Short Synopsis

After moving into an old house on Hudson street, Henry, the youngest, makes a new friend named Bonnie. His parents believe Bonnie is imaginary, but Henry’s older sister suspects otherwise…and she’s right.

My Thoughts on The Imaginary Friend

There was an air of familiarity to the story—family moving into an old house with a restless spirit seeking something it once lost—but it didn’t feel stale.

Although I could easily predict that Henry’s imaginary friend wasn’t imaginary and that bad things would happen, I still held my breath at certain sections and even gasped at a certain revelation about Bonnie. That’s how this story garnered my respect, because it’s not easy to write a truly creepy story while still respecting your audience’s sensibilities.

Rather than rely on blood and guts for scares, Cropper uses vivid language that gets under your skin and for truly young (or sensitive) readers it could cause nightmares.

Final rating: B+

Short Synopsis

A grieving Genevieve is searching for her recently deceased grandmother’s very special handbag. As she does so, she explains who her grandmother was, where she came from, and what makes the handbag so special.

My Thoughts on The Faery Handbag

Like ‘The Wizards of Perfil‘ I’m left unsure of what I feel.

As with Link’s other stories this one was readable. It flowed well and before I knew it I slammed into the end. And I do mean slammed. The end was so abrupt that it felt unsettling, but similar to ‘The Wrong Grave‘ it left you with plenty to ponder. Unfortunately, though, I didn’t like it, the abruptness (I like the plenty to ponder part).

One aspect of the story that I found skillfully mastered was the unreliable narrator. Enough doubt is cast about Genevieve’s story to keep you guessing about whether she’s telling the truth, whether she’s outright lying, or whether she’s just a girl trying to cope with the loss of her beloved grandmother and missing (boy)friend Jake. It even cast enough doubt to question the existence of her grandmother and Jake. This story certainly isn’t what it seems.

Despite loving Link’s writing style and her dexterity with voice, I wasn’t in love with this story and that’s mainly because of the denouement…there wasn’t one.

Final rating: C+

Short Synopsis

A mad king has declared war on everyone leaving families broken and fear in his wake. An orphan named Onion, in the care of his aunt, is nearly sold into slavery, but at the last moment, the stranger from Perfil decides to take Onion’s ill-tempered cousin Halsa. Onion and Halsa are both special, they share the same gift, so while Halsa rides off to serve the Wizards of Perfil, it’s as though Onion is right there with her. In time, Halsa, after much hard labor, and Onion learn that the Wizards are nothing like they’d expected.

My Thoughts on The Wizards of Perfil

I’m not sure what I feel right now. I’m a bit unsettled.

The prose was smooth and I glided through pages with ease. The story unfolded like a half-remembered-dream where nothing could quite be nailed down (like ages or dates or locations) which worked in its favor and the story was unique and the characters were memorable, but I can’t shake this feeling that this would have been a better story had it been longer or, at least, more fleshed out. And the end, which I sort of saw coming, fizzled when I expected an explosion (or maybe a firecracker).

The reason for my ambivalence, though, is because I enjoyed reading it. Link is certainly a skilled wordsmith and she has a way of crafting genuine characters. (One small quirk was Halsa’s abrupt and quite jarring personality shift and Onion’s willingness to accept it at face value, but that was minor.) Plus, I like the thoughtful elements of the story; it was almost like a parable causing you to question the costs of war and faith.

But, the fact remains that I’m squarely on the fence and in my mind this story fell just short of excellence.

Final rating: C+

Short Synopsis

A boy regretting his decision to bury some of his poetry with his deceased girlfriend decides to dig her up and get them back, but receives a shocking surprise when he does.

My Thoughts on The Wrong Grave

I didn’t know what to expect from Kelly Link’s writing, but having read this story I can say it was a pleasant experience. This story was so many things—comical, dark, and poignant—and her writing style and subject matter aligned well with my own morbidity. (Dealing with Death has a way of skewing one’s personality; what one, who has not dealt with Death, might find disturbingly dark another may find amusingly dark.)

