Pack of Cards: And Other Stories Book

Very enjoyable stories, most of them amusing, some hilarious and some rather moving. Very English as well: I just love the use of understatement. Lively also likes to introduce some absurdity now and then.
The first story is moving and the picture that she sketches of the impoverished upper class is shocking. In the Voice of God story I like the way the author sketches the renters and how they interact. Lively has a keen and mostly forgiving and ironic eye for human weakness. Interpreting the past is a good story as well, profound. Servants talk about people is hilarious. Help is painful, a bit nasty and reminds one of Roald Dahl. Miss Carlton is a sweet and entertaining story that I liked very much. Revenant seemed a bit old-fashioned too me. At the Pitt-Rivers was one of the stories I liked less. A world of her own is a devastating portrait of an egotistic personality who thinks she is an artist. Presents of Fish and Game is another one that has not withstood time very well, I think. A clean death, on the contrary, is a more profound story that remains with you after finishing it. Corruption is hilarious again. Halfway the collection there are a few stories that I find less interesting. Th Art of Biography is entertaining a again with a touch of Dahl. A long night at Abu Simbel is another portrait of the less likeable part of human character. The French Exchange as well, with the added brilliance of the portrait of French student. Pack of Cards is another very good one in the same sphere. The Crimean Hotel has a touch of melancholy that is another trait that characterizes some stories. The last two stories have a touch of the absurd that is very enjoyable as well.

An excellent collection of a writer that is not very well known outside the UK, but very much worth the discovery.