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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Really liked the subtle/not so subtle bad-guys and women in the book, I also liked that it is a not so subtle critique of society, and that I picked it up on a while and that I liked it so much.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
My first time diving into any of Whipple's short stories and, let me tell you, this might be my all-time favorite short-story collection ever. All of them were just so well-written and so well-paced, from the shortest to the longest. As in her novels, she does such a beautiful job of capturing domestic life, especially its flaws, as well as portraying the way 20th-century society entrapped daughters, mothers, wives, governesses, and maiden aunts alike.
The Closed Door — ★★★★
The Rose — ★★★★
Youth — ★★★★
The Handbag — ★★★★
Family Crisis — ★★★★
After Tea — ★★★★
Wednesday — ★★★★
Summer Holiday — ★★★★
Saturday Afternoon — ★★★★★
Cover — ★★★★
Average rating comes out to 4.1, which rounds down to 4 stars.
The Closed Door — ★★★★
The Rose — ★★★★
Youth — ★★★★
The Handbag — ★★★★
Family Crisis — ★★★★
After Tea — ★★★★
Wednesday — ★★★★
Summer Holiday — ★★★★
Saturday Afternoon — ★★★★★
Cover — ★★★★
Average rating comes out to 4.1, which rounds down to 4 stars.
I'm not generally a short story fan but I found the entire batch surprisingly engaging.
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've known for a while now that Dorothy Whipple can make me love or hate a character within the course of a single page; now I know she can do it within a single paragraph or even, occasionally, one single sentence.
all about unhappy women finding their escapes… kinda loved it
Loved these short stories of 1930s/1940s..beautifully crafted stories about, largely, repressed and compliant daughters seeking a way out...Different solutions are reached. Hard to believe that this sort of family situation where daughters do as parents command, is so, relatively recent. Just love Dorothy Whipple...want to read more
I enjoyed all these stories but -- the one story that really moved me was "Wednesdays." This really resonated with me from personal experience. The jilted wife visiting her children (husbands always got custody in England before WW2.) Her sense of unreality and deep loss was just -- unspeakably powerful to me. Coincidentally, I have also written a poem called Wednesdays. This just rang so many bells for me. Excellent.