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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 against another edition
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.
wilde_read's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I found some selections "unreadable", but overall it was a good book to have on my lunch breaks.
brutusbloch's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.75
It took a month for me to read this book. In other words it put me in a reading slump. Def. some good stories in there though
sapphirelain's review against another edition
The most vapid short story I’ve ever read. If that’s the one they chose for the beginning I can’t even imagine the rest
librophil's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
4.0
ariena's review
1.0
Ich habe mich dazu entschieden, das Buch abzubrechen. Es lag jetzt schon eine ganze Weile in meinem Regal, ohne dass ich es angefasst hätte und als ich es heute nochmal versuchen wollte, ist mir wieder aufgefallen, wie sehr es mich langweilt.
Bisher habe ich 5 Geschichte der 50 "great" short stories gelesen, und entweder bin ich zu dumm oder die Geschichten sind wirklich nicht gut. Es gibt meistens keine wirkliche Handlung oder ich verstehe die message hinter der Geschichte nicht.
Ich weiß nicht, ich bin größtenteils verwirrt, wie so viele Menschen dieses Buch gut finden. Ich glaube wirklich es liegt an mir. Falls ich nochmal die Lust verspüren sollte, weiterzulesen und es mir dann besser gefallen wird, werde ich vielleicht meine Rezension aktualisieren. Wir werden sehen.
Bisher habe ich 5 Geschichte der 50 "great" short stories gelesen, und entweder bin ich zu dumm oder die Geschichten sind wirklich nicht gut. Es gibt meistens keine wirkliche Handlung oder ich verstehe die message hinter der Geschichte nicht.
Ich weiß nicht, ich bin größtenteils verwirrt, wie so viele Menschen dieses Buch gut finden. Ich glaube wirklich es liegt an mir. Falls ich nochmal die Lust verspüren sollte, weiterzulesen und es mir dann besser gefallen wird, werde ich vielleicht meine Rezension aktualisieren. Wir werden sehen.
evipefi's review
3.0
3,5
I really enjoyed a couple of the stories, those where you keep thinking afterwards and feel delighted or where there was a surprising turning point. But I didn't really like most of the chosen stories, especially the rigmaroles with more than 20 pages. Only few of them were worth the reading.
I really enjoyed a couple of the stories, those where you keep thinking afterwards and feel delighted or where there was a surprising turning point. But I didn't really like most of the chosen stories, especially the rigmaroles with more than 20 pages. Only few of them were worth the reading.