These are gems! One review on the back of the jacket called this book "funny, sad, acerbic, and fresh," and it is certainly all those things. I am not a big fan of short stories, but this collection was well-worth reading, and if my bookcases were not overflowing, I would keep it.
What insight Gavell had into human nature, and what an eye for little human peculiarities! And she can be sly with her humor. In "Baucis," the story about the woman who half-unconsciously longs for widowhood, I found this: "...And she had never found lipstick on his shirt, for he was a man of outstanding faithfulness. Sometimes when a friend confided a tale of a philandering husband, her eyes brightened, for she was a thoroughly kind and generous woman, and she took real pleasure in the good fortune of others."
What insight Gavell had into human nature, and what an eye for little human peculiarities! And she can be sly with her humor. In "Baucis," the story about the woman who half-unconsciously longs for widowhood, I found this: "...And she had never found lipstick on his shirt, for he was a man of outstanding faithfulness. Sometimes when a friend confided a tale of a philandering husband, her eyes brightened, for she was a thoroughly kind and generous woman, and she took real pleasure in the good fortune of others."
I thought this was a great book of short stories! Not my usual thing, but there were many that were self-contained an interesting. If you're a short story sort (or not), I think you would like this book a lot.
