Short Stories I Read

12 Shots In One

2009-12-10T14:50:00.000+05:30

Book : A Twist In The Tale

Author : Jeffrey Archer

Synopsis from the dust jacket :

No one can weave a web of suspense, deliver a jolt of surprise, or teach a lesson in living like bestselling author Jeffrey Archer. From Africa to the Middle East, and from London to Beijing, Archer takes us to places we've never seen and introduces us to people we'll never forget.
Meet the philandering husband who thinks he's committed the perfect murder; the self-assured chess champion who plays a beautiful woman for stakes far higher than cash; and the finance minister who needs to crack the secrets of a Swiss bank. Jeffrey Archer's collection of twelve spellbinding stories will sweep you on a journey of thwarted ambition, undying passion, and unswerving honour that you'll never forget.

My Review:

This is one of the best collection of short stories I have read . Though all 12 stories have something unique , I liked a few of them more than the rest..

The Steal which is about a middle aged couple on a vacation is a great story.There is lot of wit and humor in the story.Also something instored for people who like to read about cultural aspect of places travelled.

Then there is Just Good Friends which is another winner , which I wont be revealing much about as it is something to be read and enjoyed. I still wonder I as to how I read the story without realizing where it was leading until the very end :)

Then there is a romantic short story Christina Rosenthal in epistolary format which made me cry . Ya , it did.

Of all the stories one story stands out Cleansweep Ignatius.. Haven't read a wittier story . It is a perfect example of mystery, humor and splendid story telling.

So I finished 12 stories in this book .Feeling really good about myself after slacking in this task for a week .Remember every single story has a twist , just about when you feel you know what's going to happen..:)

My Rating : combined for the collection 4.5 out of 5

My Rating for Cleansweep Ignatius - 5 out of 5

The Ruin Of Grant Lowery

2009-12-10T11:27:00.000+05:30

Story: The Ruin Of Grant Lowery

Author :Audrey Niffenegger

Link:Here

The Ruin Of Grant Lowery is a modern fairy tale but with a twist. It's 21st century and I think fairies too have ultra feministic ideas . Felt bad for poor Grant though :) Worth a read .

My Rating : 4 out of 5

Fat And Thin

2009-12-10T11:07:00.001+05:30

Story : Fat And Thin

Author : Anton Chekhov

Link : Here

Plot : Chekhov's tale of two friends who meet after many years where in one tries to show off to the other about his job and worthy marriage and kid only to be surprised when his friend reveals his occupation and status.Then comes the sudden change in the first man's attitude towards his friend. Typical Chekhov kind of humor .

My Fav quote:

The thin man turned pale and rigid all at once, but soon his face twisted in all directions in the broadest smile; it seemed as though sparks were flashing from his face and eyes. He squirmed, he doubled together, crumpled up. . . . His portmanteaus, bundles and cardboard boxes seemed to shrink and crumple up too. . . . His wife's long chin grew longer still; Nafanail drew himself up to attention and fastened all the buttons of his uniform.

My Rating : 4 out of 5

Talent by Anton Chekhov

2009-12-03T22:42:00.002+05:30

Story :Talent

Author :Anton Chekhov

Online Reading Link: Here

Plot: It is a story of a young painter Yegor Savvitch who has big dreams of a future as great painter but hasn’t yet managed to turn it into reality.

My Thoughts:It is a story of people who just dream of being someone great but forget that Talent needs to be practiced and polished for it to shine. Dreamin of being great is not enough but people like Savvitch who have admirers like Katya will not realise it until it’s too late.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Some really short stories:

2009-12-03T21:32:00.000+05:30

Hemingway's self confessed best short story :

"For sale: baby shoes, never worn"

He wrote it in just six words but it brings so much with it. I googled and found a few other such short stories by some other authors :) Read on they are all just six word stories :)

Longed for him. Got him. Shit.
- Margaret Atwood

Lie detector eyeglasses perfected: Civilization collapses.
- Richard Powers

We went solar; sun went nova.
- Ken MacLeod

Chocolate

2009-12-03T19:40:00.001+05:30

Story : Chocolate

Author : Michal Olszewski

Online Reading Link : Here

Plot : This is the story of Dudek who is shopping for breakfast at a supermarket. Now , you must be feeling what is so big about shopping, we all do. That's the catch , he is not exactly doing it the way we do :)

My fav quotes from the story :

"He must be quite rich," thought Dudek. "He must have lots of money. Even if that Hunnish manager woman were to tell him to pay for my breakfast he wouldn't starve

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

White Nights by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

2009-12-03T11:25:00.004+05:30

Story : White Nights

Author : Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Online Reading Link: Sorry , didn't find a online link ( Read from a book of short stories)

Plot : I will make this very easy for you , have you watched Saawariya ? the movie that people watched but then denied having watched it :) This is the original Saawariya and let me tell you, it's way better this way. It is the story of a young man , sorry a lonely young man and his search for companionship . It is the story of Nastenka,
the girl he falls in love with and her wait for her true love.

My thoughts : I knew within a paragraph into the story how it was going to end but that didnt stop from discovering an author whose works I have ignored for so many years. The style of writing was poetic and the story as a whole was a bitter sweet experience.

