A review by ioanabogdan
Stories of Ourselves: The University of Cambridge International Examinations Anthology of Stories in English by University of Cambridge

4.0

This book has been required reading for my A level studies in literature. I absolutely loved them. Great selection of very culturally diverse stories with lots to say about them. The stories in these book landed me an A on my AS studies becuase they were so enjoyable. Even if i had only 12 to read for my exams i quickly read more of the ones that interested me. Notable mentions are 'The signalman', 'the yellow wallpaper' 'the lady in the looking glass', 'meteor', 'the lemon orchard' and the two stories named 'Journey'. These highlight topics about feminism, the industrial revolution and the gothic victorian era, reflection of identity, racism and the apartheid in South Africa, and the Maori connection to land. For all the A level students going to start reading this: please read these stories with an open mind, they have so much to say and teach you, they are powerful and they are perfect for an A* analysis. All you have to do is not fall into the 'oh my god this is required reading, i hate required reading', like plenty of other reviewers here. If you truly did not enjoy studying these stories then maybe you shouldn't have taken literature as an A level. Goodluck on your studies!