The Second Persephone Book of Short Stories

by Evelyn Sharp, Dorothy Canfield Fisher

"There are thirty stories, spanning nearly a century (from 1896–1984). Twelve are taken from the twelve volumes of stories we have published over the last few years; nine were previously published in our quarterly (later biannually) magazine during the last decade; and nine have been selected especially for this collection. They are presented in the order they were written. A quarter are by North American women writers.

Our proofreader wrote: ‘VERY ENJOYABLE, though some of the stories eg. “Monkey-Barges” by Emma Smith are exceedingly painful. It seems to me the common themes are grief over the two World Wars. This is stronger in the earlier part of the book, how to cope with a new order being stronger in the latter. Completely fascinating. Book Groups will love it.’"

--Persephone Books

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Classics

Paperback

Published April 1, 2019

About the author

Born in 1869, in London, Evelyn Sharp was the daughter of slate merchant James Sharp, and the sister of Cecil Sharp, who would later gain fame as a folksong collector, and leader of the folkdance revival. She was educated at Strathallan House, and - despite passing the Cambridge Higher Local Examination in history - at a finishing school in Paris. Against the wishes of her family, Sharp moved to London in 1894, where she became a journalist and an author, publishing a number of books for both children and adults.

A member of the Women's Industrial Council and the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, as well as the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), Sharp was a prominent activist in the Women's Suffrage movement, arrested twice, and once going on hunger strike. She edited the Votes for Women suffrage journal, and also had strong pacifist views. Sharp married her long-time friend and lover, Henry Nevinson, in 1933, and continued to work for the social causes in which she believed. She died in 1955.

Reviews

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 30 short stories spanning from 1896 to 1984. For the most part, I enjoyed them all. MY favourites were those by Dorothy Whipple, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Rose Macaulay, Elizabeth Berridge and Mollie Panter Downes. There were a couple of authors I had never heard of, such as Kathleen Warren and Janet McClure, whose stories were so good, I will be searching out more by them. This collection is a good way of discovering new authors.

So, overall, an excellent collection of short stories by women writers.

[Misha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of short stories spans nearly a century (1896-1984), and has some stories from authors I already adored (Katherine Mansfield, Carol Shields, Dorothy Whipple, Winifred Holtby, Colette, Irène Némirovsky, Edith Wharton) and some that are completely new to me. That's the beauty of Persephone really, that I discover a new-to-me, forgotten female author every time, which is kind of a sweetly painful experience, thinking of all the works still waiting to be discovered.

These stories set around pre and post WWII periods look into grief, loss and lives of ordinary women. The beauty of this collection lies in how inward looking this is. We get such a quietly staggering peek at lives that are deceptively still yet inwardly brimming with insecurities, fears, heartbreaks and above all, hope for a new era perhaps. These women struggle with their identities beyond and within their traditional roles, in the midst of enormous socio-political change. In recent years, I have developed a fondness for such restrained yet gorgeous writing, saying so much without laying it all bare. Often this makes me not like a lot of contemporary writing because they are the exact opposite of nuance or subtlety. Reading this collection is like a warm hug on a winter's day so you feel safe, but it's also like looking uncomfortably into yourself and all your silly sorrows, so it also shakes you up a bit. It was definitely a perfect companion for my Covid related hibernation.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of thirty short stories spanning nearly a century (from 1896-1984), to celebrate Persephone's twentieth anniversary.
Some of my favourites are :
The Little Willow by Frances Towers
Sunday Morning by Dorothy Whipple
The House at Hove by Diana Gardner
A must have book for all Persephone lovers !

[Mela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have found 21 of 30 stories from the collection.

