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Rating: 
Summary: O my word
Review: 21 Stories would probably have been more enjoyable. O. Henry is certainly an interesting author, but every single story in this collection (and perhaps in his entire body of work, for all I know) tries for the "ironic twist" ending. I enjoy irony as much as the next person, but after a couple dozen stories, irony would have been finding a straightforward tale, and it would have been most welcome. This large collection dulls the edge of irony.
Rating: 
Summary: Some of the most enjoyable short stories ever!
Review: A collection of 41 short stories by O. Henry? My mouth waters already! It's hard to imagine any literary treat that can be enjoyed in small doses more pleasurable than this. I have spent over a year savouring these stories, reading them one by one, tasting his delightful choice of words, digesting his fascinating story-lines, and the warm satisfying afterglow that comes after a typical twist at the end. O. Henry began writing short stories as a prison inmate, and he quickly fine tuned his skills behind the bars and developed into an excellent storyteller. Born William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), he produced 270 stories under the pseudonym O. Henry. His stories are superbly outstanding in at least four ways, each illustrated with five of my personal favorites.Firstly, his brilliant use of language. These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language easily surpasses that of most contemporary writers. Not only does he have an extensive vocabulary, but his writing abounds with similes and metaphors that breathe sparkling life and depth into his stories, marred only by the occasional "Lordy". "Ulysses and the Dogman" is a fine example of his skills with a language, metaphorically portraying dog owners as victims of Circe, in a hopeless enchantment to their leashed pets. Also exemplary is "Madame Bo-Peep of the Ranches" where a ranch manager has a heart fenced by barbwire just like the ranch on which he lives, and yet the twist at the ending suggests that perhaps we were completely mistaken. "A Comedy in Rubber" uses wonderfully elevated language to farcically portray a class of people today known as ambulance chasers. And "Sisters of the Golden Circle" revolves around the profound bond that exists between two married women who are strangers but yet sisters "of the plain gold band." "An Unfinished Story" employs profound metaphors of angelic hosts to tell the tragic story of poor Dulcie's struggle for survival. Secondly, his unique insight into the social conditions of his time. O. Henry has a great understanding of the trials of the lower class, and he frequently pictures the lives of ordinary people of early twentieth century America with warm and sympathetic colours. His characters are frequently the overlooked: the struggling shop girl, the unsuccessful artist, the impoverished. Admittedly, some of his images can be hard to comprehend for modern readers, and the distance that time has placed between us and O. Henry's beloved New York means that some of his verbal pictures will be harder to understand and identify with. But his genuine sympathy for the oppressed cannot be missed. "The Gift of the Magi" is the signature O. Henry story, probably his most famous tale which recounts a poor young couple who both give up a prized possession in order to purchase a gift for one another - but ironically a gift intended to complement the other's prized possession that they have just given up. Another story which display his ability to picture the social conditions of his time - but always with the trademark twist - is "The Pendulum", a wonderful portrait of the daily routines of an poor couple and the bursting anxiety of a married man, until the bubble bursts. "The Cop and the Anthem" was the first O. Henry story I ever read, and humorously recounts the unsuccessful attempts of a man to get into jail for the winter - it remains vivid in my mind as a memorable favorite. "The Furnished Room" is a tragic and shocking story of suicide, depicting the depths of despair and desperation of the impoverished. Thirdly, his warm humour. O. Henry has an uncanny ability to portray the mundane and the ordinary in the most elevated language. Frequently he pits two characters together in a remarkable way so that one outshines and complements the other. And on other occasions he crafts the most ingenious and humorous schemes for outwitting others. One of his most popular stories is "The Handbook of Hymen", recounting the tale of two men in a winter cabin, one armed with the hilarious Herkimer's handbook of Indispensable Information. And then there is O. Henry's fictional character Jeff Peters, a man who comes with the most ingenious money-making schemes, two shining examples displayed in "Jeff Peters as a Personal Magnet" and "The Exact Science of Matrimony". "Let Me Feel Your Pulse" pokes fun at doctors, while in "Next to Reading Matter" an overly eloquent character wins the heart of a senora with streams of articulate talk about the mundane. Fourthly, his ironic twist. One of the distinctive characteristics of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain, sometimes reversing the entire story line in a concluding one-liner. