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adrinthesky's review
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
lelandbuck's review against another edition
3.0
A few good stories in this collection, but overall this collection seems dated.
jimmacsyr's review against another edition
2.0
Finally....finished....this....book!
Short review
As others stated, some good stories, but many are really uninteresting. Even stories, from authors I knew, were nowhere near their better work. Not sure what criteria was used to make this selection, but almost all lack that end of story twist that I look forward to in short stories.
Long review
I picked up this book in a thrift sale. Clearly a used book, it started coming apart as I read it. I should have stopped reading this book a long time ago, but kept going. Part of my persistence was driven by the fact that each new story, by a different author, could begin the gems that made up the bulk of this book. Part was the knowledge that I will be the last person to read this book. Kept together by rubber bands, groups of pages breaking away as i turned past them, I brought it to appointments, whereupon the book drew comments, and I explained it’s short history with me. Abibliophobes seemed to get it, others gave me a “but he looked normal” glance. For that interaction, I will remember this book.
Short review
As others stated, some good stories, but many are really uninteresting. Even stories, from authors I knew, were nowhere near their better work. Not sure what criteria was used to make this selection, but almost all lack that end of story twist that I look forward to in short stories.
Long review
I picked up this book in a thrift sale. Clearly a used book, it started coming apart as I read it. I should have stopped reading this book a long time ago, but kept going. Part of my persistence was driven by the fact that each new story, by a different author, could begin the gems that made up the bulk of this book. Part was the knowledge that I will be the last person to read this book. Kept together by rubber bands, groups of pages breaking away as i turned past them, I brought it to appointments, whereupon the book drew comments, and I explained it’s short history with me. Abibliophobes seemed to get it, others gave me a “but he looked normal” glance. For that interaction, I will remember this book.
ryanneliza's review against another edition
2.0
This was so boring I skipped some stories and didn’t finish others. It took me several months to even do that!
tawallah's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shieldbearer's review
Gave it to someone on the bus. Will attempt another reread if I find another copy
svenja1603's review against another edition
1.0
One star is probably a bit too harsh but I have this book on my bookshelf since I bought it in 2017 and when I first started reading it then I was shocked because it didn’t meet my expectations at all. I expected short stories filled with suspense and drama that I would fly through. That’s not what this book is for me at all. I stopped reading after about three stories in and always felt bad about not finishing it. That’s why a few months back I decided since I’m in a pretty good reading rhythm right now, to finally finish this book.
My goal (to at least motivate me a bit) was to finish 2-3 stories after a finished other book. And that’s how I got through this one.
I’m outing myself as an uncultured individual here but I didn’t enjoy most of the short stories. I in fact noted down when I enjoyed a story and there were exactly 7 stories I found entertaining. From 50…which means I enjoyed about 14% of the book which makes my 1/5 rating actually kinda generous…;-)
It’s okay if that makes me ‚too dumb to GET the other stories‘, I’m just being honest here…and I’m just super glad I passed this challenge for myself.
My goal (to at least motivate me a bit) was to finish 2-3 stories after a finished other book. And that’s how I got through this one.
I’m outing myself as an uncultured individual here but I didn’t enjoy most of the short stories. I in fact noted down when I enjoyed a story and there were exactly 7 stories I found entertaining. From 50…which means I enjoyed about 14% of the book which makes my 1/5 rating actually kinda generous…;-)
It’s okay if that makes me ‚too dumb to GET the other stories‘, I’m just being honest here…and I’m just super glad I passed this challenge for myself.
tomhill's review against another edition
3.0
I would be interested to know more about how these stories were selected. The edition of the book I read was published in 1985. While all of the stories predate 1985 by many years, it is interesting to see what was regarded, at least by Milton Crane as "great" at this time. I'm a fan of short stories, at least I think I am, but most of these were just "fine" or "pretty good." Were they just the stories the publisher could get their hands on? At times I actually thought "what is the point? Why does this exist?" And I don't like to be so dismissive! And yes, I believe every story was written by a white person, mainly men. A collection published today would (hopefully) have better representation. There are six that I thought were great, five star stories:
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson-- Obviously a classic, filled with tension, a disturbing conceit, a great final line, and a deeper (if somewhat obvious) meaning.
"A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor-- A classic of southern gothic fiction, also tension-filled and quite disturbing with a Catholic subtext. I guess it's not for everyone, but I think it's one of the best short stories ever.
"The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck-- It's a heart-rending story about the pain that sometimes comes with making oneself vulnerable.
"How Beautiful With Shoes" by Wilbur Daniel Steele-- This was a revelation. Beautifully written, a bit scary, and genuinely moving.
"The Catbird Seat" by James Thurber-- It's just really funny. Somewhat dark, but it doesn't go where you think it will. Probably anyone who has ever worked with other people will relate on some level.
"The Death of a Bachelor" by Arthur Schnitzler-- Maybe a bit old-fashioned, although not the oldest story in the collection by a long shot. At least it feels that way at first, until the big reveal. The most beautiful and moving writing in the story comes after this big reveal, as the men at the center of the story recall and imagine their wives.