🕮 "In dull brown" by Evelyn Sharp
Nicely written. I understand the message was more important at the time it was written. But there was no "wow". [3-3.5 stars]

🕮 "The bedquilt" by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
It was one of those stories I can't decide if it was sad or comforting. Nonetheless, I was happy for Aunt Mehetabel's success. [4 stars]

🕮 "Her first ball" by Katherine Mansfield
Was this first ball only the beginning of her last ball, after all?
Brilliant. A perfect pace, and atmosphere. Then, there was a kind of peak in the story and a superb ending.
Why didn't happiness last for ever? For ever wasn't a bit too long.
The short story at its best. [5 stars]

🕮 "The other wife" by Colette
Another worthy reading and learning how to write a short story. A simple plot, nothing extraordinary, yet, at the ending one gets a punchline that leaves a lasting impression. [5 stars]

🕮 "The casualty list" by Winifred Holtby
Sadly true. We are all on a casualty list of life. [4-4.5 stars]

🕮 "Thunder shower" by Malachi Whitaker
The sadness of this story flowed from the captured reality of so many (too many) girl's/woman's stories. And the author captured it splendidly. [4 stars]

🕮 "The exile" by Joanna Cannan
Perhaps not one of my favourite in this collection, but it was still telling a lot about people. [3 stars]

🕮 "After tea" by Dorothy Whipple
In a way, it looked like a story about nothing especially interesting. But on the second level, I saw there a gripping question about parenthood. [3-3.5 stars]

🕮 "Monsieur Rose" by Irène Nèmirovsky
It was priceless as a story written in the time it took place. Almost as "live coverage of the event". It had to have a powerful impact in the 1940s.
Reading it without having in mind the above, one gets just a properly written story (one could say - without ending). [4.5 stars]

🕮 "Going home" by Sally Benson
A nice, surprising punchline. [3 stars]

🕮 "Miss Anstruther's letters" by Rose Macaulay
Semi-autobiographical story and I could feel the sadness of someone who lost again something that was lost already. [3 stars]

🕮 "The house at hove" by Diana Gardner
Probably it was controversial at the time of writing. Nowadays, less, but the topic remains difficult for those it touches. [3 stars]

🕮 "Year of decision" by Mollie Panter-Downes
Witty, charming, and with a wonderful ending sentence story written in wartime. The life, thoughts of an ordinary man who wants to be unordinary. [5 stars]

🕮 "The prisoner" by Elizabeth Berridge
We each think with our own heads and feel with our own hearts, whatever salute our hands must give.
[5 stars]

🕮 "To open a door" by Kathleen Warren
Interesting. Well-written. [3-3.5 stars]

🕮 "The proof" by Mary Rickwood
I didn't feel and the meaning/message of the story was lost to me. [2 stars]

🕮 "The green heart" by Jane McClure
It is (probably) the most heart-wrenching story in the collection. Jane McClure made me want to hug Julian tightly and scream at his parents. I felt so sad for all such children that it was almost unbearable. [5 stars]

🕮 "Sunday morning" by Dorothy Whipple
Great plot twist. [5 stars]

🕮 "For good" by Alice Adams
Lightly, nicely written. Looking like the potential for a good novel. I think the author is worth exploring. [4 stars]

🕮 "Accidents" by Carol Shields
The punchline was great. The idea, that from a life full of accidents we end up as abridgment was brilliant. At least, I read this story so. [4 stars]

🕮 "Gilbert" by Rosamunde Pilcher
I think, the most charming (and funny) among all in this collection I could find. [5 stars]

Averaging the ratings gives 4 stars. Most stories were either 5-stars or 3-stars, just a few were between.

PS If you want links to short stories available on the Internet look at the thread in Persephone Books group.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection; the two Dorothy Whipple stories were stand out favourites, I'm planning on picking up one of her short story collections soon.

[Holly]

These short stories made me laugh, tear up, think deeply, and reflect. Such a powerful collection!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can't miss with this. Persephone. Short Stories. For the win!

Of course the best part of these collections is getting a taste of an author you haven't read before and being able to confidently add them to your list. As always, the story by Dorothy Whipple turned out to be one of my favorites.

