Loading...
260th out of 347 books
—
59 voters
My rating:
add to my books
The Vicious Circle: Mystery and Crime Stories by Members of the Algonquin Round Table
by
Otto Penzler
With the possible exception of the expatriate writers living in Paris in the 1920s, no single group of American literary figures has achieved as much fame or notoriety as the New York sophisticates who met to match wits and attempt to outshine each other as members of what came to be called the Algonquin Round Table.
The humorists Robert Benchley and S. J. Perelman, playwri
...moreHardcover, 205 pages
Published
December 10th 2008
by Pegasus Books
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
60)
I was excited when I found this book, since I love the Algonquin Round Table authors and it contains an interesting selection of short stories. Was especially pleased that Marc Connelly is included, because I've never read anything of his before.
However...
The book contains an introduction like all the collections of the various members of Algonquin Group. Why they add these introductions I don't know--b/c they're all the same. Petty, idiotic and negative. I've yet to re...more
However...
The book contains an introduction like all the collections of the various members of Algonquin Group. Why they add these introductions I don't know--b/c they're all the same. Petty, idiotic and negative. I've yet to re...more
I recently read Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin. While browsing the stacks at the library I was pleased to find this collection of short stories featuring some of the authors mentioned in that book.
I would love to find a short story collection where I liked everything that was included...probably will never happen. This is actually a 3.5 star book, but I couldn't bring myself to bump it up to 4. As usual there were stories I just didn't like, though the following were my favorites in t...more
I would love to find a short story collection where I liked everything that was included...probably will never happen. This is actually a 3.5 star book, but I couldn't bring myself to bump it up to 4. As usual there were stories I just didn't like, though the following were my favorites in t...more
There are some real gems in here and a couple stinkers as well. The stone in the soup is Dorothy Parker's "Big Blonde" which, ironically, isn't quite the crime fiction style piece the other's went for but is instead an apparent memoir of her own suicide attempts. Yet the story stands out as the meatiest and most significant character study in the whole of the book. SJ Perelman's "Farewell, My Lovely Appetizer" captures and imitates Raymond Chandler's style so perfectly that i...more
Cute little book and an easy read. It's a nice idea, collecting short stories and mysteries from regulars around the Algonquin Round Table. My favorite parts were the introductory description of the Algonquin Table and the quotes collected from each author(most of the stories themselves are not that great). But who wouldn't love S.J. Perelman's quote after buying rural property in Bucks Co., PA, "A farm is an irregular patch of nettles bound by short-term notes, containing a fool and his wi...more
The Good: The sheer force of talent at work in these stories is fantastic. Wit has never been sharper or more biting. A great primer to the work of those who participated in the Algonquin Round Table.
The Bad: Few of these stories are actually mysteries. Racist attitudes pop up occasionally (though they are not out of place considering the era).
The Bad: Few of these stories are actually mysteries. Racist attitudes pop up occasionally (though they are not out of place considering the era).
Some of the stories were better than others, but the real problem was that they were all so short. I would rather have had fewer authors featured, but longer stories. The stories - mostly about 5-10 pages - aren't enough to give a real impression of the authors' styles.
Carole Prior
added it
Once again, insight into the personal characteristics of the members of the Algonquin Round Table, though this is a collection of their individual mysteries several of them have written. Each story has a rather unique and fascinating turn of events to keep you guessing.
The funniest stories in the collection are by S. J. Perelman. I was somewhat disappointed by Dorothy Parker's story. It wasn't funny and it didn't seem to be particularly literary.
The title misled me somewhat. The members of the Algonquin Round Table were known for their wit and sarcasm, and that's what this collection contains. Calling them mystery or crime stories implies that they are serious in tone. Nope. These are goofy mockeries of crime stories.
Here's a quote from a Robert Benchley story:
"Following are the details, such as they are. You may take them or leave them. If you leave them, please leave them in the coat room downstairs and say tha...more
Here's a quote from a Robert Benchley story:
"Following are the details, such as they are. You may take them or leave them. If you leave them, please leave them in the coat room downstairs and say tha...more
Now those were some good bedtime stories.
The editor's introduction was most accurate, "The stories in this collection range from the silly and lightweight to the poignant and profound." I found most of them silly and lightweight. The two Ring Lardner stories and the one Dorothy Parker were the best of the bunch.
always love reading stories by ring lardner, and dorothy parker. realized how much i don't enjoy perelman. some of it was tedious, and as another review suggests, they're not really crime stories, but hey, its a nice visit with a bunch of witty people.
I would love to have been able to sit at the round table from time to time. I love the wit and cynicism that abounded.
A mixed bag, but enjoyable enough.
Yvette
is currently reading it
Carol
marked it as to-read
Charlotte
marked it as to-read
Lois
marked it as to-read
Melissa
marked it as to-read
Todd
is currently reading it
|
|
view 1 comment
Alexandria
added it
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Otto Penzler is an editor of mystery fiction in the United States, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, where he lives.
More about Otto Penzler...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
