estherdb's review
4.0
Enjoyable reads. This collection of short stories is the first of Drabble's work I've read so far.
I particularly enjoyed the numerous stories set against the backdrop of the English countryside. Lovely descriptions, as if you're being transported to them yourself!
The stories itself were okay, I've read better short stories (I often felt the conclusion was a little predictable and simple), but they were by no means bad.
My favourites were "Hassan's Tower", "Crossing the Alps", "The Merry Widow", "The Dower House", "The Caves of God" and "Stepping Westard".
I particularly enjoyed the numerous stories set against the backdrop of the English countryside. Lovely descriptions, as if you're being transported to them yourself!
The stories itself were okay, I've read better short stories (I often felt the conclusion was a little predictable and simple), but they were by no means bad.
My favourites were "Hassan's Tower", "Crossing the Alps", "The Merry Widow", "The Dower House", "The Caves of God" and "Stepping Westard".
mickharp's review against another edition
2.0
Most of the short stories left on such a weirdly abrupt cliff hanger!! Which both delighted and disappointed me…so I can only give it 3 stars.
lola425's review against another edition
3.0
Good stories all around. If you are a feminist of a certain age, these will all appeal.
amyread_s's review
5.0
A passing recommendation from a friend to read Jerusalem the Golden, which I duly added to a list of books to get to, led me to notice Drabble's name on of an Oxfam bookshop shelf and pick this up. As I am a short story writer, and lover, I saw this collection and thought it must be fate. I'm inclined to think it was. In this collection of thirteen tales I was reminded of everything I love about short stories, and reminded of why I write. It is the celebration of 'ordinary' women, an insistence that there is no such thing as an ordinary woman, and that each and every one of us can be the subject of an entertaining adventure, if only one tells it right. Every single one of these short stories is begging to be told, and I'm so glad that they were.
elfs29's review
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Each of these stories entail a beautiful epiphany, a joy or discovery born from the normal lives of women. Truly a masterpiece in my opinion, as Drabble captures with her beautiful prose and characters imbued with love the real and therefore important facets of women's lives. I cannot recommend this enough.
owenatkinson's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
owlishbookish's review against another edition
4.0
Prior to spotting this book on Goodreads First Reads and entering into the giveaway that I eventually won, I had never heard of Margaret Drabble. That is a real shame, because she has such a collection of vivid short stories that are easy to relate to on a human level. I would have loved to read her work in my British literature courses when I was just starting out in my major. Sadly, I was only introduced to her writing this year.
Each story sets about examining a particular person. There are a wide array of protagonists, from a lonely man at a party to a jaded English literature teacher. Each one has a different view of the world, a different problem, a different joy, and a different sadness. Ranging from the year 1964 to the year 2000, the stories only progress in the amount of detail found within and the attention paid to the characters they concern.
I found that I enjoyed most of the stories and their protagonists, though there were a few that I just couldn't quite understand. I found that in the case of a story entitled “The Caves of God” left me unsure as to the motive of the protagonist, Hannah Elsevir, a Nobel prize-winning woman who becomes so obsessed with maintaining an unremarkable nature that she becomes obsessed with finding out the whereabouts of her ex-husband, Peter, who has had his name slandered in a recent diary publication. I couldn't quite understand how she transitioned from trying to take on a mousy appearance and marking his name off of public records to tracking him down in foreign countries. She did find peace with her findings, but it still struck me as very odd.
Perhaps my favorite story was “The Dower House at Kellynch: A Somerset Romance.” It was not at all what I expected when I first read the title. There was a greater depth to the story that I really enjoyed realizing. If you ever have the chance to read it for yourself, I recommend it. Figuring out what the “romance” actually referred to was a pleasant surprise and made for a thought-provoking read. The protagonist, Emma Watson, may be seen as a calculating sort of character when her motives are taken into account, but the reason behind her motives is a unique one that made her an even more interesting character.
Overall, I really enjoyed my introduction to Margaret Drabble. I have no regrets about entering the giveaway that allowed me the chance to read this collection. I honestly don't know if I would ever have come across them in another way.
Each story sets about examining a particular person. There are a wide array of protagonists, from a lonely man at a party to a jaded English literature teacher. Each one has a different view of the world, a different problem, a different joy, and a different sadness. Ranging from the year 1964 to the year 2000, the stories only progress in the amount of detail found within and the attention paid to the characters they concern.
I found that I enjoyed most of the stories and their protagonists, though there were a few that I just couldn't quite understand. I found that in the case of a story entitled “The Caves of God” left me unsure as to the motive of the protagonist, Hannah Elsevir, a Nobel prize-winning woman who becomes so obsessed with maintaining an unremarkable nature that she becomes obsessed with finding out the whereabouts of her ex-husband, Peter, who has had his name slandered in a recent diary publication. I couldn't quite understand how she transitioned from trying to take on a mousy appearance and marking his name off of public records to tracking him down in foreign countries. She did find peace with her findings, but it still struck me as very odd.
Perhaps my favorite story was “The Dower House at Kellynch: A Somerset Romance.” It was not at all what I expected when I first read the title. There was a greater depth to the story that I really enjoyed realizing. If you ever have the chance to read it for yourself, I recommend it. Figuring out what the “romance” actually referred to was a pleasant surprise and made for a thought-provoking read. The protagonist, Emma Watson, may be seen as a calculating sort of character when her motives are taken into account, but the reason behind her motives is a unique one that made her an even more interesting character.
Overall, I really enjoyed my introduction to Margaret Drabble. I have no regrets about entering the giveaway that allowed me the chance to read this collection. I honestly don't know if I would ever have come across them in another way.