THE REST:
The Garden Party—Katherine Mansfield ***
The Three-Day Blow—Ernest Hemingway ***
The Standard of Living—Dorothy Parker ***
The Saint—V.S. Pritchett ****
The Other Side of the Hedge—E. M. Forster **
Brooksmith—Henry James ***
The Jockey—Carson McCullers ***
The Courting of Dinah Shadd—Rudyard Kipling ***
The Shot—Alexander Poushkin ***
Graven Image—John O'Hara ***
Putois—Anatole France ***
Only the Dead Know Brooklyn—Thomas Wolfe ***
A.V. Laider—Max Beerbohm ****
The Masque of the Red Death—Edgar Allan Poe
Looking Back—Guy de Maupassant ***
The Man Higher Up—O. Henry ****
The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse—William Saroyan ***
The Other Two—Edith Wharton ****
Theft—Katherine Anne Porter ***
The Man of the House—Frank O'Connor ***
The Man Who Shot Snapping Turtles—Edmund Wilson ***
The Gioconda Smile—Aldous Huxley ****
The Curfew Tolls—Stephen Vincent Benét ***
Father Wakes Up the Village—Clarence Day ***
Ivy Day in the Committee Room—James Joyce ***
The Door—E. B. White **
An Upheaval—Anton Chekhov ****
A Haunted House—Virginia Woolf ***
The Schartz-Metterklume Method—H.H. Munro ****
The Apostate—George Milburn ***
The Phoenix—Sylvia Townsend Warner **
The Evening Sun—William Faulkner **
The Law—Robert M. Coates *
The Tale—Joseph Conrad ***
A Girl from Red Lion, P.A.—H.L. Mencken ***
Main Currents of American Thought—Irwin Shaw ***
The Ghosts—Lord Dunsany ***
The Minister's Black Veil—Nathaniel Hawthorne ***
A String of Beads—W. Somerset Maugham ***
The Golden Honeymoon—Ring Lardner ***
The Man Who Could Work Miracles—H.G. Wells ***
The Foreigner—Francis Steegmuller ***
Thrawn Janet—Robert Louis Stevenson ***
The Chaser—John Collier **
"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson-- Obviously a classic, filled with tension, a disturbing conceit, a great final line, and a deeper (if somewhat obvious) meaning.
"A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor-- A classic of southern gothic fiction, also tension-filled and quite disturbing with a Catholic subtext. I guess it's not for everyone, but I think it's one of the best short stories ever.
"The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck-- It's a heart-rending story about the pain that sometimes comes with making oneself vulnerable.
"How Beautiful With Shoes" by Wilbur Daniel Steele-- This was a revelation. Beautifully written, a bit scary, and genuinely moving.
"The Catbird Seat" by James Thurber-- It's just really funny. Somewhat dark, but it doesn't go where you think it will. Probably anyone who has ever worked with other people will relate on some level.
"The Death of a Bachelor" by Arthur Schnitzler-- Maybe a bit old-fashioned, although not the oldest story in the collection by a long shot. At least it feels that way at first, until the big reveal. The most beautiful and moving writing in the story comes after this big reveal, as the men at the center of the story recall and imagine their wives.
THE REST:
The Garden Party—Katherine Mansfield ***
The Three-Day Blow—Ernest Hemingway ***
The Standard of Living—Dorothy Parker ***
The Saint—V.S. Pritchett ****
The Other Side of the Hedge—E. M. Forster **
Brooksmith—Henry James ***
The Jockey—Carson McCullers ***
The Courting of Dinah Shadd—Rudyard Kipling ***
The Shot—Alexander Poushkin ***
Graven Image—John O'Hara ***
Putois—Anatole France ***
Only the Dead Know Brooklyn—Thomas Wolfe ***
A.V. Laider—Max Beerbohm ****
The Masque of the Red Death—Edgar Allan Poe
Looking Back—Guy de Maupassant ***
The Man Higher Up—O. Henry ****
The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse—William Saroyan ***
The Other Two—Edith Wharton ****
Theft—Katherine Anne Porter ***
The Man of the House—Frank O'Connor ***
The Man Who Shot Snapping Turtles—Edmund Wilson ***
The Gioconda Smile—Aldous Huxley ****
The Curfew Tolls—Stephen Vincent Benét ***
Father Wakes Up the Village—Clarence Day ***
Ivy Day in the Committee Room—James Joyce ***
The Door—E. B. White **
An Upheaval—Anton Chekhov ****
A Haunted House—Virginia Woolf ***
The Schartz-Metterklume Method—H.H. Munro ****
The Apostate—George Milburn ***
The Phoenix—Sylvia Townsend Warner **
The Evening Sun—William Faulkner **
The Law—Robert M. Coates *
The Tale—Joseph Conrad ***
A Girl from Red Lion, P.A.—H.L. Mencken ***
Main Currents of American Thought—Irwin Shaw ***
The Ghosts—Lord Dunsany ***
The Minister's Black Veil—Nathaniel Hawthorne ***
A String of Beads—W. Somerset Maugham ***
The Golden Honeymoon—Ring Lardner ***
The Man Who Could Work Miracles—H.G. Wells ***
The Foreigner—Francis Steegmuller ***
Thrawn Janet—Robert Louis Stevenson ***
The Chaser—John Collier **
shanviolinlove's review
4.0
Some of these stories were truly "great." I will be forever indebted to Milton Crane for introducing me to the expansive imaginations of Thomas Wolfe, John Collier, and Shirley Jackson, and for re-visiting old favorites like E.M. Forster and Alexander Pushkin.
This was the first book I purchased as a married woman. It has traveled with me to three different states and two different countries. I almost regretted finishing it, but I'll be happy to return to any given story some slow afternoon and just dive into Maupassant, Poe, or Woolf.
This was the first book I purchased as a married woman. It has traveled with me to three different states and two different countries. I almost regretted finishing it, but I'll be happy to return to any given story some slow afternoon and just dive into Maupassant, Poe, or Woolf.