Read The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty Eudora Welty Ann Patchett Books

Product details Paperback 592 pages Publisher Mariner Books; Reprint edition (March 12, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 1328625648

The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty Eudora Welty Ann Patchett Books Reviews

• I feel humble even saying she is one of America's greats. If you have trouble 'getting' her writing, you probably aren't a Southerner! Neither am I so when I listened to her tell her own stories and it made a world of difference to hear the cadence and the accent. Even though it's been years since I heard her read (it was a tape that I can't play...having no tape player any longer)...I cant't help but HEAR her voice whenever I READ her words. What a gift she is to us readers. The eccentric characters, the humor...her view of Southern life. Her stories stay fresh and delightful even when I read the over and over through the years.
• I love having a collection of stories that shows the author's experimentation with different voices. We usually have "Why I Live at the P.O." in anthologies, and it was refreshing to read it again, in some ways for the first time decades after junior high. But to have the less well known titles tucked away into a collection like this shows the breadth of the author's talent and the politics of anthologies!
• I recently toured Welty'so home in Jackson, MS. Good background to have while reading her stories. If you are interested in southern culture or are familiar with it, this is a great story to read.
• This is a voluminous anthology of short stories. There are four collections of short stories and two "uncollected" short stories at the end. I believe they are in chronological order. I tried to read one story a day and it took me perhaps two months to work my way completely through them. I purchased both the and Audiobook and read and listened at the same time. This added to the experience for me. Some of the narration was excellent.
  
  Reading these stories in chronological order had an educational value for me. I could sense the evolution and maturation of the author. In truth, my own tastes are fairly basic and my favorite collection was the first, "A Green Curtain and Other Stories". However that is simply a matter of personal taste and all of the writing is excellent.
  
  It seemed to me that as Miss Welty's writing career went on she became more involved in symbolism. Her first stories are mostly in the American South and this continues throughout. The first collection appears to me to be largely "Southern Gothic".
  
  Later, some of Miss Welty's settings are other locations such as San Francisco and on a ship voyage. I have read an excellent biography of Miss Welty by Suzanne Marrs. I have discovered that some of these stories have an autobiographical aspect to them. Learning about that has made a great difference in my appreciation of these particular stories.
  
  She writes a story based on Greek Mythology. Some of the later stories are quite excellent. All are very professional. I enjoyed some of the later, but not others. It may be merely that she became too sophisticated in style for me. One of the last stories, "Where Is The Voice Coming From?" was quite stark and dramatic. Another later story, "The Burning" proved very painful for me to read.
  
  In summary, this was a very professional product, reflecting the work of a truly great, iconic author. I am very glad that I was to read these stories. Thank You...
• Had I more experience in reading Eudora Welty, I would have given these collected stories five stars. I am a latecomer to her writings. She is obviously a superb writer, but, being new to the way she writes, I tended to get lost in the narratives, losing track of who's speaking and where the story is going. She's writing from a Southern perspective, and it would help to be well-versed in her writing style before reading these. These collected stories are long; the more I read, the more I began to understand her writing and appreciated it more.
• What a wonderful find- all of Eudora Welty's stories in one volume to carry and read on ! One of our greatest Southern writers, Welty creates both ordinary and quirky people and situations with a wit and wise voice that is unique. The most charming of our Southern pantheon of mid-century writers (Faulkner, Williams, O'Connor, Capote, Harper Lee, etc.) If you don't already know Welty, do get this book - dozens of stories and may voices and moods!
• The Burning and The Wide Net are both permanent short American tales. But with Eudora Welty, everything is Saturday night turning into Sunday morning.
• Beautifully written stories that reflect the aftermath and hardships of life many decades after the end of slavery. Her characters are so true to themselves. What a shame that this author has gone unrecognized for so long! I look forward to reading all of her books.