Customer Reviews

Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter

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This book is perhaps the best written 500 pages bound in one place anywhere. Porter has a unique style of writing, that is hers alone. Her use of long, but salient and understandable sentences is terrific. Her use of simile and metaphor is almost unequaled. And her observational abilities and articulation of inner feelings makes her stand out as one of the best American writers of all time.

The book consists of 19 Short Stories/Long Stories/Short Novels and they are all extraordinary. In a shockingly well written story, she writes in "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" a description of going into a depressive pit, the likes of which I have never seen before, fact or fiction. Her style is so good, she leaves the reader guessing what is fact and what is fiction, in her fiction, with respect to her plot line in this very surreal story of a lady going into depression. Her characters are so intimately real life, as to make the reader feel they know them, almost personally. But what we readers know truly, is how wonderfully Porter expresses herself, and how incredible are her endings and beginnings, as well as wonderfully written middles.

No appreciator of American Literature should pass up the opportunity to read this book. In paperback, it is one of the true bargains in America today. For about 15 to 25 hours of extreme reading pleasure, this book fits the bill quite perfectly.

"The Grave," a story about a woman whose past is as close to her as her present, is an incredible story. Like Faulkner's brilliance, she understands that men and women cannot escape their pasts, and the actions and events of youth play an indelible role in adulthood. Sometimes that past is forgotten, but small items, such as the shape of a particular hard candy, trigger emotional and poignant memories in the protagontist. This story blows me away every time I read it, and triggers fond and sad, emotional and trivial - memories - of my own childhood.

Have you ever gone to an all-you-can-eat buffet and overdone it? Then left feeling stuffed but satisfied? This collection of the works of KAP is sort of like that-- you can really binge because there are so many stories, and they're all of high quality. You just want to fill your plate and "eat too much."

But you should really slow down, read some again and again. Maria Concepcion is a great tale of revenge and betrayal; "Virgin Violeta" a coming of age type story... "The Martyr" story about a famous painter (Diego Rivera type) who is in love..."Magic," "Rope," "He," "Theft"-- all of these are powerful looks into human relationships and are so well done that you really feel that you know the people that Porter describes.

Read it slowly, go back and savor the spices & intricate details of every story.

One of the reasons that I usually avoid short stories is because of the tidiness for which short story authors seem to strive. Katherine Anne Porter's stories are not cute. They are not clean. And they are not contrived. Rather, she allows her stories to live in a more sincere world, where life continues past the last page of a story and resolutions of the characters' maladies come after "The End," if ever.

This sincerity is the charm of her work. While much of what is written is sullen and brazen, Ms. Porter's communication to us is that there is life to be found before, during, and after the climax- and we must steer clear of false resolution or find no resolution at all.

Katherine Anne Porter should be required reading for any aspiring writer. She has the power and mastery of understatement of Hemingway along with the subtle depth readers rave about in Munro and she is often overlooked. This collection of short stories is dense, yet you cannot put it down until you have read every story. Her tales reveal complex lives and the darker sides of human nature flavored with abundant Mexican sights and sounds. The reader travels back in time without sepia tones! Required reading!

Porter is a great writer and these stories are well worth re-reading. She can be difficult but the effort put into understanding her message is rewarded. Perfect for someone looking for a group of great 'literary' short stories to enjoy.

When I read a K. Porter story, I go to bed thinking about it, and I wake up the next morning thinking about it. Stories like "He," "Flowering Judas," and "Noon Wine" make the reader think twice, then again, about his/her reaction to the story. In "Noon Wine," for example, a murder (or an accident, depending upon how you look at it) occurs on small Texas dairy farm. Porter masterfully lets us get inside the characters' minds and forces us to re-examine our feelings about emotion, anger, death, and love. "He" is a brilliant examination of the effect of a mentally impaired boy on his family (notably the mother). Porter's prose glides like a well-oiled lever, but she is never satisfied with dealing with events and human emotions just on the surface. She is among the greats. Also check out her full-length novel, Ship of Fools.

Katherine Anne Porter is one of America's greatest -- and most overlooked -- literary talents, and this book is a compilation of her superb short stories. Porter writes with the precision of a master jeweler; every sentence is polished like a gem, every word is perfect. From the haunting beauty of "María Concepción" and "Virgin Violeta" to the semi-autobiographical "Pale Horse, Pale Rider", Porter writes with an understated, almost stark, precision and elegance. This is a book to be read and savored slowly, a story at a time, to appreciate the awesome talent of a literary genius.

One of the most interesting aspects of this collection of Katherine Anne Porter's works is that it allows the reader to witness the matureation of her writing style. The small and often personal actions and thoughts of her characters drive these stories (instead of plot). The intimacy, and insight she writes with oftens reminds me of Emily Dickenson. They both have the ability to show how individual events, or moments can profoundly effect a person. Porter's word play is often sharp, and very carefully chosen. A reader who isn't paying close attention to what she's saying can miss important themes within the stories. The Pale Horse, pale rider section was my favorite part of the book. Porter's style comes to life in the extended format of these stories. If your not up to going through this whole book, then I'd recomend picking up Pale Horse, Pale Rider by itself.

overall I would definitely recomend this book though.

Katherine Ann Porter seems to me to combine the strengths of Hemingway and Faulkner. I haven't read enough Faulkner, but that seems like it might be right. This book is definitely a worthwhile read. The language is rich and engaging and at times humourous. My favorite story was Noon Wine. There is a beautiful section where Mr. Hatch, the bounty hunter comes looking for Mr. Helton, and he tells Mr. Thompson the words to the song that Mr. Helton had been playing on his harmonica. That moment is really well written, and it stayed in mind because what happens next knocked me breathless.