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janinevduijn's review against another edition
3.0
A collection of stories narrating a captivating moment in the character's lives. I loved how well it described the depth of feelings in each situation and masterfully crafted what it's like to feel a whole range of emotions - sadness, love, heartbreak, happiness, melancholy, despair.
jonny_buijze's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
notamegamouthsharknosir's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nlgeorge73's review against another edition
4.0
Incredible depth and characterizations of these short stories. In my opinion, the best ones include At the Bay, The Garden Party, Marriage a la Mode, The Voyage, and An Ideal Family. There were a few that lacked the strength of those listed, otherwise this would have been a 5-star rating.
What a shame this was removed from the Peter Boxall's 1001 Books to Read Before You Die after the original 2006 edition. Katherine Mansfield deserves recognition appropriate to other short story writers such as Samuel Beckett and Flannery O'Connor.
What a shame this was removed from the Peter Boxall's 1001 Books to Read Before You Die after the original 2006 edition. Katherine Mansfield deserves recognition appropriate to other short story writers such as Samuel Beckett and Flannery O'Connor.
lemon_y's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
cwscott27's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
casparb's review
! Splendid work I've been warm to Katherine Mansfield since that charming moment she decided T.S. Eliot was 'attractive yet pathetic'. I think there's a familiar ring to these stories for most people that Early Modernist posture within the upper-middle classes but I think like Woolf and Djuna Barnes, KM manages to posit her authorial voice as just askew - it doesn't feel one gazes the navel.
Perhaps its the sometime vicious attitude to men (and justly postured much agreed) - the overawing melancholy? Her feminism does appear quite sophisticated for the era: both sympathetic and critical, a surprising class-consciousness built in. My general feeling is that Mansfield excels at endings. This is where all of her tales do their work & it does feel in a few of the weaker ones that they exist purely to carry one to the final paragraph.
Enjoyed what appeared to be a critical re-interpretation of Jane Austen. The Garden Party itself wonderful & very Chekhov. There are weaker stories here but none too egregious & it feels impressively cohesive well done Katherine xxx
Perhaps its the sometime vicious attitude to men (and justly postured much agreed) - the overawing melancholy? Her feminism does appear quite sophisticated for the era: both sympathetic and critical, a surprising class-consciousness built in. My general feeling is that Mansfield excels at endings. This is where all of her tales do their work & it does feel in a few of the weaker ones that they exist purely to carry one to the final paragraph.
Enjoyed what appeared to be a critical re-interpretation of Jane Austen. The Garden Party itself wonderful & very Chekhov. There are weaker stories here but none too egregious & it feels impressively cohesive well done Katherine xxx
karinlib's review against another edition
4.0
I was really quite surprised how quickly I was able to read these stories.
queen_perfection's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25