You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
When you truly live your life, you have to learn to accept and maybe expect the rare and unexpected surprises that might be in store for you. These unanticipated wonders often bring about a lot of joy in our lives and sometimes also have the capacity of teaching us a gentle yet important lesson. My surprise for the day was this small little book, a set of short stories written by Oscar Wilde and believe me I was simply floored by the simplicity as well as the complexity there was in these tales.
Being bored with all my current reads and totally tired after a hard morning at house cleaning, I decided to simply peruse my Kindle for some nice book or story to read. Mind you, I wasn’t in the mood for anything serious. Having just reviewed Wilde’s Dorian Gray, I decided to check his complete collection for some more such interesting tales and stumbled upon this book of short stories, which captivated me like no other book or tale and I was smiling and back into reading again. A little later when I saw that my enthusiasm to share my updates in GR was strong (and they usually are when I read something nice), I found that a dear friend of mine, someone who has become quite close to me in a very short time, had recommended this book, albeit indirectly. So I was doubly excited and resumed my reading.
That Wilde is a fantastic writer is a well known fact but that he could write something for children, a tale which would be suited for all ages, is something that surprised me and obviously delighted me. This short collection has about 5 tales in it and each of them were delightful and with a moral to boot. What makes this anthology special is the fact that it is not in a preaching format but there is a slight tongue in cheek manner, which brought a delectable flavor; something that most moralistic tales don’t have these days, especially the adult ones.
Each tale in this compilation was different but there was a strong lesson that could be seen in all. This was the lesson of love and friendship, how it differs in every scenario and what exactly is true love or devoted friendship. The lessons taught in these stories were of good and bad, bad might not be necessarily evil but more of the selfish kind, it talked of selflessness and how true love redeems everything in the end. All the stories were well written and I loved them all but if I had to pinpoint a single story that moved me the most, it was The Nightingale and the Rose, a truly remarkable tale, something that gives you the sky in terms of learning without taking away a bit of your enjoyment.
This book is highly recommended for everyone.
PS - Fatty, you are the best! :D
Being bored with all my current reads and totally tired after a hard morning at house cleaning, I decided to simply peruse my Kindle for some nice book or story to read. Mind you, I wasn’t in the mood for anything serious. Having just reviewed Wilde’s Dorian Gray, I decided to check his complete collection for some more such interesting tales and stumbled upon this book of short stories, which captivated me like no other book or tale and I was smiling and back into reading again. A little later when I saw that my enthusiasm to share my updates in GR was strong (and they usually are when I read something nice), I found that a dear friend of mine, someone who has become quite close to me in a very short time, had recommended this book, albeit indirectly. So I was doubly excited and resumed my reading.
That Wilde is a fantastic writer is a well known fact but that he could write something for children, a tale which would be suited for all ages, is something that surprised me and obviously delighted me. This short collection has about 5 tales in it and each of them were delightful and with a moral to boot. What makes this anthology special is the fact that it is not in a preaching format but there is a slight tongue in cheek manner, which brought a delectable flavor; something that most moralistic tales don’t have these days, especially the adult ones.
Each tale in this compilation was different but there was a strong lesson that could be seen in all. This was the lesson of love and friendship, how it differs in every scenario and what exactly is true love or devoted friendship. The lessons taught in these stories were of good and bad, bad might not be necessarily evil but more of the selfish kind, it talked of selflessness and how true love redeems everything in the end. All the stories were well written and I loved them all but if I had to pinpoint a single story that moved me the most, it was The Nightingale and the Rose, a truly remarkable tale, something that gives you the sky in terms of learning without taking away a bit of your enjoyment.
This book is highly recommended for everyone.
PS - Fatty, you are the best! :D
Wanted it mainly for the Happy Prince, which is beautiful. I always thought it was a classic fairy tale, and knowing that it was by Wilde romanticized it a bit. All the stories address the duplicity of human nature, from hypocrisy to vanity, from ignorance to pretention, which is nice, though frustrating at times, because none of them have happy endings, which serve as a reminder for further thought, because life never ends at the end of any fairy tale. Cinderella's prince still had to rule a kingdom and Snow White's kids still had to go through puberty. Wilde concludes each tale heavily; justice is never served, the world continues without moral reformation and the reader is left with a heart weighed with truth.
Bittersweet.
Bittersweet.
"There's something in these fairy tales that reminds me why any of us would want to be readers and writers in the first place, and that is that, the more amazing the stories become, the more I believe them, and the more I realize that I won't forget them." Marcus Zuzack
Well, these are some nice little stories with Wilde's characteristic beautiful writing and wit. I particularly liked the devoted friend and the remarkable rocket but didn't really care for the other two. Would recommend to Wilde fans :)
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not to be read to children, unless they have no morals.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-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