This write-up and next few to follow are going to be brief. It is just that I have decided to keep this blog as up to date as possible and I have quite a bit to update and I am determined to do it today.
Coming to the book and the author-
This is the first book of Katherine Mansfield's that I have read. Her writing style is quite different from the kind I am used to. Due to this, I had a slow start and struggled a bit to finish a couple of stories. I guess, once you can see through a couple of stories, one becomes more familiar with the writing style and is able to finish the rest of the book quite quickly. I would recommend anyone who plans on reading this book, to start with the story, 'Miss Brill' as it is short and easy to read and will help in 'acclimatise' oneself to Katherine Mansfield's work. I picked the book up at the British Library and what attracted me to it was the word 'Party' in the title. I just thought there would be amazing descriptions of food in it. Though there is some description, not enough :).
As I already mentioned, the writing style is quite different to the one I am used to, I went an extra mile to understand her writing initially. I read about the life of Katherine Mansfield and also read through the critical analysis of some of her stories. It helped me appreciate her work better. Some of the stories in book have been televised and the videos are available on Youtube. These are extremely helpful as well and played a vital role in my appreciating the book.The ending of some of the stories is left to the imagination of the reader.
I also read a lot about comparison between Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf. For me, the writing styles of Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf is quite similar, the major difference being- Katherine Mansfield wrote short stories while Virginia Woolf wrote novels. This work from Katherine Mansfield is indicative of her in-depth study and observations on the society and human behaviour in the early 1900s and reflects in the way the characters have been built in all of her stories.
This is definitely not a book to start reading if one is trying to develop reading as a hobby as it could have a repellent effect. Also, I personally think, that people would like her stories but not necessarily her writing style. Some would label many stories in the book as slow-paced and a drag.
Will I pick-up a Katherine Mansfield book again? I would only if I want to do some very serious reading. I would rate this book 3.5/5.
Coming to the book and the author-
This is the first book of Katherine Mansfield's that I have read. Her writing style is quite different from the kind I am used to. Due to this, I had a slow start and struggled a bit to finish a couple of stories. I guess, once you can see through a couple of stories, one becomes more familiar with the writing style and is able to finish the rest of the book quite quickly. I would recommend anyone who plans on reading this book, to start with the story, 'Miss Brill' as it is short and easy to read and will help in 'acclimatise' oneself to Katherine Mansfield's work. I picked the book up at the British Library and what attracted me to it was the word 'Party' in the title. I just thought there would be amazing descriptions of food in it. Though there is some description, not enough :).
As I already mentioned, the writing style is quite different to the one I am used to, I went an extra mile to understand her writing initially. I read about the life of Katherine Mansfield and also read through the critical analysis of some of her stories. It helped me appreciate her work better. Some of the stories in book have been televised and the videos are available on Youtube. These are extremely helpful as well and played a vital role in my appreciating the book.The ending of some of the stories is left to the imagination of the reader.
I also read a lot about comparison between Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf. For me, the writing styles of Katherine Mansfield and Virginia Woolf is quite similar, the major difference being- Katherine Mansfield wrote short stories while Virginia Woolf wrote novels. This work from Katherine Mansfield is indicative of her in-depth study and observations on the society and human behaviour in the early 1900s and reflects in the way the characters have been built in all of her stories.
This is definitely not a book to start reading if one is trying to develop reading as a hobby as it could have a repellent effect. Also, I personally think, that people would like her stories but not necessarily her writing style. Some would label many stories in the book as slow-paced and a drag.
Will I pick-up a Katherine Mansfield book again? I would only if I want to do some very serious reading. I would rate this book 3.5/5.
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