An Elegy for Easterly by Petina Gappah (40/81)

Category: Around the World
Country: Zimbabwe

Horrific political regimes do at least seem to produce some interesting literature, and this collection of short stories is no exception. The stories are centred around Zimbabwe, mainly as affected by Mugabe’s rule with the soaring inflation, AIDS epidemic and social injustice.

Whilst Mugabe doesn't feature directly in many of the stories, the impact of his oppressive regime and the tragedies of the instability in Zimbabwe can be felt across the collection. The stories cover the whole social spectrum of Zimbabwian society, and although there are glimpses of humour, it is overall a bleak portrait. The quality of the writing is however excellent, making it compelling reading and unlike many short story collections, there aren't any weak points here.

I would certainly be keen to read more by this author and hope there will be a full length novel in the future.

My Man Jeeves (40/81)

My Man Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
Category: Audiobooks

I seem to have been hearing a lot about the Jeeves and Wooster stories lately, and they were also a big part of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, I thought I should give the series a try. My Man Jeeves is a collection of short stories, most of which are narrated by Bertie Wooster, about the scrapes he and his friends get into and how his servant, Jeeves, always brilliantly saves the day. The middle stories were narrated by a guy named Reggie, who didn't have a servant to save the day, but were much the same otherwise (I was a little confused by this interlude, and wondered if there was an error in the audio file).

The stories were amusing but repetitive. I often found myself confused about where I'd left off, so it took me two weeks to finish even though it was a fairly short book. Simon Prebble was a good narrator who did an admirable job of using both British and American accents for a variety of characters. I think this is the first in the Jeeves and Wooster stories, but if these stories were any indication of the books as a whole, they can be read in any order. 4 stars.

Cross-posted at Born Reader.

Seven Gothic Tales (9/81)

The label Gothic can mean many things, encompassing the suspenseful realism of Radcliffe's Udolpho, the surreal Orientalism of Beckford's Vathek, and the sexually-charged diabolism of Lewis' Ambrosio. (And that's just considering works prior to Mary Shelley or John Polidori!) Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Blixen) creates her own little corner of the Gothic, one that does not shy away from the supernatural but is more interested in people and their relationships than rattling chains in a cobwebbed corridor. Like many Gothic works, it features stories of people trapped within prisons, sometimes physical, but just as often social or psychological. Overall, I'd say this is a book that merits rereading, as only the most perceptive reader will pick up on everything the first time around. Even so, there were definitely some stories that stuck with me.

"The Deluge at Nordenay" is the story of four people trapped in the loft of a barn during a flood. The story takes place over the expanse of one night, during which the waters continue to rise and the four do not know if they will live to see the morning. Though resigned to their fates, they decide to spend the night telling stories. The two younger storytellers narrate their experiences of struggling with identity, of struggling with forces outside their control to exist in the world as they would choose. The older woman of the group tells of her own life and the choices she made. And then the last of the group, a religious scholar, tells a very odd tale of Peter a few days after the Crucifixion. All of it forshadows a rather interesting surprise near the end of the story.

"The Old Chevalier" is a pretty brief story of an older man recounting an experience when he was younger. He met up with a curious young lady and spent the night with her. Though the experience stayed with him, he did not see her again for many years. When he does finally encounter her again, it is a brief but haunting encounter.

"The Supper at Elsinore" features a ghost, much like that other story set in Elsinore. This ghost, though, is that of a brother come to visit the two sisters he left behind in his career of privateer, pirate, plantation owner and trader. Though beautiful and smart, the two sisters have grown into spinsterhood, always wondering about the fate of their brother. The meeting of the three allows for a final and melancholy reckoning regarding their respective fates.

"The Dreamers," like many of the stories here, incorporates storytellers and their stories into the narrative. Three men--two middle eastern, the third European--are on a boat together, sharing stories about how they have come to be on that boat. The European tells a story about how an obsession with a prostitute in Greece caused him to break off an advantageous betrothal, and how the prostitute vanished on him one day. Later he meets two friends, who have astonishingly similar stories to tell. There are some elements--mountain chases, a Wandering Jew--that almost make this story a Gothic parody, yet it also succeeds quite well on its own tragic terms.

