Scan barcode
johnnyforeign's review against another edition
5.0
These stories are pretty much irresistible. Maupassant has the gift of setting his initial scenes very quickly and efficiently and then immediately plunging the reader into an almost invariably interesting tale. His stories are filled with keen insight into human nature and amusing plot twists. And his prose style--although I only know it in translation--is highly economic yet elegant. He is simply a pleasure to read. I'm not a writer, but, if I were to teach a course on how to write a good short story, I would point first to Maupassant, a true master.
ronanmcd's review against another edition
4.0
I've been meaning to read de Maupassant for a long time.
The bad first; this collection is too long by 200%. Much of it is the same recurring themes of A meets B, D happens although C was the expected outcome, all of which is related by E. That's fine, and it must be appreciated that these were written before the short story became a more experimental, free-flowing genre.
The good; the stories as a whole bring into focus the lives of the French in a period of massive upheaval. It's bang in the historical centre of a time when the aristocracy and the church had been suppressed if not removed, then returned. Napoleon had waged wars, there had been communes and killings, empire and poverty, and finally brutal military defeat. It was a time when women's equality was becoming a possibility and enlightened attitudes thoughout the stories reflective of these themes abound.
We are brought to respect and identify with the maltreated prostitute (prostitution was decriminalised), we read the pros and cons of revenge in a time of war for the loss of a child.
Some of the stories have the immense power of looking at everyday life, but seeing the hardship (an elderly woman reflect on 40 years of her son growing apart from her), some stories are simply baffling (a wet nurse breastfeeds an impoverished man on a train) and some are prescient (an assisted suicide clinic accepts visitors from abroad).
Although I say it's too long due to it feeling repetitive, each story has merit and adds to a rich picture of 19th century France, and inparticular the middle and upper classes.
The bad first; this collection is too long by 200%. Much of it is the same recurring themes of A meets B, D happens although C was the expected outcome, all of which is related by E. That's fine, and it must be appreciated that these were written before the short story became a more experimental, free-flowing genre.
The good; the stories as a whole bring into focus the lives of the French in a period of massive upheaval. It's bang in the historical centre of a time when the aristocracy and the church had been suppressed if not removed, then returned. Napoleon had waged wars, there had been communes and killings, empire and poverty, and finally brutal military defeat. It was a time when women's equality was becoming a possibility and enlightened attitudes thoughout the stories reflective of these themes abound.
We are brought to respect and identify with the maltreated prostitute (prostitution was decriminalised), we read the pros and cons of revenge in a time of war for the loss of a child.
Some of the stories have the immense power of looking at everyday life, but seeing the hardship (an elderly woman reflect on 40 years of her son growing apart from her), some stories are simply baffling (a wet nurse breastfeeds an impoverished man on a train) and some are prescient (an assisted suicide clinic accepts visitors from abroad).
Although I say it's too long due to it feeling repetitive, each story has merit and adds to a rich picture of 19th century France, and inparticular the middle and upper classes.
sar_p's review against another edition
3.0
Some stories were beautiful, others were incredibly sad (cause people suck), and the rest were just "meh."
veelaughtland's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy how strangely modern Guy de Maupassant's stories are - the subject matter can be quite risqué at times, which feels really fresh given he was writing in the 1800s. There is a lot of levity to his stories, but also a fair amount of darkness that lurks behind some of them, particularly the ones he was writing later in his career while struggling with his own health issues. Some of the stories didn't really hit, but there were many that had me laughing or shocked, and many that fully pulled me into their world. I'd thoroughly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of short stories but maybe hasn't tried any classics yet.
pluciani's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
vandana's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. There were some good stories and some okay stories. I'm not sure if short story collections are really my thing, but it was a good read. I liked the title story, Boule de Souf (I think this is the one that will stay with me), and a couple of others. Glad I finished it.
stephersroo's review
5.0
It is no wonder that Monsieur de Maupassant is regarded as a master of the short story. Each one of the tales in this collection is a marvel of economy, pacing, sensitivity, lyricism, wit, and drama both intimate and astounding. The farther along one reads, the more it becomes impossible to single out one story as more likable than another. The characters, from the perspective of a contemporary American reader, are just a touch larger than life; the situations tender, funny, tragic, often bitterly ironic. In these tales also, we are regaled with a view of Belle Epoque France and its people, their habits, prejudices, circumstances high and low, and their inevitable Achilles' heals--for all of its troubles a world still surrounded by natural beauty, which Maupassant takes great care to describe, his voice assured, deep, and properly distanced from his creations, allowing the reader to take in as much of the view as possible. I wish I could speak with more authority to the quality of the translation, but it must be very high, since the writing provides such great literary pleasure. Every sentence and paragraph is so well-balanced that I often reread whole paragraphs just for the wonder. The introduction, written by the translator, Sian Miles, is an edifying read in itself.