Showing posts with label Short Story Read in 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Short Story Read in 2011. Show all posts

Monday, December 26, 2011

Désirée’s Baby by Kate Chopin


Back in October, Read Handed reviewed this short.  Of course, being the classics author lover that I am, I had to read it as well. 

It is a bit different than what I have read by Kate Chopin.  She usually deals with women's rights and women's issues, which this short had but it focused more on race relations and slavery more so.

Désirée was abandoned in Louisiana and adopted by the Valmondé .  No one knows anything about her biological parents.  She is adored and well taken care of.  Then she gets lucky in love and marries Armond, from one of the wealthiest families in town and he treats her like a queen.  He use to treat his slaves poorly but softens when their son is born.  He is a beautiful baby.

Then one day, out of the blue Armond changes again.  He is really mean to the slaves and doesn't give Désirée the time of day, in fact he avoids her.  One day she finally notices that the baby's features have changed.  She tracks Armond down to talk to him about it.  
"look at our child. What does it mean? tell me."
He coldly but gently loosened her fingers from about his arm and thrust the hand away from him.
"Tell me what it means!" she cried despairingly.
"It means," he answered lightly, "that the child is not white.."
Armond wants her to leave with the child so she goes back to her adopted mother but the story does not end here.  You will have to read it to find out what happens.

This is a well written piece by Kate Chopin that makes the reader think about race and slavery.  Highly recommended.  You can read it here.

 Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:22 PM 5 comments  

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Monday, December 19, 2011

The Cat by Sarah Selecky


Back in July, Emeire brought my attention to a challenge to 5 authors in the Walrus.  Each author was asked to make a list of 5 guidelines to write a short story or poem.  The lists were then traded and each author had to write a short story or poem according to the list of 5 guidelines received.  Three of the authors wrote short stories.

In August, I reviewed one of the stories, Madame Poirier's Dog by Kathleen Winter. 
Now I have read the second story.
 
 The guidelines for Sarah Selecky's story were written by Kathleen Winter.  One of the guidelines was “The story should have at least one paragraph that contains something the author personally finds subversive and hilarious.”   Selecky certainly achieved that for me!

The narrator's father was reincarnated into a cat that lives with her.  

She start's by saying, " I am not at all surprised that my father has come back to earth in the form of a grey and white cat. It suits him. Though I do feel uncomfortable when I look into his yellow-green eyes. Those aren’t my father’s eyes — my father had blue eyes, with no yellow in them at all. Have you ever looked into a cat’s eyes and seen anything human? No. A cat has eyes like a hawk’s, or like a lizard’s. My father is no different: he has the eyes of a predator. His pupils grow large and black when he wants to bite."

She goes on to describe how he use to love birds but now he liked to hunt them and how she plays with him as a cat.  She has many childhood memories of him as a human, like when she caught her first fish.

This is a fun story that cat lovers will especially enjoy.  Highly recommended!  You can read it here.

 Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.




Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:24 PM 0 comments  

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Monday, December 12, 2011

Bliss by Katherine Mansfield


Earlier this year, I review two stories by Katherine Mansfield, The Fly and The Doll's House.  I gave both much praise and a high recommendation.  Then I came across Bliss and saved it to review in the future.  I wondered if Mansfield would become a favorite classic author of mine or if Bliss would disappoint.

The answer, Mansfield has become a favorite.

At thirty years old, Bertha Young was so happy with her life, blissfully happy.  She was walking home thinking to herself that she would like to show how bliss she was but the conventions of polite society forbid that, especially from a woman.

She had a lot to be blissful about, she had a husband she adored, a small daughter, a beautiful home, and an exquisite garden.  She especially loves the pear tree.  

When she arrived home she arranged the fruit that was to be at the party she was hosting that evening.  She then went to the nursary to see her daughter.  The nanny was in the middle of feeding the girl but Bertha asked to take over.  The nanny was happy about it but relented and went to tend a couple of things. 

Bertha thought to herself, " How absurd it was. Why have a baby if it has to be kept - not in a case like a rare, rare fiddle - but in another woman's arms?"

The dinner party that evening went well and after dinner she shares a moment with her new friend, Miss Fulton.  The both stare at the garden and the pear tree.  However, Bertha's husband made it fairly clear in his actions that he didn't care for her new friend much.   She planned to speak to him about it later.  However, as the guest were leaving Bertha heard something between her husband and two guests.  The story ended there but I imagine that it made Bertha question if she would be as blissful in the future.

Mansfield's writing is exquisite.   She unfolds her stories like pulling pedals from a flower, one at a time until she reveals what is really happening.  This is another highly recomended Katherine Mansfield story!

Also Reviewed by:
Lakeside Musing

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 9:21 PM 4 comments  

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Monday, December 5, 2011

A Wagner Matinée by Willa Cather

 
I was away visiting my mom with very limited internet access, alas no short story reviews during that time.  I'm glad to be back.

Margot of Joyfully Retired reviewed A Wagner Matinée  back in August and being the classics fan that I am, I had to read it as well.

