Rating: 
Summary: I saw myself in these women
Review: I derived a great deal of pleasure from reading this book. I "became" each of these women. I wanted to live their lives and experience what they were going through. I identified mostly with Lena. I don't think she was as stupid as everyone said - she's a much deeper character that doesn't quite know how to express herself. I wonder if women tend to identify with these characters more? I would love to see these made into a movie. The language was difficult to follow at times. The patterns and rhythms were in the way sometimes, but if you allow yourself to "give in" to it - you'll be fine.
Rating:
Summary: I saw myself in these women
Review: I derived a great deal of pleasure from reading this book. I "became" each of these women. I wanted to live their lives and experience what they were going through. I identified mostly with Lena. I don't think she was as stupid as everyone said - she's a much deeper character that doesn't quite know how to express herself. I wonder if women tend to identify with these characters more? I would love to see these made into a movie. The language was difficult to follow at times. The patterns and rhythms were in the way sometimes, but if you allow yourself to "give in" to it - you'll be fine.
Rating: 
Summary: Dover Thrift Editions made a poor choice
Review: I have been an admirer of Gertrude Stein's work and chose "Three Lives" in good faith. I wound up discarding the book because of the content of the second story in it, entitled: "Melanctha". The story concerns a woman of African descent. The language and content of the story is racist, blatantly so. Why did the publisher choose THIS volume for its Dover Thrift Edition when something far better could have been selected from Gertrude Stein's vast body of work? (And why did Gertrude Stein write something like this at all?)
Rating:
Summary: Not an easy book to read...or to like
Review: In "3 Lives," Gertrude Stein recounts the life stories of three very different women living and dying in the city Bridgepoint. With "The Good Anna," we learn the story of a German maid, who maintains the homes of various grand ladies throughout her life. She loves taking care of stray dogs and scolding young ladies into what she deems to be their proper stations. She also cultivates a strong friendship with the widow Mrs. Lehntman, the great "romance" of her life. (Though, it's never entirely clear what is meant by "romance:' either a very strong friendship or an actual intimate relationship.)
In "Melanctha," we are related the history of a young black woman, bright and intelligent, who wants to learn more about life and love. She develops relationships with many different men but learns most of what she needs during her "wanderings" with Jane Harden. After a time, she finally decides to settle down and to get "really married" to the right man. She thinks she finds that in Dr. Jeff Campbell, but neither one knows exactly what he/she really wants.
In the final story, "The Gentle Lena," Lena is a young German girl, brought to the States by a cousin. She is considered ugly and dimwitted so no one in her new family really takes to her. All the girls taunt and tease her. Finally, she is et up in an arranged marriage to a man who doesn't really like women (though it's never said flat out whether or not he is gay). They have children, and the husband falls for the children, ignoring Lena completely.
All three women wind up alone, forgotten and eventually dead. But, that's not what I really didn't like about this book. Stein's use of language tended to get in the way, so much so that I could never really understand what characters were saying and could never empathize with them. In fact, with "Melanctha," their constant repetition of names and long-winded sentences that turn around on themselves to regurgitate what was said in the preceding sentences, made the characters seem simple-minded. I never liked any of the characters because I never felt that I was given anything to like. And, if I was, I had trouble discerning it through the tangle of words. I re-read passages many times simply to try to understand what was happening or what a character was feeling/thinking and never really understood. They came across very two-dimensional.
I forced myself to finish the book but still would have trouble recommending it, mostly due to the use of language.
Rating: 
Summary: Language as never before (or after)
Review: read the other reviews and youll be surprised by the violent reactions of people to this book. richard wright, black activist and author, praised this book as the "first true representation of an african-american in american literature" and yet another famous activist labeled it "senseless racist drivel" What in the book provokes this controversy? The question is complex. Though Stein in all three stories uses words like "black" and"german" as undeniable stereotypes, there is no denying that these categories get deconstructed by the narrative and the style. If your read books for style, you cant go wrong here. Stein's experimental prose is poetry set to music, exploring all the auditory limits of the english language. There are 3 stories, The Good Anna, Melanctha and The Gentle Lena. The controversy is mainly about the second story. Not that the other stories dont have their issues. Eg: The Gentle Lena is probably one of the weirdest characters you will EVER see in fiction. So, buy this book and treat yourself to some pleasure in the english language!
