What do you think?
Rate this book
Far-away Stories
Contained here are a collection of short stories by William J. Locke. Included in this volume are the The Song of Life; Ladies in Lavender; Studies in I. An Old-World Episode, II. The Conqueror, III. A Lover's Dilemma, IV. A Woman of the War; The Princess's Kingdom; The Heart at Twenty; The Scourge; and My Shadow Friends.
- GenresShort Stories
268 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1919
12 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
William John Locke
313 books10 followersWilliam John Locke was a British novelist, dramatist and playwright, best known for his short stories. His works have been made into 24 motion pictures, the most recent of which was Ladies in Lavender, filmed in 2004 and starring Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. Probably the most famous of Locke's books adapted to the screen was the 1918 Pickford Film Corporation production of Stella Maris starring Mary Pickford. In addition, four of his books were made into Broadway plays, two of which Locke wrote and were produced by Charles Frohman.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 5, 2020
The song of life:
a violinist devotes his life to a "song of life" but simply can't pull it together and it nearly sends him crazy. Then one day he hears his music coming from other hands
Ladies in lavender:
familiar to many because of the film by that name. Two sisters past the prime of youth find a classically handsome young man injured, washed up on the coast and both fall in love with him.
Studies in blindness:
A series of stories featuring blindness, whether a war injury, cataracts etc. All different, all really well done, all five stars, as follows:
An old world episode:
a man horrible disfigured after a burn accident as a child despairs of ever finding true love until he meets a young woman who is blind from cataracts. He finally feels happy and complete until he meets a doctor who says he can cure his wife's blindness
The conqueror:
an old maid tries to forget her one kiss twenty years prior but then the 'not so young anymore' man returns to settle down. He is more confident and competent that ever but she soon discovers he is blind.
A lover's dilemma:
a young man temporarily blinded by a gun blast is recovering at a convalescent home where he quickly falls in love with the kindly nurse who convinces him that she is ugly. The problem is, he grows to love the plain face she describes only to find out later she deceived him.
A woman of the war:
a nurse is forced to remember her own seedy past when a lover returns in the form of a wounded soldier, 'blinded' by wrappings. Should she reveal herself or leave well enough alone?
The princess's kingdom:
A princess's daughter attempts to elope with her true love by swimming across the channel and unto "their kingdom".
The heart at twenty:
A young woman is heartbroken when the man she thinks loves her, leaves the area abruptly.
The scourge:
Pride comes before a crash. So one man who thinks he has crossed all T's and dotted all I's his entire life is forced to come face to face with his horrible inadequacy.
I found this story to be reminiscent of the biblical king Nebuchadnezzar who after blindly boasting to the heavens of his great accomplishments was forced to live like a bull for seven years.
My shadow friends:
Wrapping up previous books with a "where are they now"? conclusion.
a violinist devotes his life to a "song of life" but simply can't pull it together and it nearly sends him crazy. Then one day he hears his music coming from other hands
Ladies in lavender:
familiar to many because of the film by that name. Two sisters past the prime of youth find a classically handsome young man injured, washed up on the coast and both fall in love with him.
Studies in blindness:
A series of stories featuring blindness, whether a war injury, cataracts etc. All different, all really well done, all five stars, as follows:
An old world episode:
a man horrible disfigured after a burn accident as a child despairs of ever finding true love until he meets a young woman who is blind from cataracts. He finally feels happy and complete until he meets a doctor who says he can cure his wife's blindness
The conqueror:
an old maid tries to forget her one kiss twenty years prior but then the 'not so young anymore' man returns to settle down. He is more confident and competent that ever but she soon discovers he is blind.
A lover's dilemma:
a young man temporarily blinded by a gun blast is recovering at a convalescent home where he quickly falls in love with the kindly nurse who convinces him that she is ugly. The problem is, he grows to love the plain face she describes only to find out later she deceived him.
A woman of the war:
a nurse is forced to remember her own seedy past when a lover returns in the form of a wounded soldier, 'blinded' by wrappings. Should she reveal herself or leave well enough alone?
The princess's kingdom:
A princess's daughter attempts to elope with her true love by swimming across the channel and unto "their kingdom".
The heart at twenty:
A young woman is heartbroken when the man she thinks loves her, leaves the area abruptly.
The scourge:
Pride comes before a crash. So one man who thinks he has crossed all T's and dotted all I's his entire life is forced to come face to face with his horrible inadequacy.
I found this story to be reminiscent of the biblical king Nebuchadnezzar who after blindly boasting to the heavens of his great accomplishments was forced to live like a bull for seven years.
My shadow friends:
Wrapping up previous books with a "where are they now"? conclusion.
February 24, 2021
I believe I came to know of William Locke, the same way many others did: watching Ladies in Lavender, starring Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. I had to read the story, but I found myself enjoying Mr. Locke's writing style and his stories immensely. Yes, I liked Ladies in Lavender, but I really liked his Studies in Blindness.
February 1, 2018
This collection came to my attention after watching the movie "Ladies in Lavender" (starring Judi Dench & Maggie Smith) which is based on one of the short stories in this book. The writing style is elegant and poignant although at times overly sentimental. Nevertheless, I found several of the stories to be touching and thought provoking.
April 11, 2018
After seeing the movie, LADIES IN LAVENDAR, and loving it, I wanted to see if it was from a novel. I discovered that it was a short story by this author and was able to get the book from the library. Loved the story and all the other short stories in the book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews