The Best Short Stories of O. Henry

Rating:
Summary: THE FOUR MILLION CLUB and other shoft stories
Review: ...This anthology contains 21 tales set in New York City at the dawn of the 20th century, but also offers readers a bonus of 4 tales set in the exotic tropics of a fictitious banana republic. O Henry focuses his curious literary microscope on the diverse lives of various residents of this internationally-famous metropolis. Some of his protagonists can claim idle-rich status, but more represent the middle class and many the poverty-stricken milieu. Indulgent readers will discover the flavor of a past century, rub shoulders with men on the other side of the law, and commiserate with thwarted lovers--while privately anticipating the trademark ending with a Twist.

But the author's style reminds me of P. G. Wodehouse's moonstruck romantic pairs; the tales predate TV's innocuous "Love, American Style" episodes, in which we do not take their amorous escapades seriously. Then, to throw us off guard, he spikes the anthology with a few pathic and even tragic stories. One suspects that he was gently trying to raise the social consciousness of the literate public. Various ethnic groups, with their inherent city-acquired bigotry, become the target of his nible wit, especially the Irish and Italians. After all, his beloved olde New York was a true melting pot from the kitchen of Ellis Island.

Narrated in both first and third, person, these stories incorporate flagrant slang and, for humor, one actually boasts a canine narrator! They challenge contemporary readers with their antiquated vocabulary--intermigled with literary, Biblical and
artsy references. O. Henry will repeatedly send one to a dictionary or encyclopedia with his liberal sprinkling of foreign words. Like the British before him, O. Henry contemplates the danger of the temptations of a tropical paradise. Will Yankees actually "go Native" like so many English did before them? Of course, the real cocoanut conundrum is to choose your five favorite stories from this delightful smorgasbord!

Rating:
Summary: THE FOUR MILLION CLUB and other shoft stories
Review: ...This anthology contains 21 tales set in New York City at the dawn of the 20th century, but also offers readers a bonus of 4 tales set in the exotic tropics of a fictitious banana republic. O Henry focuses his curious literary microscope on the diverse lives of various residents of this internationally-famous metropolis. Some of his protagonists can claim idle-rich status, but more represent the middle class and many the poverty-stricken milieu. Indulgent readers will discover the flavor of a past century, rub shoulders with men on the other side of the law, and commiserate with thwarted lovers--while privately anticipating the trademark ending with a Twist.

But the author's style reminds me of P. G. Wodehouse's moonstruck romantic pairs; the tales predate TV's innocuous "Love, American Style" episodes, in which we do not take their amorous escapades seriously. Then, to throw us off guard, he spikes the anthology with a few pathic and even tragic stories. One suspects that he was gently trying to raise the social consciousness of the literate public. Various ethnic groups, with their inherent city-acquired bigotry, become the target of his nible wit, especially the Irish and Italians. After all, his beloved olde New York was a true melting pot from the kitchen of Ellis Island.

Narrated in both first and third, person, these stories incorporate flagrant slang and, for humor, one actually boasts a canine narrator! They challenge contemporary readers with their antiquated vocabulary--intermigled with literary, Biblical and
artsy references. O. Henry will repeatedly send one to a dictionary or encyclopedia with his liberal sprinkling of foreign words. Like the British before him, O. Henry contemplates the danger of the temptations of a tropical paradise. Will Yankees actually "go Native" like so many English did before them? Of course, the real cocoanut conundrum is to choose your five favorite stories from this delightful smorgasbord!

Rating:
Summary: Master of the ironic twist.
Review: A collection of 100 or more short stories by O. Henry? My mouth waters already! It's hard to imagine any literary treat that can be enjoyed in small doses more pleasurable than this. I have spent over a year savouring these stories, reading them one by one, tasting his delightful choice of words, digesting his fascinating story-lines, and the warm satisfying afterglow that comes after a typical twist at the end. O. Henry began writing short stories as a prison inmate, and he quickly fine tuned his skills behind the bars and developed into an excellent storyteller. Born William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), he produced 270 stories under the pseudonym O. Henry. His stories are superbly outstanding in at least four ways, each illustrated with five of my personal favorites.