Rating:
Summary: Language as never before (or after)
Review: read the other reviews and youll be surprised by the violent reactions of people to this book. richard wright, black activist and author, praised this book as the "first true representation of an african-american in american literature" and yet another famous activist labeled it "senseless racist drivel" What in the book provokes this controversy? The question is complex. Though Stein in all three stories uses words like "black" and"german" as undeniable stereotypes, there is no denying that these categories get deconstructed by the narrative and the style. If your read books for style, you cant go wrong here. Stein's experimental prose is poetry set to music, exploring all the auditory limits of the english language. There are 3 stories, The Good Anna, Melanctha and The Gentle Lena. The controversy is mainly about the second story. Not that the other stories dont have their issues. Eg: The Gentle Lena is probably one of the weirdest characters you will EVER see in fiction. So, buy this book and treat yourself to some pleasure in the english language!
Rating:
Summary: Difficult, but worth the effort
Review: Returning to THREE LIVES after several years, I am again reminded of Stein's stylistic innovation and topical audacity. These are stories of working class women, one African American and two whose European heritage is still marked as "ethnic", who live with modest hopes and even more modest contentment. Watching Stein imagine a narrative voice to these women of spotty education and limited worldview is itself important. This is not the stream-of-consciousness of Joyce or Faulkner, but rather a subject-verb-predicate world of simple people. That Stein can reflect emotional complexity and intellectual anxiety with a style that would seem well-suited to a reading primer speaks not only of her ability, but indeed might undercut the utility of more affected literary devices. Stein is forging into then largely ignored life and so it should come as no suprise that this book doesn't appeal to most. But there is something here that merits our attention
Rating:
Summary: A suitable book for Gertrude Stein beginners
Review: Stein's Three Lives, first published in 1909, is one of the easier books of her in terms of language. The third story in it, "Melanctha", which is an adaption of her earlier "Q.E.D.", has caused much controversy, mainly due to its racist remarks and stereotypical representations of African - Americans. It is what lies beyond this, however, that distinguishes "Melanctha" from 19th C novels and renders it one of the most important works within the Modernist canon. In her typical style of a "continuous present" and her free usage of a pseudo-vernacular she describes the relationship of Melanctha, a mulatta, with Dr. Jefferson Campbell, also a mulatto. Their struggle "to understand" is a battle of different modes of perception and thus connects the book to Stein's most important teacher, William James. Despite its racist depiction of African Americans, this book is a must for all interested in the beginning of Modernism presented by Gertrude Stein.
Rating:
Summary: obscurantism masquerading as avant-garde
Review: The trouble with the avant-garde is that they set themselves up to say that anyone who doesn't like what they do is, well, totally square. At the same time, those who convince themselves that they appreciate it in the correct way can lord it over the rest of us naifs. After having heard about this book for years from a dear Stein-devotee pal, I gave it a try. I must say that, not only was I disappointed in the so-called language experimentation, but I was just plain bored. I did not find the characters interesting; I did not get taken into their world view by the stream-of-consciousness writing style that is Stein's trademark; I did not feel like I learned anything. What truly convinced my pal that I am an artistic philistine - and I guess I am in her measure - is that I vastly preferred The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, which was written for a popular audience (this is, clearly written and not with all the obscure and in my view idioitic word play). Oh well, this review will no doubt get many "unhelpful" votes, but then, at least I looked at it honestly and and naively and gave it the effort an avant-garde classic deserves. NOT RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: obscurantism masquerading as avant-garde
Review: The trouble with the avant-garde is that they set themselves up to say that anyone who doesn't like what they do is, well, totally square. At the same time, those who convince themselves that they appreciate it in the correct way can lord it over the rest of us naifs. After having heard about this book for years from a dear Stein-devotee pal, I gave it a try. I must say that, not only was I disappointed in the so-called language experimentation, but I was just plain bored. I did not find the characters interesting; I did not get taken into their world view by the stream-of-consciousness writing style that is Stein's trademark; I did not feel like I learned anything. What truly convinced my pal that I am an artistic philistine - and I guess I am in her measure - is that I vastly preferred The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, which was written for a popular audience (this is, clearly written and not with all the obscure and in my view idioitic word play). Oh well, this review will no doubt get many "unhelpful" votes, but then, at least I looked at it honestly and and naively and gave it the effort an avant-garde classic deserves. NOT RECOMMENDED.
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