Reviews

I came here for pandemic fiction so perhaps it's my bias that made me like Pale Horse best. I wasn't expecting the perspective of the sick person and it's incredible. Old Mortality was my second favorite though and with its three sections, it had a short story collection vibe. Noon Wine was not for me, but I could appreciate that it was very well-written.

kristinana's review against another edition

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5.0

Came for the influenza, stayed for the phenomenal writing.

"Pale Horse, Pale Rider" is a beautifully-written story that many of us living through the current pandemic can empathize with: the abrupt change of situation, the shocking realization of illness and loss, the nostalgia for life prior to the illness. Porter's description of death and her character's sense of loss after her near-death experience is stunning.

"Old Mortality" is another beautiful story about a young woman learning how to be a woman in her time. The way that the family stories about the girl's tragic and beautiful aunt is woven into Miranda's own coming of age is truly poignant.

"Noon Wine" is extremely different from the other two stories. It almost reminded me of a Cohen Brothers film -- the mysterious, taciturn stranger; the farmer who is too big for his britches; the dangerous visitor; the dark humor combined with an unnerving obsession with a terrible split-second action. A truly impressive story. I always suspected the Cohens had read a lot of Flannery O'Connor, but now I wonder if they may have read some Katherine Anne Porter as well!

Overall, a wonderful set of stories from a criminally under-read author.

caroparr's review against another edition

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4.0

Three short novels (as she called them) that explore various states of mind. "Old Mortality" is the story of a charismatic young woman whose early death prompts her nieces to imagine what she was really like; "Noon Wine" is an astonishing story about a struggling farmer who takes in a silent Swede who turns the farm around before tragedy strikes; and the final story is why I picked up this book in the first place. Miranda is a very modern newspaper reporter in 1918 who meets up with a soldier who's headed for the front. The spectre of death hovers over both of them, Adam because the odds are that he will be killed in battle, Miranda because she comes down with influenza just as the Spanish flu pandemic is taking hold. The descriptions of her hallucinations, confused thinking, dreams and occasional returns to reality are gripping. Unforgettable.

sophronisba's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Three brilliantly crafted longish short stories, each dealing with death and memory in some way. Made me long to read more Porter.

katgand's review against another edition

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slow-paced

4.5

death and such! It really did take work to settle into, but worth it through and through

sonjbean's review against another edition

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4.0

4,5 stars! i'll be thinking about these stories for a long time to come.

imyerhero's review against another edition

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4.0

This book takes a little reading to understand what’s going on. I gathered by the title that it had something to do with death but the three different takes Porter has on it are magnificent. She looks at deaths that are from suicide, from accident and murder, and from illness and war. She uses these examinations to pose the age-old questions of who are we and where are we going and what does all this mean in relation to eternity. Overall, these stories are gorgeously and painfully written and wonderful to read.

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