Firstly, his brilliant use of language. These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language easily surpasses that of most contemporary writers. Not only does he have an extensive vocabulary, but his writing abounds with similes and metaphors that breathe sparkling life and depth into his stories, marred only by the occasional "Lordy". "Ulysses and the Dogman" is a fine example of his skills with a language, metaphorically portraying dog owners as victims of Circe, in a hopeless enchantment to their leashed pets. Also exemplary is "Madame Bo-Peep of the Ranches" where a ranch manager has a heart fenced by barbwire just like the ranch on which he lives, and yet the twist at the ending suggests that perhaps we were completely mistaken. "A Comedy in Rubber" uses wonderfully elevated language to farcically portray a class of people today known as ambulance chasers. And "Sisters of the Golden Circle" revolves around the profound bond that exists between two married women who are strangers but yet sisters "of the plain gold band." "An Unfinished Story" employs profound metaphors of angelic hosts to tell the tragic story of poor Dulcie's struggle for survival.

Secondly, his unique insight into the social conditions of his time. O. Henry has a great understanding of the trials of the lower class, and he frequently pictures the lives of ordinary people of early twentieth century America with warm and sympathetic colours. His characters are frequently the overlooked: the struggling shop girl, the unsuccessful artist, the impoverished. Admittedly, some of his images can be hard to comprehend for modern readers, and the distance that time has placed between us and O. Henry's beloved New York means that some of his verbal pictures will be harder to understand and identify with. But his genuine sympathy for the oppressed cannot be missed. "The Gift of the Magi" is the signature O. Henry story, probably his most famous tale which recounts a poor young couple who both give up a prized possession in order to purchase a gift for one another - but ironically a gift intended to complement the other's prized possession that they have just given up. Another story which display his ability to picture the social conditions of his time - but always with the trademark twist - is "The Pendulum", a wonderful portrait of the daily routines of an poor couple and the bursting anxiety of a married man, until the bubble bursts. "The Cop and the Anthem" was the first O. Henry story I ever read, and humorously recounts the unsuccessful attempts of a man to get into jail for the winter - it remains vivid in my mind as a memorable favorite. "The Furnished Room" is a tragic and shocking story of suicide, depicting the depths of despair and desperation of the impoverished.

Thirdly, his warm humour. O. Henry has an uncanny ability to portray the mundane and the ordinary in the most elevated language. Frequently he pits two characters together in a remarkable way so that one outshines and complements the other. And on other occasions he crafts the most ingenious and humorous schemes for outwitting others. One of his most popular stories is "The Handbook of Hymen", recounting the tale of two men in a winter cabin, one armed with the hilarious Herkimer's handbook of Indispensable Information. And then there is O. Henry's fictional character Jeff Peters, a man who comes with the most ingenious money-making schemes, two shining examples displayed in "Jeff Peters as a Personal Magnet" and "The Exact Science of Matrimony". "Let Me Feel Your Pulse" pokes fun at doctors, while in "Next to Reading Matter" an overly eloquent character wins the heart of a senora with streams of articulate talk about the mundane.

Fourthly, his ironic twist. One of the distinctive characteristics of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain, sometimes reversing the entire story line in a concluding one-liner. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed. Like the Jeff Peters stories, "The Love-philtre of Ikey Schoenstein" also feature a brilliant scheme - but a scheme of romance - and the way it backfires is unforgettable. Other delightful examples of ordinary stories with a glorious ironic twist include "Witches' Loaves" and "While the Auto Waits". The twist that comes at the end of "The Hypotheses of Failure" is so perplexing, that you'll have to re-read the entire story after reading the ending - but completely delighted at the way in which O. Henry has misled you. But perhaps one of O. Henry's best uses of the ironic twist comes in "The Last Leaf", a warm and tragic tale describing how a dying artist proves as resilient as the last leaf on the wall outside, and through the self-less sacrifice of another.