Highly Recommended
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Musatafa by Nikolai Grozni

2009-12-03T10:46:00.006+05:30

Story : Mustafa
Author : Nikolai Grozni
Online Reading Link : Here
Quotes I loved from the story:

No one in my family discussed anything of importance. Bad news was kept secret. Good news was treated with horror. Everyone believed that disclosing personal information, and taking pleasure in your achievements brought nothing but bad luck. If somebody in my family were to win the Nobel Peace Prize, they wouldn't tell anyone. They would take the Nobel Peace Prize, and then go home, expecting to die in the next hour.

My thoughts :
My first attempt at dark humor or whatever that means. It took me a long to analyse this story but it was worth reading. It has it's funny lines but in the end it does make you think about the state of developing nations and the pathetic state of management of issues.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Mallard And May by Cecelia Ahern

2009-12-03T10:26:00.005+05:30

Story : Mallard And May

Author : Cecelia Ahern

Online Reading Link :Here

Plot :I am not giving away the plot as it is a very short story and anything I summarize here will take of the magic of the story.

My Thoughts: It was heart breaking story , sad but meaningful

My Rating: 4 out of 5

A Telephone Call by Dorothy Parker

2009-11-19T18:07:00.001+05:30

Story : A Telephone Call

Author :Dorothy Parker

Online Reading Link is here

Theme: A woman desperately waiting for a telephone call from a man , she is most probably in love with.

My thoughts: The story is very simple . It's about this woman's needs and her lamenting about how the man she loves is callous to the fact that she is waiting to hear his voice as he hasn't called her at the promised time. Some points highlighted in the story are worth pondering on.

I don't think he even knows how he makes me feel. I wish he could know, without my telling him. They don't like you to tell them they've made you cry. They don't like you to tell them you're unhappy because of them. If you do, they think you're possessive and exacting. And then they hate you. They hate you whenever you say anything you really think. You always have to keep playing little games. Oh, I thought we didn't have to; I thought this was so big I could say whatever I meant. I guess you can't, ever. I guess there isn't ever anything big enough for that. Oh, if he would just telephone, I wouldn't tell him I had been sad about him. They hate sad people. I would be so sweet and so gay, he couldn't help but like me. If he would only telephone. If he would only telephone.

This story wasn't a favorite but I liked the message that it tried to send , that sometimes we need to take the first step forward and not wait for things to happen.Being pro active can save us a lot of anxiety and quite a lot of time :)

Read it. You will understand what I mean.

My Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

Sola by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

2009-11-18T19:50:00.002+05:30

Story : Sola

Author : Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche

Online Reading Link is here

Theme: A journalist in Gambia who wants to make the world know about his country’s corrupt regime disappears. This is told by his girlfriend reminiscing about the time they spent togather.

My thoughts: Though a regular happening in under developed nations , this story brings out the emotions attached with bringing the truth out in to the world and the repercussion it has on one's life and the life of their dear ones. The cost they pay for sticking to their ideals. A nice short story which was a part of Freedom: Short Stories Celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

My Ratings: 3.5 out of 5

Next Stop Table For Two by Cecelia Ahern

2009-11-18T15:11:00.001+05:30

Book : Next Stop Table For Two

Author : Cecelia Ahern

Online Reading Link is Here

Theme: It is the story of a single woman Lucy, in her early thirties who has come to dislike Valentine's day by the sheer display of affection by couples obviously in love all around her in commute , at the restaurant where she works and her lack of a soul mate to share this day with. It is the retelling of one such Valentine Day which brought a change in Lucy's life.

My thoughts: A very cosy , feel good story that will leave you with a smile on your face. Cecelia Ahern does what she does best. She makes her character think and act very real. No melodrama , no hysteria. A simple theme with good execution. Having read her P.S.I Love You , I know this genre is her forte and she succeeds in making this story memorable.

My Ratings: 4 out of 5

My List Of Short Stories

2009-11-18T13:13:00.003+05:30

( List to be updated as and when new stories are read)

White Nights -Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Sultan's Battery - Aravind Adiga
Next Stop Table For Two - Cecelia Ahern
The Entrapment - Phillipa Gregory
Mallard And May - Cecelia Ahern
The Mean Time - Karin Slaughter
Distant Relations -Orhan Pamuk
A Happy Ending - Anton Chekhov
The Miller's Daughter - Emile Zola
The Overcoat - Nikolai Gogol
The Spectacles - Edgar Allen Poe
Just Good Friends - Jeffery Archer

100 Shots of Short Reading Challenge

2009-11-17T12:34:00.000+05:30

I found this challenge through Veens blog and I decided to take up this challenge. You can find the details and lots of recommendations and reviews at Robaroundbooks.

Challenge Homepage : 100 ' Shots Of Short 'Reading Challenge

Introduction To Short Stories

2009-11-16T12:20:00.000+05:30

I recently developed a great liking for short stories. Thanks to Veens for that. I have read more than 10 short stories in last 2 days and it has been a great experience. It was a genre I had sorely neglected all through my reading years but now I am totally mesmerized by these short tales which have a power to linger on into our minds even though they might just fill not more than 4 pages in a book , or just one column in a newspaper.

I will keep a log of my short story reviews on this blog and maintain a list of stories available to read online for future reference.