The description attests "readers of all ages will be delighted by these fanciful tales"; however, I'm not as convinced. I started in the middle so that I could re-read The Happy Prince, which is one of my favorite short stories - and as a result I read the collection out of sequence, ending with The Star-Child, which was a pretty good way to finish, as this story and The Fisherman And His Soul are two of the strongest in the bunch.

That being said...I can't really agree that all ages will be "delighted" by these tales, particularly younger readers in the 21st century. Rather heavy on the moral messages, hugely heavy on aesthetic description (this is Oscar Wilde, after all, so one should be prepared for plenty of attention to ornamentation), and ultimately pretty cumbersome reading for short stories. These weaknesses unfortunately kill any pace that might have otherwise been generated. More than a few of the endings felt rather tacked on, or invoked a "truism" about metaphysics, etc. that will sail right over the heads of young readers, and didn't seem necessary to the story at all.

Ultimately a disappointment as a whole, but I was really glad to have found The Fisherman And His Soul.

In spite of this, I think Wilde did a fantastic job with The Picture of Dorian Gray!!