The Wordsworth collection is superlative, because it contains more than 700 pages of literary gems. It consists of 100 stories, showcasing a wide range of O. Henry's short-story talents. A few popular favorites are missing, such as "Schools and Schools", "Shearing the Wolf", "The Green Door", and "The Pimienta Pancakes." But the reality is that nearly all O. Henry's stories feature his trademark ironic twist, as they do his warm humour, his unique insight into the social conditions of the time, and his brilliant use of language, and that every story in this collection is a literary delight worthy of inclusion. The inaccessibility of some references for modern readers does not prevent these stories from being always entertaining and enduring! Don't pass up on these! - GODLY GADFLY

Rating:
Summary: Master of the ironic twist.
Review: A collection of 100 or more short stories by O. Henry? My mouth waters already! It's hard to imagine any literary treat that can be enjoyed in small doses more pleasurable than this. I have spent over a year savouring these stories, reading them one by one, tasting his delightful choice of words, digesting his fascinating story-lines, and the warm satisfying afterglow that comes after a typical twist at the end. O. Henry began writing short stories as a prison inmate, and he quickly fine tuned his skills behind the bars and developed into an excellent storyteller. Born William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), he produced 270 stories under the pseudonym O. Henry. His stories are superbly outstanding in at least four ways, each illustrated with five of my personal favorites.

Firstly, his brilliant use of language. These stories were written in the first half of the twentieth century, and O. Henry's use of language easily surpasses that of most contemporary writers. Not only does he have an extensive vocabulary, but his writing abounds with similes and metaphors that breathe sparkling life and depth into his stories, marred only by the occasional "Lordy". "Ulysses and the Dogman" is a fine example of his skills with a language, metaphorically portraying dog owners as victims of Circe, in a hopeless enchantment to their leashed pets. Also exemplary is "Madame Bo-Peep of the Ranches" where a ranch manager has a heart fenced by barbwire just like the ranch on which he lives, and yet the twist at the ending suggests that perhaps we were completely mistaken. "A Comedy in Rubber" uses wonderfully elevated language to farcically portray a class of people today known as ambulance chasers. And "Sisters of the Golden Circle" revolves around the profound bond that exists between two married women who are strangers but yet sisters "of the plain gold band." "An Unfinished Story" employs profound metaphors of angelic hosts to tell the tragic story of poor Dulcie's struggle for survival.

Secondly, his unique insight into the social conditions of his time. O. Henry has a great understanding of the trials of the lower class, and he frequently pictures the lives of ordinary people of early twentieth century America with warm and sympathetic colours. His characters are frequently the overlooked: the struggling shop girl, the unsuccessful artist, the impoverished. Admittedly, some of his images can be hard to comprehend for modern readers, and the distance that time has placed between us and O. Henry's beloved New York means that some of his verbal pictures will be harder to understand and identify with. But his genuine sympathy for the oppressed cannot be missed. "The Gift of the Magi" is the signature O. Henry story, probably his most famous tale which recounts a poor young couple who both give up a prized possession in order to purchase a gift for one another - but ironically a gift intended to complement the other's prized possession that they have just given up. Another story which display his ability to picture the social conditions of his time - but always with the trademark twist - is "The Pendulum", a wonderful portrait of the daily routines of an poor couple and the bursting anxiety of a married man, until the bubble bursts. "The Cop and the Anthem" was the first O. Henry story I ever read, and humorously recounts the unsuccessful attempts of a man to get into jail for the winter - it remains vivid in my mind as a memorable favorite. "The Furnished Room" is a tragic and shocking story of suicide, depicting the depths of despair and desperation of the impoverished.

Thirdly, his warm humour. O. Henry has an uncanny ability to portray the mundane and the ordinary in the most elevated language. Frequently he pits two characters together in a remarkable way so that one outshines and complements the other. And on other occasions he crafts the most ingenious and humorous schemes for outwitting others. One of his most popular stories is "The Handbook of Hymen", recounting the tale of two men in a winter cabin, one armed with the hilarious Herkimer's handbook of Indispensable Information. And then there is O. Henry's fictional character Jeff Peters, a man who comes with the most ingenious money-making schemes, two shining examples displayed in "Jeff Peters as a Personal Magnet" and "The Exact Science of Matrimony". "Let Me Feel Your Pulse" pokes fun at doctors, while in "Next to Reading Matter" an overly eloquent character wins the heart of a senora with streams of articulate talk about the mundane.

