Thirteen Stories

Rating:
Summary: Was worse then expected.
Review: Do not read this book unless you like short stories or are required to do so. Each story is like reading the exposition of a novel, which is the most uninteresting part. Here are some of what the stories are about: 1) A woman who lives at the post office and has male relatives who wear dresses 2) A man who's wife said she drowned herself because he came home late, so the man went to look for here body in the river AND 3) Two mentally challenged people who want to get married and one is a xylophone player If these sound interesting to you get the book. They certainly weren't for me. Yet everyone's taste is different.

Rating:
Summary: Here, Thirteen Is Lucky
Review: I know that Welty has several editions out of her stories. I know that these stories have been anthologized a lot ("A Worn Path," "A Wide Net," and "The Hitch-Hikers"). So it doesn't matter to me what edition of her stories that you buy, as long as you read them.

This edition is my first exposure to her collected stories (after I first read her autobiographical book, "One Writer's Beginnings") and I must admit that I am fascinated. She includes an incredible about in the settings, in the agile characterizations, and in her own unique, point of view. She is a master storyteller.

My personal favorites include "A Wide Net," "A Worn Path," and "Why I Sleep At The P.O."

Rating:
Summary: Good Introduction to Welty's Work
Review: This is a representative collection of the late Eudora Welty's short stories. While Welty wrote several novels, including the entertaining Robber Bridegroom, her reputation rests mainly on her short stories. This collection contains many of her most famous stories and shows well the range of her writing. Welty was an extremely skilful writer who could vary her writing style from the lyrical to the concise. Welty's work seems to inspire dichotomous reactions; either rapture or dislike. I find her work interesting but not compelling. This book is an excellent means to decide whether or not you wish to invest the a significant amount of time in reading Welty.