Reviews

Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter

sonjbean's review against another edition

4.0

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

imyerhero's review against another edition

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.

quirpele's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jaredpence's review against another edition

4.0

"Pale Horse, Pale Rider" is a fantastic short story/novella. Everyone should read it and think about the COVID pandemic.

nickyandrews's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

bulkington's review against another edition

Coincidentally topical

nitsabean's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

I imagine had Anne of Green Gables taken place half a century later, this is what she and her friends would have considered romantic. 

beccamac's review against another edition

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

hpuphd's review against another edition

4.0

Three short novels, all good, but Noon Wine, like an ancient tragedy set at a Texas dairy farm, stands out most.

laura_reads_stuff's review against another edition

4.0

"Don't you love being alive?" asked Miranda. "Don't you love weather and the colors at different times of the day, and all the sounds and noises like children screaming in the next lot, and the automobile horns and little bands playing in the street and the sound of food cooking?"

It's always good when I enjoy reading something I'm studying. What a great short story. I refer only to the title piece "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" in this review, although I'm keen to try some of Katherine Anne Porter's other short stories having enjoyed this one.

Dreams, illness, a backdrop of war and the pain of love with the fear of time running out... A solid and enjoyable 4 stars.