte Perkins Gilman--When a group of young couples rent a cottage for the summer, they hope to discover a fun haunting. But the haunting they dig up is more tragic than entertaining.
-The Shadow by Edith Nesbit--A group of young girls tell ghost stories at night after a Christmas dance and invite the stern housekeeper to join them. She tells of a mysterious shadow that haunted the home of her best friend and former lover.
-Kerfol by Edith Wharton--At the behest of friends, a young man visits the castle Kerfol which he is considering buying. But to his surprise he finds not a living soul on the estate to greet him, just half a dozen strange dogs.
-Unseen-Unfeared by Francis Stevens--In this almost Lovecraftian tale, man stumbles across an exhibit, where a scientist uses a special filter to reveal invisible creatures that surround us and seem to emanate from negative thoughts.
-Hodge by Elinor Mordaunt--A pair of siblings discover a prehistoric forest preserved and hidden in the marsh, but some things are meant to stay in the past.
-There Their Fire Is Not Quenched by May Sinclair--Harriott's bad luck in love leads her to engage in an ill-considered affair. But even after they end their relationship, she learns that she cannot escape her sins.
-The Haunted Saucepan by Margery Lawrence--When a rents a fully-furnished apartment, he finds that it comes with its own ghost ... in the form of a haunted saucepan! It's an impressive enough feat to turn a mundane kitchen utensil into something terrifying, but even more thought-provoking is the commentary it suggests on gender and domesticity.
-The Twelve Apostles by Eleanor Scott--An American man moving to England seeks out an estate with a genuine ghost. But he gets more than he bargained for when it turns out his new home used to house a Satanic priest.
-The Book by Margaret Irwin--Mr. Corbett is searching for something new to read when he stumbles upon a mysterious tome that seems to contain accounts of evil and devil-worship. He becomes increasingly obsessed with the book, even as terrifying instructions begin appearing on its formerly blank pages.
-Couching at the Door by D K Broster--A hedonistic author is haunted by a terrible sin in the form of a sentient fur boa. In order to free himself, he must pass the sin on to someone else...
-With and Without Buttons by Mary Butts--Two sisters decide to fabricate a haunting for their obnoxiously rational neighbor by planting old gloves and weaving a story around them. But their antics seem to stir up a genuine ghost whose story closely matches the one they've made up.
sarapocher98's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
A nice collection of "weird" (dark, mysterious, and fantastical) short stories written by women at the turn of the 20th century. Like any collection, the quality of the stories varies, but the book includes some really interesting pieces.
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