Complete Stories

by Dorothy Parker
Complete Stories  
published December 31st 2002 by Penguin Classics
binding Paperback
isbn 0142437212   (isbn13: 9780142437216)
pages 480
description As this complete collection of her short stories demonstrates, Parker's talents extended far beyond brash one-liners and clever rhymes. Her stories no...more
date added
01-31-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 284)



Núria
Núria rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
10/08/07

bookshelves: 2006, borrowed, favorites, literatura-inglesa
Read in July, 2006
Aunque siempre he adorado a Dorothy Parker, tardé tiempo en animarme a leer este libro, porque me da pánico la sensación de vacío que te queda cuando te das cuenta que ya no leerás nada nuevo de uno de tus escritores favoritos. Sé que me quedan sus poemas, pero no es lo mismo. Cuando por fin lo empecé, me propuse leerlo en tres etapas, porque el libro también se divide en tres partes. Luego, decidí que lo leería en dos, que lo dejaría justo a la mitad, porque como se trata de relatos ...more
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Jen
Jen rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
01/10/08

Read in January, 2008
recommends it for: women, feminists, cool men
Whew! I'm a born-again Parker fan. This collection of short stories is the editor's attempt to prove she deserves critical acclaim and inclusion in the male-centric literary canon, and I, for one, am sold!

Most of the included stories were written in the 1920s-40s, and they are an illuminating peek at the prevailing pretensions of the time - she skewers societal affectations as well as the battle between the sexes (and the unfortunate lack of open communication between them). "Too Bad,&q...more
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T.J.
06/07/08

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in June, 2007
recommends it for: cynics, pessimists, your annoying romantic friends, feminists, postmodern folk
Despite my romantic nature, I am also a cynic at heart. Behind the fuzzy warmth of emotional connection and romantic bliss I generally sense or anticipate wretched heartbreak. So does the Divine Ms. Parker, who writes with acerbic wit and uncharacteristic openness the foibles of love, romance, liberalism, anti-racism, and patriarchy.

Her short stories are quite well-done, but need to not be all read at once; they get wearing if taken in all one go. Her insights on 1920's white liberals are...more
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vanessa
vanessa rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/02/07

pithy vignettes of obnoxious people. becomes tedious if you read the stories together as a string--you are introduced to dolt after wanker, know them for 5 minutes, and then move on to the next daft character. it has the collective effect of being at a wretched cocktail party where you want to put all the guests on mute.
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Megan
Megan rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/16/07

Read in January, 2004
recommends it for: Anyone who thinks stories dealing with drinking and divorce can be funny
This is a collection of Dorothy Parker’s short stories from around the 1920’s and 1930’s. Each one is super entertaining and tinged with the social satire from the time. Personally, I don’t think there’s any female author out there funnier than this one! Her poems are definitely worth a sneak peak too!
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Kelly Franklin Robinson
Kelly rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/03/07

Read in August, 2007
I like Parker's very consistent way of making characters comically unsympathetic or naive. And then there are characters who you just plain feel sorry for. I didn't really get emotionally in tune with any of these stories, though.
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Sonia
07/20/07

Read in January, 2007
Good stuff, but as with John Cheever's I don't think they should be read all at once, in spite of the packaging. I suppose everyone knows her gift for the mot juste, but I learned a lot about narrative voice as well.
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Chelsea
Chelsea rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
12/16/07

bookshelves: collections, own
Read in January, 2005
I'm a much bigger fan of Parker's poetry than her short stories - I think the poetry has aged much better. She's still snarky and funny and occasionally poignant, however, and any fan of her poems should check out her stories.
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Eric
06/22/07

I know she's thought of as a proto-feminist and "chick-lit" writer, but something about her writing -her talents for allusion, subtle sarcasm, and sadness- have stuck with me ever since I read this for a class years ago.
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Kathy
Kathy rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/19/07

Bitter, hilarious, ironic, and well ahead of her time. Makes one only wonder what a full length novel from her would have been like. "Clothe The Naked" is nothing short of a masterpiece of short fiction.
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Sarah
09/06/07

Read in October, 2007
I've read them all before, but the stories are definitely worth another read...
Nobody makes you feel more like an idiot, and a typical one at that, than Mrs. Parker.
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Claire
Claire rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
11/11/07

recommends it for: feminists from 90 years ago
Dorothy Parker's stories are completely outdated and no longer relevent to any feminist plight. And they're not terrible but they're not funny, either.
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Mardi
Mardi rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
08/19/07

"The Waltz" is one of my favorite short stories. I don't know exactly what my Dorothy Parker collection is called but this story is marvelous!
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Sue
Sue rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/09/07

This is great, but "Big Blonde" is one of the best and also one of the most depressing stories I've ever read in my life.
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Isabel
Isabel rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/29/07

bookshelves: currently-reading
Read in July, 2007
Been reading that for about a month because it does get a bit repetitive. Witty, sad sometimes, quite entertaining.
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Claire
Claire rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/02/08

Read in July, 2008
Her short stories crack me up. The feminism is satirically covered and make me want to read one after another.
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Erica
Erica rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/08/07

Read in January, 2005
recommends it for: if you haven't read any Dorothy Parker this is a great place to start
make sure you read "a telephone call"
D. Parker was way ahead of her time emotionally
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Elizabeth
Elizabeth rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/20/07

I guess this is the opposite of popular opinion, but I really like her poetry better.
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Meghan
Meghan rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/20/07

bookshelves: fiction
Lots of great stories about the seemingly perfect lives of people.
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Lindsey
Lindsey rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/19/07

Read in January, 2006
Probably my favorite collection of short stories by one author
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 4.22 (202 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 4.20 (164 ratings)
number of reviews: 24






other editions

Complete Stories (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)