Each of the characters’ personalities were delineated, naturally flawed, and none of them seemed stock. I even found myself wanting to know more about the story’s anonymous narrator who had me chuckling every few pages.

As far as a plot or point to the story, there really wasn’t one that I could discern, but that was OK. It was just a charming sliver of another, longer story that I won’t ever know—unless, of course, Link ever decided to write it, at which time I would eagerly read it. Instead, I’m left to wonder and speculate and dwell on what happened to Miles and that girl he dug up.

Final rating: B+

Short Synopsis

A man and his wife who are mourning the loss of their young daughter begin to grow apart in a disturbing way.

My Thoughts on Weights and Measures

I’m probably the only person on planet Earth who hasn’t read something written by Jodi Picoult, so when I saw that she was one of the contributors I was excited. This would be a good way to test the waters, get a feel for her style…and I wasn’t disappointed.

First there is the prose style: smooth and lyrical. Her story was most definitely a character study and not only did each of them come alive, their grief did as well. It’s easy to feel the realness of this story.

And then the fantasy element sneaks up on you. When you realize what’s happening to the man and the woman, you’re forced to pause and let it soak in. Yes, the fantasy element was woven quite nicely into the tapestry of the story.

When I finished reading, the bittersweet story haunted me. It’s beautiful, and somewhat chilling, though nothing overtly frightening actually happens.

Now I know I’ve waited too long to read Picoult. She has officially been moved up on my author wish list.

Final Rating: A

Short Synopsis

A man, married with children, discovers one evening that he has an insatiable desire for blood, but doesn’t understand why. It’s not as though he’s a vampire, or even has an interest in them. Still, this desire drives him to do some crazy things which involves a neighbor’s chickens.

My Thoughts on Blood by Roddy Doyle

Overall, this was a quick and entertaining read, although I must admit the prose style required some getting used to. (There are no quotes for the dialog; it’s preceded by a dash.)

That said, this wasn’t the greatest short story I’d ever read. In a few places there was a noticeable voice shift which pulled me out of the story and other sections meandered, which just shouldn’t happen in a short story.

As far as character development goes, there wasn’t much, but it was forgivable since the primary focus is on what’s happening to the protagonist. The unfolding scenario was interesting enough to hold my attention and there was a fun twist at the end which made me smile on the inside.

This is my first time reading Roddy Doyle and, after this story, I’m likely to read more of his writing.

Final rating: B

(You can actually read this story online for free at the Times website. Don’t know if that link will work forever, though.)

Back Cover of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

Fitzgerald’s talent for short fiction is on display in this selection of four of his finest tales, chosen from two collections: Flappers and Philosophers (1920) and Tales of the Jazz Age (1922). Included are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a fantasy whose protagonist is born an old man and ages in reverse; “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” a coming-of-age story about a daring young flapper; “The Jelly-Bean,” a story of disillusionment and love lost; and “Dalyrimple Goes Wrong,” a case of a character torn between self and society.

Three Quick Points About The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

• Point 1: Another era. Not gonna lie, Fitzgerald’s language caught me off guard a couple of times, but it certainly reminded that he was writing in another era.
• Point 2: Life can be frustrating. It seems that your time line doesn’t matter, you’ll still come up against obstacles; they’ll only be slightly different.
• Point 3: Sad. That’s what I felt when the story of Benjamin Button ended.

Full Review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

Let me be upfront and say that this is more of a short story review than an entire book review. I’ve only read the cover story, which was my reason for purchasing the book in the first place. However, if you have no interest in owning the book, you can read the entire story of Benjamin Button for free online.

As time progresses, I’m sure that I will read the remaining stories in the book, but right now, it’s all about Benjamin. So, without further ado…

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age Synopsis

This is a short story (roughly 31 pages) of a man named Benjamin Button who was born an old man one morning in a Baltimore hospital.  His birth was enough to make everyone uneasy, especially his father Roger Button, who tried everything in his power to make Benjamin seem more acceptable.

He forced Benjamin to wear short pants, cut his long white beard, dye his hair, and try to play with children his own age. Unfortunately, for a man of threescore and ten, romping around with young children wasn’t going to happen, especially since he needed a cane to get around. During that time, Benjamin spent his time smoking cigars and passing time with his grandfather, who was roughly the same age.

When Benjamin turns twelve, chronologically, and realizes that he’s growing younger, he declares that he’s grown and demands his father let him wear long trousers. After a bit of discourse, and agreeing to maintain the facade of youth by dying his hair and trimming his whiskers and not wearing his glasses or carrying a cane on the street, his wish is granted.

At the age of eighteen, and physically fifty, Benjamin was shipped off to Yale to attend university. After the registrar caught sight of him, he was laughed off the campus, quite literally.

Soon, he began keeping the company of his father, who was of the same age—people often remarked that they two looked like brothers. While attending a social affair, Benjamin met his future wife; it was a case of love at first sight. Despite protests in the community, the two were wed and eventually had a child, who they named Roscoe.

Benjamin continued to age backwards as his family continued to age normally. Soon, his wife (who he’d lost interest in) and son became frustrated with him and assumed that he was the cause of his strange predicament. That was enough for Benjamin to join the military.

After becoming a decorated soldier and veteran of the Spanish-American war, it was time to go back to school. This time around, he looked roughly the right age, though a little large for a freshman, and he attended Harvard. But, the last two years wasn’t a cake walk because he continued to get younger and soon, people thought he was some sort of child prodigy who received early admission.

From there, life only continued to seem more difficult and painful for Benjamin until eventually, regressing until he was no more.

Final Thoughts On The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age

The story itself is timeless, but it’s made apparent that it was written in a different era; the language is one you don’t see used too often in this day and age.

In the opening scene, when Roger Button learns of his predicament and while playing the scenario of taking Benjamin home in his head, he passes a slave market and for a dark instant Mr. Button wished passionately that his son was black.

There’s nothing that seems maliciously racial in the story; however someone going into the story without a mindset for the setting (circa late 19th century) might be knocked off kilter to read such plain references to slavery.

And as I did with Island of the Blue Dolphins, I felt a slight pang when I came across the word gay used for its original meaning, to be happy and carefree, and wondered how it would be construed today. Would the story be rendered gay as a result?

In context, however, the story was an enjoyable read. There were instances I found myself having a good chuckle out loud:

“See here,” the old man announced suddenly, “if you think I’m going to walk home in this blanket, you’re entirely mistaken.”

“Babies always have blankets.”

With a malicious crackle the old man held up a small white swaddling garment. “Look!” he quavered. “This is what they had ready for me.”

“Babies always wear those,” said the nurse primly.

“Well,” said the old man, “this baby’s not going to wear anything in about two minutes. This blanket itches. They might at least have given me a sheet.”

“Keep it on! Keep it on!” said Mr. Button hurriedly.

At the beginning of the story, I found Benjamin to be quite an agreeable character. It wasn’t until he had grown to his early twenties (i.e. in his fifties chronologically) that I began to have some discourse with him, specifically around the time he began to lose interest in his wife because she was getting older and slowing down while he was growing younger and speeding up.

When they had met, his wife was the one who dragged him about to social gatherings and when the roles were reversed, it seemed as though Benjamin shirked his duties. Of course, it’s understandable when you begin to see that his mind is also regressing as his body does.

Yes, he maintains his experiences and memories, but it became obvious when he went to Harvard and suddenly found the studies difficult in his junior and senior years. That’s when the point was driven home: he was living his life in reverse. Reconciling his memories and experiences mentally with his chronological and physical age must have been tremendously difficult. Coupled with the reactions, especially from his family (grandfather, father, mother, wife, and son), and scandals only added another ton weight to his shoulders.

That’s what made the ending so bittersweet. On one hand, I was glad that Benjamin was out of his misery (and trust me, toward the end, it must have been misery), but it was also sad to see all those memories and experiences just fade away. Poof. Part of me is left wondering if that’s what it’s like to grow into the winter of one’s life.

This story is rather thought provoking, and even after you finish reading the last word, you’ll continue turning the possibilities over and over in your head. Now, I simply must go and see the movie (which I’ve heard is spectacular).

Rating: Required Reading (?)

Get The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age at Amazon