Clark was from Nebraska but studying in Boston.  He got a letter from his uncle telling him that his Aunt Georgina is coming to Boston to settle an estate.  As a young woman, Georgina had an accomplished music teacher at the Boston Conservatory.  However she met a Nebraska homesteader and married him, ending her career.  

Clark arranged to take his aunt to a Wagner concert.  She had been so kind and a great influence on him as a child, he wanted to treat her to something special.  It had been quite a long time since Georgina had beeen to a musical concert and her reaction want quite what Clark expected.

It becomes quite clear in the story that Georgina has regrets.  You will have to read the story to find out more.  You can read it here.

I loved the way Cather displayed Georgina's regret.  It wasn't spelled out but you can glean from Georgina's reaction to the music, her feelings.  It was beautifully done.  I have several of Cather's novels in my TBR and this short story has me wanting to read more.

Did you review this short story?  Please leave your link in the comments.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set. 

Posted by Teddy Rose at 8:58 PM 3 comments  

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Monday, November 14, 2011

The Ballad of the Great Yukon Puke On by Noodleepoodlee

I can't for the life of me remember how this story came to my attention.  It was written on the noodleepoodlee website, which I had never heard of.  If you brought it to my attention, I would love to give you credit.

The sub-title to this story is "Special Correspondent’s Report Hobo Joe Goes Rogue: Off the Bus, On the Wagon and Hitting the Highway"

Let me start off by saying that this is a strange story.  Not that that's bad, in fact it was just so different, that it was refreshing.

Here is how it starts out: "Call me Hobo Joe. Yeah, I know… another Joe; it’s one of the few names Mrs. Palin can remember. Like Joe O’Biden … or Joe Arpaio or Joe Miller. Until recently, I was Joseph Campbell Sales, history advisor and image consultant (i.e. handler of opposition research, subtle pressure, veiled threats, rumor and innuendo), one of many clowns riding sidecar in the Palinpalooza Traveling Road Show and Political Action Circus’ motorcycle fleet."

Joe met Noodleepoodlee in a bar along with some other people.  They got quite intoxicated and when the bar closed went to Noodlepoodle's place to eat and sleep.  They next day they all continued the party but they also developed a cover operational plan that Joe doesn't quite remember following through on.   He does remember waking up in a jail cell and being fired, it sounds like it was Sara Palin, herself.  

Joe goes on to tell us what happened and the results are pretty funny. I can't help wonder if this story has any basis of truth to the events described.  You will have to read it for yourself, to see what happens.  I would love to know your thoughts on it.  You can read it here.  

The Ballad of the Great Yukon Puke On seems to be a series on noodleepoodlee.

 Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set. 

Posted by Teddy Rose at 6:25 PM 5 comments  

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Sunday, November 6, 2011

Twelve Strangers in the Night by Elizabeth M. Bisgood

Back in August, Twelve Strangers in the Night was The Library of America Story of the Week.  Read Handed reviewed it back in August and now I finally got to it last night.   

Elizabeth M. Bisgood wrote this in 1933 when air travels was still in it's infancy.  I makes for great comparison to how far it has come since then.

The plane she described was a 12 single seat plane. Iit was 12 isle seats with windows.  That too me would have been great.  I like to look out the window bit I usually ask for an isle seat because I have to get up a lot and don't like crawling over people.  LOL!  However, if you were traveling with someone you could not sit together.  

The plane was so noisy that it made having a conversation pretty impossible.  In fact, most of the passangers wore cotton in their ears.  One passenger yelled to Ms. Bisgood asking if she minded if he smokes.  She didn't mind, in fact, she had one too.  I remember clearly when there were smoking sections on air planes.  It didn't matter how far you were seated from the smoking section because the entire plane reeked!  I always had to take a shower and wash the clothes I had been wearing as soon as possible.

The plane rode a lot lower to the ground than we do now, which made for a bumpy ride.  They started out in California and a cross country flight took two days.  They made a lot of stops.  Ms. Bisgood didn't explain why but I am guessing they had to re-fuel a lot.  She also did not say if there was a bathroom on board, my first question.  LOL!

Ms. Bisgood explained about how she felt sitting apart from the other passanger, yet feeling united with them because of the experience.  Even for the passengers who had been on a flight before didn't know quite what they would experience.  Fear seemed to be quite common.
"The man across the way is rigid with fear. Any course seems terrifying to him. As we dive up into the soft mass of cloud he looks at me, shakes his head, and closes his eyes. Now that we are in the cloud all sense of motion is stopped. We seem to be suspended in a universe of cotton wool. Perhaps we are a toy aeroplane filled with stiff figures and packed in cotton for shipping."
"The fate and the fear of any one of us is the fate and the fear of the other eleven."
I really enjoyed reading Ms. Bisgood's flight experience from 1933.  It made me realize how far we have come.  However, it seems there was one other thing that was better back then besides having a single seat, she described the food as "very good".  I don't remember ever having a good meal on a plane and now, you usually don't get anything in economy class except a beverage and a small package of chips, pretzels, or peanuts.  I do remember getting free alcoholic beverages way back when, including free champagne.

Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set. 





Posted by Teddy Rose at 11:30 PM 9 comments  

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Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Apostate by Jack London


I came across this short story by Jack London awhile ago and finally got around to reading it.  I have a faint recollection of someone reading The Call of the Wild to me but I'm not sure.  It is a book on my TBR.

There are no dogs in The Apostate but it is a good social commentary on child labor.

Johnny is just 12 years old when the story opens.  He is working in a factory to help support his mother and siblings.  His mother works in a factory as well, in fact it was twelve years ago the she gave birth to Johnny on a factory floor.
"It was Johnny, born with the pounding, crashing roar of the looms in his ears, drawing with his first breath the warm, moist air that was thick with flying lint. He had coughed that first day in order to rid his lungs of the lint; and for the same reason he had coughed ever since."
Johnny is a very hard worker and he get promoted to other tasks the earn more money.  He does best with tasks that pay per piece because he is very fast, almost like a machine, himself.  
There were childhood labor laws in place by this time but Johnny was taught to lie and the factories ignored the fact that many of there workers were under age.  When his brother Will turned 12, Johnny asked his mother why Will couldn't work for awhile so he could go to school but she refused and said he was too young.  Johnny knew that she actually had plans for Will to stay in school so he could get a better job.
One day Johnny...
Yeah, you'll have to read the story to knows what happens.  Like I said, it is a good social commentary of the days back in the U.S. when children worked in factories.  It's well written and engaging.  From the descriptions of the tasks that Johnny did, I felt like I was a child working along side him.  You can read it here.
Did you review this story or another by Jack London?  If so, please leave the link in the comments.
Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.




Posted by Teddy Rose at 11:16 PM 4 comments  

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Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Bet by Anton Chekhov

 
The banker threw a party and among the guests were intellectuals and journalists who were against the death penalty.  The banker claimed that the death penalty was more humane than life in prison.
"Which executioner is the more humane, he who kills you in a few minutes or he who drags the life out of you in the course of many years?"
A young lawyer of 25 years of age claimed that if he had a choice he would choose to live.
"To live anyhow is better than not at all."
The banker bet him 2 million dollars that he would not last in solitary confinement for 5 years.  The young lawyer took his bet but wagered that he could live 15 years in solitary confinement.  If he left the confinement even 2 minutes before the time was up, he would loose the bet and get nothing. 
"It was agreed that for fifteen years he should not be free to cross the threshold of the lodge, to see human beings, to hear the human voice, or to receive letters and newspapers. He was allowed to have a musical instrument and books, and was allowed to write letters, to drink wine, and to smoke."
The confinement started on November 14, 1885 at 12:00 noon.  Can you guess how it went?  You will have to read the story to find out.
The idea of spending almost all my time sitting around reading books without worrying about day to day troubles of the outside world would be appealing to me.  However, I wouldn't last very long without being able to go outside and not being able to socialize.  How about you?
I really enjoyed this story.  It is well written and thought provoking.  You can read it here.
Also reviewed by:
Red Handed
Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.


Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:50 PM 6 comments  

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Sunday, October 2, 2011

Chickens by William Lychack

Back in May I reviewed Stolpestad, from the short story collection by William Lychack titled, The Architect of Flowers. Today I am reviewing another story from that collection, Chickens.

Anna drove by a farm that had baby chicks for sale and decide to buy a box of them, they were only 2 for a dollar.  She figures that she has a big yard and it would be nice to have fresh eggs.  When her husband, Bob gets home, he thinks it's one of her impulsive ideas and they never work out.
Anna said, "Could always be worse, couldn’t it? I told him. I mean, I have been thinking a lot about milk lately. Found myself following an ice cream truck through town the other afternoon."
Nonetheless, Bob helps her build a coup for her new project. However, his prediction came true.
Anna narrates: Next morning became next week became end of June became a dozen and a half roosters, one hen, and a sharp shining hatchet in our future. What started as two dozen of my sweetest little whims all sunny and cartoon-cute — peep, peep — soon became a nightmare of roosters all mottled and nasty and mean.
She went to the library and checked out chicken cookbooks.  That night she made the rooster, Larry for dinner and called around to the Elks Club, the VFW, and theKnights of Columbus.  They all claimed Bob wasn't there and she ate Larry by herself.  He was tough and stringy.
She ended up eating a lot of the roosters herself.  She also got through her pregnancy mostly by herself and to top it all off, the one hen never produced one egg.  
You will have to read the story if you want to know the end.  It is a story about spending time alone and a relationship that needs work.  It is well written with a touch of humor and thought provoking. Though I don't believe in the eating of animals, this story works on many levels.  If found a link where you can read it for free, here.
Did you review this story?  Please leave the in the comments.
Short Story Monday is hosted by John at The Book Mine Set.

Posted by Teddy Rose at 10:01 PM 4 comments  

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