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed. Like the Jeff Peters stories, "The Love-philtre of Ikey Schoenstein" also feature a brilliant scheme - but a scheme of romance - and the way it backfires is unforgettable. Other delightful examples of ordinary stories with a glorious ironic twist include "Witches' Loaves" and "While the Auto Waits". The twist that comes at the end of "The Hypotheses of Failure" is so perplexing, that you'll have to re-read the entire story after reading the ending - but completely delighted at the way in which O. Henry has misled you. But perhaps one of O. Henry's best uses of the ironic twist comes in "The Last Leaf", a warm and tragic tale describing how a dying artist proves as resilient as the last leaf on the wall outside, and through the self-less sacrifice of another. In a collection of 41 stories, it's unavoidable that a few popular favorites are missing. But the reality is that nearly all O. Henry's stories feature his trademark ironic twist, as they do his warm humour, his unique insight into the social conditions of the time, and his brilliant use of language, and that every story in this collection is a literary delight worthy of inclusion. The inaccessibility of some references for modern readers does not prevent these stories from being always entertaining and enduring! Don't pass up on these!
Rating:
Summary: Humanity Revealed: With Humor and Irony
Review: I have a smile on my face every time I finish reading a story from this book. Each story tickles my fancy ... I was sold on this volume by an amazon.com reviewer -- whose enthusiasm for O. Henry was contagious. O. Henry was one of my favorite story tellers in the past ... I am pleased to have discovered this book. It is filled with delightful and enlightening short stories about the foibles of humanity ... many are heart-warming and sensitive, many are humorous, some are serious. He has mastered the art of the "surprise" ending for which he is famous! "The Gift of the Magi", "Brickdust Row", and "The Furnished Room", bring back fond memories of growing up. I remember events and characters from these stories. Each story is poignant, emotionally satisfying, and complete. O. Henry possesses an uncanny ability to hook the readers attention in the first paragraph and then keep the reader hanging on every word, anticipating what happens next ... O. Henry is the master of creating a twist to the ending ... he often throws the reader an unexpected curve. He shows us life is *not* always what it seems. In this volume, O. Henry writes about people, human reactions, culture, society, class structure and how to earn a buck, through a bit of conniving and deceit. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories which took place out West and in Central America ... they were fresh, original and well-crafted. His technical expertise as a writer, the use of words to create an impression and set up a plot are sheer genius. They demonstrate the reason for his stories are popular throughout the world. One of my favorites is the story titled, "The Ethics of Pigs". Here is a sample of O. Henry's famous word-play: "Jeff is in the line of unillegal graft. He is not to be dreaded by widows and orphans; he is a reducer of surplusage. His favorite disguise is that of the target-bird at which the spend-thrift or the rockless investor may shy a few inconsequential dollars." [p. 147, A Signet Classic] This book contains stories with a wide range of themes, plots, and locales. It will appeal to a large audience of readers from middle school age on up. My highest recommendations. Erika Borsos (erikab93)
Rating:
Summary: Magic's gift
Review: I'm always like this story, for it included the ture feelings between husband and wife, they were so poor, but they didn't lose the belief for the life, even themselves in that society where so many people only searched for money. At school, my teacher had given the topic that we must discuss: what's the most important, money or happiness? I know money is very important, but we can't lose our priciples for it. Now I have a boyfriend ,he isn't very rich ,and you can say he's poor, but I love him ,I'll be with him forever wherever he is. I think it's happiest time when you have love. I'm not very great, I'm only an ordinary chinese woman, and I know my life only have once. I'll treat the life with my soul and my heart like Magic.
