Reviews for Twelve Stories And A Dream

The average rating for Twelve Stories And A Dream based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-12-20 00:00:00 Randy Weaver Of the stories in this volume, the last one is the best. It is called "In the Fog," and it was first published in 1901 in a handsome single volume illustrated by two artists, both quite good, though rather dissimilar. I just finished reading this story. It is a mystery told in three tales in a gentlemen's club, and in that frame story itself. It looks like it served as the inspiration for a 1911 silent film (under a different title) by the Edison Company. How it could possibly be told without spoken dialogue I do not know. I need to see it. But, be that as it may, I highly recommend this story as a prose work, suggesting, in addition, that you may wish to buy a copy of the first edition, which is a fine specimen of the book printer's art. "In the Fog" is a novella, really, a little under 100 pages. The first story in this collection, "Ranson's Folly," is also a mystery, but set in the Old West. It was filmed twice as a silent film. It is a few pages longer than "In the Fog." The somewhat shorter story "The Bar Sinister," is a tale narrated by a dog. It is fun, if not great. It was filmed in 1955 as "It's a Dog's Life." Again, I have not seen it. There are two other stories in the book, both shorter. I skipped over "A Derelict," but may some day go back to it. And the final story, about a love letter, is excellent. Really quite good. Richard Harding Davis was not a great writer, but he was an able storyteller. This old book is worth checking out, if for no other reason than wholesome entertainment along with a dose of the culture of a century ago. It was a very different time.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-11-07 00:00:00 Angela B. Russotto I read this book about ten years ago and I was reminded that I had it this morning when I was looking at another Goodreader's "shelves" as is my want. Looking briefly through this selection of thirty short stories, the most famous of which was the "Boule de Suif", or "suet dumpling", I vividly recalled this one about a Rouen prostitute. She was: "Short, completely round, fat as a pig, with puffy fingers constricted at the joints like strings of tiny sausages, taut shiny skin, and huge breasts swelling underneath her dress, her freshness was so attractive that she nonetheless remained desirable and much sought after." I guess that there is no accounting for taste but this book is worth acquiring purely to read this. The stories are wide and diverse and I feel that Maupassant was a great loss to the literary world with his early death in an asylum at the age of forty-two. An excellent read!