Fourthly, his ironic twist. One of the distinctive characteristics of O. Henry's short stories is the ironic twist at the end, which never fails to surprise and entertain, sometimes reversing the entire story line in a concluding one-liner. O. Henry's suspense and trademark ironic twist ensures that readers who have a good literary taste in short stories will not be disappointed. Like the Jeff Peters stories, "The Love-philtre of Ikey Schoenstein" also feature a brilliant scheme - but a scheme of romance - and the way it backfires is unforgettable. Other delightful examples of ordinary stories with a glorious ironic twist include "Witches' Loaves" and "While the Auto Waits". The twist that comes at the end of "The Hypotheses of Failure" is so perplexing, that you'll have to re-read the entire story after reading the ending - but completely delighted at the way in which O. Henry has misled you. But perhaps one of O. Henry's best uses of the ironic twist comes in "The Last Leaf", a warm and tragic tale describing how a dying artist proves as resilient as the last leaf on the wall outside, and through the self-less sacrifice of another.

The Wordsworth collection is superlative, because it contains more than 700 pages of literary gems. It consists of 100 stories, showcasing a wide range of O. Henry's short-story talents. A few popular favorites are missing, such as "Schools and Schools", "Shearing the Wolf", "The Green Door", and "The Pimienta Pancakes." But the reality is that nearly all O. Henry's stories feature his trademark ironic twist, as they do his warm humour, his unique insight into the social conditions of the time, and his brilliant use of language, and that every story in this collection is a literary delight worthy of inclusion. The inaccessibility of some references for modern readers does not prevent these stories from being always entertaining and enduring! Don't pass up on these!

Rating:
Summary: a great collection
Review: O. Henry's short stories are tiny masterpieces. Each story takes literally only minutes to read (they're an average 6 - 12 pages long), but they are brilliant in plot and character development, each with an unexpected twist of some sort at the end, and each different from the other.

The stories are set in New York City at the dawn of the 20th century, so there is much that is slighly unfamiliar, especially some of the language (who knows what a "masher" is, anyway?). This aside, I found myself laughing out loud more than once, and frequently shaking my head at the entertaining and masterful way in which each story unfolded. A recommended read.

Rating:
Summary: a great collection
Review: O. Henry's short stories are tiny masterpieces. Each story takes literally only minutes to read (they're an average 6 - 12 pages long), but they are brilliant in plot and character development, each with an unexpected twist of some sort at the end, and each different from the other.

The stories are set in New York City at the dawn of the 20th century, so there is much that is slighly unfamiliar, especially some of the language (who knows what a "masher" is, anyway?). This aside, I found myself laughing out loud more than once, and frequently shaking my head at the entertaining and masterful way in which each story unfolded. A recommended read.

Rating:
Summary: O. Boy
Review: Probably the best short story writer of all time, O. Henry began his career in prison and spent innumerable hours fine-tuning this craft. What's so amazing is that his stories hold up today as well as they did years ago when they were written. If you enjoy these little gems I suggest you try Jackson McCrae's THE CHILDREN'S CORNER which is also an excellent collection of stories, some of which are shocking and some which are touching and poignant.

Rating:
Summary: Good Collection
Review: This is a very good collection of my favorite short story author.

It's hard to imagine anyone who hasn't read and loved O. Henry, but if for some reason you have discovered this work yet, this collection is a great place to begin.

Rating:
Summary: O. Henry displays his talent in this wonderful collection.
Review: This is an absolutely wonderful book! People of all ages will enjoy the art and craft of O. Henry's writing all put together in one book. This book will truely bring out the "O. Henry" in you.

Rating:
Summary: I hate it so much !
Review: Yes ! I hate this book so much ! I'll never fogive myself for picking it up !? This is an evil book - it made me vanish from the fields of internet for days . My cat hated it even more - how many times , during this few days , I forget to feed him . My girlfriend probably wants to burn it - I had to send her my picture ... she forgot , how I look like. This book made me lie to all my friends ! I am so sorry , I lied to you , my dear friends : I wasn't writing ... I was reading O'Henry's masterpiece !!!
If you want to loose your family and friends ; If you want to burn you house all the way to the ground ; if you need exscuse to brake up with you girlfriend - a must read for you !