9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant, September 17, 2006
This review is from: Twenty-One Great Stories (Mentor) (Paperback)
To describe this book would exhaust superlatives. From familiar favourites such as "The Tell-Tale heart" (Poe) and "What Stumped the Bluejays" (Mark Twain) to stories almost unheard of - "Eve in Darkness" (Kaatje Hurlburt) and "So Much Unfairness of Things" (C. D. B. Bryan), every one of these stories is a gem, a find, a transcending experience. I had to ration myself to one story every two days, not only to make the book last longer, but so my brain could be properly marinated in the sublime perfection of each of them.
If you only ever read one set of short stories, let this be it. I cannot recommend it too strongly.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you can only have one book on a desert island, this is it!, January 3, 2011
This review is from: Twenty-One Great Stories (Mentor) (Paperback)
When I was a student in middle school, we read stories from this collection, and I was transformed into a reader.
Now that I'm a college English teacher, I use this text every semester in my courses, and without fail, this book turns even the most reluctant reader into a literature enthusiast.
There are so many outstanding and brilliant writers, and such a terrific, wide variety of genres, that everyone can find many favorites among this collection.
Start with "War," by Luigi Pirandello, translated from Italian, about parents who are traveling to see their son off before he leaves for the front. Four pages of descriptive writing that tugs at the heart and tells of the pain of losing a loved one.
"Wine on the Desert," by Max Brand, is probably one of the greatest western stories ever written. A tale of revenge filled with irony and Brand's superb similes.
Then travel to the 1960's at a boarding school in Virginia, where PS struggles with his Latin exam and his relationship with his father in C.D.B. Bryan's "So Much Unfairness of Things."
"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant, translated from French, James Joyce's "Eveline," and Frank Stockton's "The Lady or the Tiger" are wonderful pieces for discussing gender and class and roles in society - as well as surprise endings and irony!
Of course, Edgar Allan Poe is so great, two of his stories are featured in this collection: "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado."
Ray Bradbury's science fiction short story, written in the 1050's and set 35 years into the future, "There Will Come Soft Rains," takes place after a nuclear explosion, and because there are no humans alive in the story, a house that is left standing in the rubble is personified into a character. The story features at its heart the poem by the same title by Sara Teasdale.
For humor, there's "What Stumped the Bluejays" by Mark Twain, and the classic James Thurber tale, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." Saki's story about the talking cat, "Tobermorry," is a wonderful addition.
And these are just a few of the 21 included in this text. "The Pearl" is the icing on this delicious cake. So many wonderful, classic tales that ring true today just as when they were penned. One of the best books ever.
Having had wonderful discussions with nearly 2500 students over the stories in this book, I cannot strongly recommend it enough. Every semester, I read the stories again, and still find new things to delight in.
Thank you, Lass & Tasman!
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