[Toast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another valuable collection of stories wrapped in the characteristic dove grey cover. A triumph of female writing - quiet, understated, loud, brash, committed and always of such quality. Something to dip into or to devour in whole. I loved it.
Toast

[VG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst not quite as wonderful as Persephone’s first collection, these are still an immensely enjoyable set of stories that bring together some of their perennially popular authors from across the decades.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this book after a mini dry spell! I really like this anthology, solid stories and writing all around. I also like how each story makes me slightly uncomfortable and most of them end in a disconcerting way... it's also so fascinating to actually see how women writers have evolved from writing about "oh my he sent me a letter, is he interested in me?" in the mid 19th century to "oh I'm not going to sleep with him tonight" in the 1970s.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that shows off what Persephone books are all about in one volume. Thirty stories, some longer than others, all have the special flavour of stories that represent the unique nature of the publishing house. They appear in the order that they were published, the earliest from 1896, the most recent from 1984, and all are written by women. There is a short biography of each writer in the back of the book, which is useful as while some authors are well known, having published books that are popular, whereas others are less famous.

The variety of stories is therefore wide, with nine wartime tales which of themselves vary between those which acknowledge the reality of war, and those which instead look at the people who happened to be living at the time. Most of the stories are based in Britain, but several are based in other countries which represents the balance of Persephone books overall. A number of stories have appeared in other Persephone collections of stories; there are a few Mollie Panter- Downes volumes already published set in both war and peace. While some stories have been featured in Persephone’s own twice yearly magazine, others have been more difficult to access. As always the distinctive grey cover of this book distinguishes this book as one of an excellent series; a well produced and attractive book which would be a wonderful gift.

The first story looks at what women think, whereas the Canfield Fisher story looks at the sole notable achievement of a woman. I enjoyed the story of a young woman who has suffered oppression by her parents, and discovers her own life. The real pain and irony of fleeing the invading armies in France is especially memorable although it features a man. Some stories are tragic, but others are inspiring and even humourous. Many are clever, and have much to say about women’s lives in the time when they were written.

While it would be possible to go through all of the stories and provide a comment on each, I would suggest that finding your own route through this book would be more successful. The very essence of this book is to give a short insight into a life, either over a long period or a very brief glimpse of an incident. Short stories can be an acquired taste, but they have the advantage of offering something for everyone’s taste in a book like this of diverse authors. This is the second book of short stories that Persephone has published, and either one is to be recommended as offering an impressive selection of tasters of women authors who had something to say in the twentieth century, or to demonstrate the power of fiction in lives affected by change and challenges.

[Elsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories. There was only one story I didn’t like (by Frances Towers - much too sentimental) and only one more that felt weak, which may be owing to the fact that it was the oldest story of the lot and was dated both in subject matter and writing style. All the rest I adored. So many interesting vignettes out of people’s lives: young, old, male, female, and so very well-written! It will be a pleasure to seek out those authors that I haven’t already read. Thank you, lovely Persephone books! What a treasure you are.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Box of chocolates may be a tired comparison, but it aptly describes the fun of doling these out over weeks with the uncertainty of whether the story would be something to savor. Overall, a 5 though I felt differently about individual stories.
Some favorites:
Dorothy Canfield Fisher, "The Bedquilt"
Colette, "The Other Wife"
Frances Towers, "The Little Willow" (it's worth finding her collected stories, "Tea with Mister Rochester" is wonderful, laugh-out-loud fun
Mollie Painter Downes "Beside the Still Waters"
Mary Rickwood, "Proof"
Carol Shields, "Accidents"

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“She still looked on all the changes and difficulties as a temporary departure from normal life which would be over in a short while. She was too old and too set to learn from a war that there is no such thing as normal life, only life.” (p. 141)

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leído a lo largo de casi un año, este compendio de pequeñas historias escritas por mujeres de mediados del siglo pasado es una delicia, llena de joyas literarias. El libro en sí es también una joya, con una edición cuidada y preciosa. Un descubrimiento.

[Clare Paterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent - just as good as I thought it might be. Such a pleasure to have this second collection from Persephone. Looking forward to the third.....

[Rohan Iyengar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rare book from Persephone, a feminist focused bookstore in the UK that publishes works of woman that were not throughout history. This book focused on 1900s European stories, all written by women. The stories mostly focus on women's roles in society and various commentaries to start with, then focus on WW2 for a while. Overall, a worthwhile collection of books and something you wouldn't find anywhere.

Some of the stories are a bit too subtle for my taste, but generally pleasant writing that would otherwise be lost to the ether.