Review: Short Story Masterpieces by American Women Writers edited by Clarence Strowbridge

I received a copy of this book from Dover Publications through NetGalley

The editors of this book have aptly named this collection of short stories “Masterpieces.”  I enjoyed each and every one of the stories in this anthology.  The stories are penned by American female authors that date from the 19^th through the early 20^th century.  Edith Wharon, Willa Cather, and Kate Chopin are just some of the fantastic female writers that are represented in this book.  The theme that runs throughout this collection is that women are resilient and are much stronger than others often give them credit for.

One of my favorites in the collection is “The Revolt of Mother” by Mary E Wilkins Freeman (1852-1930).  A woman is married to a farmer for over 40 years and in that time she is a faithful and hardworking wife and never complains about the shabby conditions of their house.  One day the farmer decides to build a fancy new barn and the wife makes it known that she is not pleased with this.  She has been living in a rundown house and the farmer promised to build her a new place to live but never delivered on his promise.  One weekend when the farmer is away, the wife takes matters into her own hands and shocks not only the farmer, but also the local preacher and the rest of the town with her daring actions.  The moral of this story, like many of the others in this collection, is not to underestimate the power of a woman when she really wants something.

One of the most common remarks that I get from people when find out that I review books and have a blog is that they don’t have time to read.  If you truly want to work more reading into your schedule and lack the time, then I highly recommend giving short stories a try.  Even if you read for only 5 minutes a day, you will be exposed to some fantastic writing, especially in this collection of SHORT STORY MASTERPIECES BY AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS.

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