Rating:
Summary: Great for O Henry fans; unnecessary for a first O Henry book
Review: O Henry is a sort of "must know." Without the knowledge of O Henry's writing style, and because it's been so influential, you miss out on the transformation of the short-story form since. It's almost a historical mandate for an understanding of the short story from the turn on the centrury onward. That said, when do you choose to read him and which book? If you haven't read O Henry, O Do. But, I don't think that as many stories that are in this collection are necessary. Once you see what he does, you've got it. Once you see it, you can also then see what's happened since, and along the way - short stories of the 20s, 40s, 50s, etc., and to the present. Read a few O Henry stories if you've got an interest in reading short stories. If you're short of money or time, you don't need quite as many as are in this book. Unless you are highly interested in O Henry, my sense is you won't read every story in this book anyway. Buy this book if you can't get enough of him and have that burning desire to see the ones left out of earlier anthologies. Otherwise, pick up any O Henry book - they've got the "important" ones and that's all you need. This book, so many stories, is too repetitious after awhile; once you've read a few, you know how from the first paragraph how every story will end. This book is for fans only. Interesting little bio at the front, though.
Rating:
Summary: Great for O Henry fans; unnecessary for a first O Henry book
Review: O Henry is a sort of "must know." Without the knowledge of O Henry's writing style, and because it's been so influential, you miss out on the transformation of the short-story form since. It's almost a historical mandate for an understanding of the short story from the turn on the centrury onward. That said, when do you choose to read him and which book? If you haven't read O Henry, O Do. But, I don't think that as many stories that are in this collection are necessary. Once you see what he does, you've got it. Once you see it, you can also then see what's happened since, and along the way - short stories of the 20s, 40s, 50s, etc., and to the present. Read a few O Henry stories if you've got an interest in reading short stories. If you're short of money or time, you don't need quite as many as are in this book. Unless you are highly interested in O Henry, my sense is you won't read every story in this book anyway. Buy this book if you can't get enough of him and have that burning desire to see the ones left out of earlier anthologies. Otherwise, pick up any O Henry book - they've got the "important" ones and that's all you need. This book, so many stories, is too repetitious after awhile; once you've read a few, you know how from the first paragraph how every story will end. This book is for fans only. Interesting little bio at the front, though.
Rating:
Summary: Stories That Make You Feel Smart
Review: O.Henry has this magical way of letting you in on his amazing secrets. Every word that comes out of him engages you. He writes exactly what he means. You can read other writers' novels and not get as much as you do from some of these 10-page stories. I love "The Green Door". I wish O.Henry were still alive.
Rating:
Summary: Expect the Best; You'll Get It
Review: The thing I always find remarkable about reading O. Henry is that the "surprise" or "twist" at the end of so many of his stories arrive so naturally. You never feel manipulated. They are so simple and logical, like the narrator's tone. It's little wonder that so many consider O. Henry to be one of the founders of the modern short story. And that an annual short story award is given out in his name. His stories, like Horatio Alger's, give us a unique first-hand account of what New York and other cities were like at the turn of the last century. And for that it is a valuable collection as well. The great standards are in this collection, like "The Gift of the Magi" and "A Retrieved Reformation". But it's the lesser known, the hidden gems, that make this collection so remarkable. People make much of the fact that so many of these tales were written while O. Henry was in prison for various minor offences and that the stories provided him with bail money. The fact is that the man had a lucid view of human nature and the funny way life infringes upon it. He could have--and did--write so many of these tales outside of the jail cell.
Rating:
Summary: What an exellent collection !
Review: What an exellent collection ! I fell in love with O'Henry writing about 25 years ago , when I was a kid . First , I read his work in russian . But now , when my english got better , I decided to give it a try , and I am glad , I did . His unique stile of writing is very unpredictable and funny . He is playing with words and frases as ring master . The twists in every story slaping you in your face from the right side , just a moment before you exspected it from the left . But beware : If you start reading this book , you better turn off your range and make shure , that iron is off ! You are going to forget about them after the first pages of this wonderfull book .
Mr. O'Henry ! You and Bulgakov are 2 writers , who inspire me and my writing for over 2 decades ! Thank you ...
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST STORIES EVER WRITTEN
Review: When I read these stories for the first time I was about fifeteen years old. I was trying to understand the world and O'Henry's stories helped me to do it. I keep reading these stories and I keep trying to understand the world.
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