Short stories have to be good to drag me away from my beloved novels and Katherine Mansfield’s short stories are very good indeed. This selection stories includes some set in Europe and others set in Mansfield’s native New Zealand. I particularly like the New Zealand stories and these include “The Garden Party”, “Her First Ball”, and “Prelude”. Mansfield’s style is to show and not tell, and many of her stories have a dark or ominous twist which left this reader longing to know more. Continue reading →.

Jane Austen’s juvenilia, unfinished work and extended pieces are just as enjoyable to read as the six great novels. My absolute favourite is Lady Susan but I’m fond of Sanditon, too, and its perceptive but quiet heroine, Charlotte Heywood. Sanditon is full of references to Austen’s own reading and contemporaries, Fanny Burney’s Camilla, Walter Scott’s Marmion and the poetry of William Cowper. It would be an interesting undertaking to read what Austen read. Sadly Sanditon was never finished but Austen’s wit and humour is evident throughout. Continue reading →.