"The Poet" is a bit of a misnomer, since the story actually has two poets. (A discrepancy which is likely intentional.) One, older and wealthy, takes a younger poet and an orphaned dancer in under his care. After realizing that the two may be falling in love, he decides for his own, not entirely cruel, purposes to marry the girl. This drives the young poet deep into despair, though he attempts to hide it. The love triangle ends, as they all do, rather badly.

These are quite moving stories of entrapment, identity, escape--all the Gothic mainstays--told through the marvellous talent of Isak Dinesen for creating a character, a place, or a situation with narrative finesse.

Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast - 26/81

Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Jane Yolen for short story category.

Writer Jane Yolen is very versatile, and some of her things I've loved (Boots and the Seven Leaguers,Wizard Hall), some I've liked, (Armageddon Summer), and some were just okay (Girl in a Cage). But I grabbed this collection of short stories for my challenge knowing that I would be bound to like at least half the stories.

The title is a reference to Wonderland, and her first story is called "Tough Alice." That could be a theme too. Don't look for any helpless, passive girls here. Not all the stories feature a female protagonist, but when it does, Yolen does not spend her time writing about victims. My favorite story in the book was the last one, a neat little twist on Peter Pan. I can't say too much, or I would give the story away, but it was very clever and fun to read. A great book for young girls or their moms.

The Queen in Winter - 25/81

The Queen in Winter, by Lynn Kurland, Sharon Shinn, Clair Delacroix, and  Sarah Monette for short story category.

This was a little collection of short fantasy/romance stories, by 4 women writers, that I picked up at the library book sale. I had never tried any of the authors before, so I thought it would be a fun experiment. 

And it was fun. The first story, A Whisper of Spring, was by Lynn Kurland and it was a tale of a kidnapped elven princess and a wizard human prince who goes to rescue her. Nothing especially deep, but I just loved it. I liked the characters and the storytelling itself. I wish it had been longer, because I really wanted to read more about the characters.

The only story I wasn't especially happy with was the one by Claire Delacroix, a twist on the Snow Queen story that didn't really fit in with either the collection or the fairy tale itself. 

But as always, part of the fun in a collection like this is that you discover some new authors - ones you like, ones you don't - and everyone else has a different opinion about it. I will look for more by Kurland and by Sharon Shinn.

Murder and Other Acts of Literature - 17/81

Murder and Other Acts of Literature, various authors, short story category

Very impressive collection of stories. My favorite is the one by James Thurber, 'The Macbeth Murder Mystery.' I also enjoyed the ones by Rudyard Kipling, W. S. Gilbert, and A. A. Milne.

What was interesting about this collection was that none of the stories were written by people considered mystery writers. It just shows that everyone loves a good crime.

Great collection for mystery lovers, those who love short stories, and those who love good writing.

14/81 - Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling

Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling, short story category

This book is a collection of short stories written by Rudyard Kipling. They include one story written when he was only 19, and vary in size from 2 1/2 pages to much longer stories.

All of the stories are set in colonial India, and share some basic themes: the conflict between the races, the doubt over the value of civilization, the frustration over fighting a losing battle, and yet the joy in comradeship, even if the war is a pointless one.

I didn't read the preface until I was at least halfway through the book, and then I spotted the warning that the best stories are placed at the beginning of the book. As I read more, I had to agree with that. The later stories are too brief to be more than mildly interesting and the ideas are not solid enough to be worth a longer story.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected at first. I had a couple of problems. One is that the book makes extensive use of dialect, which can be hard to read. And this edition also included endnotes for each story, which made it feel more like I was reading a textbook and less like I was reading a story.

But I did enjoy some of the stories very much. My favorite ones in this collection were 'The Man Who Was' and 'Without Benefit of Clergy'.

If you are a fan of Kipling, or if you want to read more about colonial India and the British Empire, I really recommend this collection.