Bliss and Other Stories

Originally reviewed at www.emeraldcitybookreview.com

I don't usually seek out short stories, though I often enjoy them when I do read them. Usually I'm looking for a longer-term reading experience, with characters I can live with over time. But when I read Katherine Mansfield's collection Bliss and Other Stories (having drawn it as my Classics Club Spin book), I was reminded of how a beautifully rendered painting of a few objects, or an insightful portrait, can be a perfect work of art; we don't always want or need a grand historical canvas with dozens of figures. In the same way these exquisitely written stories cast light on just a few characters or events, with an economy of language that does not lessen their emotional impact, but may even serve to heighten it. Freed from the necessity of plodding through a complicated plot, Mansfield often comes at her subjects in a surprising, sideways manner, with effects that are sometimes startling, sometimes amusing, but always masterfully done.

I know next to nothing about Mansfield, except that she was from New Zealand. This gave me the notion that her stories would be set in that country and that I would learn something about that place. However, this turns out not to be a strong element, at least in this particular collection; many of the stories are set in Europe, and the only one that is obviously set in New Zealand, the opening novella called “Prelude,” is far more occupied with the inner lives of the characters and their particular physical circumstances than with the setting in a wider sense. This is in no way a drawback, only a false expectation that I had to overcome in the process of reading.

The stories often end with a reversal or down-turn in the protagonist's fortunes, but so light was Mansfield's touch that this somehow did not depress me as it does with some authors. Comedy and tragedy can be very close together, and these stories delicately reveal their affinity.

This was my first time reading Mansfield, and the way she describes what often are mundane everyday events is captivating. The book consists of 6 short stories, that I felt showed some of the horrible parts of human beings.  Bliss tells the story of a woman who was feeling extraordinarily happy one day, and I wanted to express it in every single way. At the end of the day, she learns that her husband is having an affair with a new close friend of hers. Mr Reginald Peacock's Day tells the story of Reginald, a music teacher, who feels he is miserable in his marriage because his wife doesn't care about his interests, and he constantly feels personally attacked by everything she says. The story shows his interactions with different women in his life that he teaches music to, and he is convinced that he is a man of society that all these women are interested in him, and that he can get anyone that he wants. By the end of the day, when he goes home to his wife, he attempts to connect with her one more time, only to find that all he has are the empty words that he says to the other women. Pictures tells the story of a singer who is no longer in her prime and is struggling to find a job performing. It follows her throughout the day trying to talk to producers and conductors without success. At the end of the day, she ends up going home with a man to be able to get the money and afford her rent. It was absolutely heartbreaking. The Little Governess tells the story of a young naive English woman who is traveling for the first time all by herself on a train from France to Germany to take a job as a governess there. On the train, she ends up sharing a compartment with an old man whom she starts thinking of as a grandfather figure. She has been advised to be careful of people and not to trust anyone on her trip, but she deems the man harmless and lowers her guard with him. He convinces her that she should let him show her around Munich instead of spending the day alone at the hotel waiting for the woman who will take her to the town where she'll be working. When she tries to leave to go back to the hotel he insists that they go for ice cream first, then back to his apartment where he kisses her without her consent. She leaves and goes back to the hotel to find that she is late, and the woman who was meeting her came and left when she didn't find her and no one could tell her where she was or when she would come back. Feuille d'Album tells the story of a young artist in Paris who intrigues women with the mystery around him, and his inclusiveness. And the artist himself is obsessed with a woman who lives in the building across from his. He imagines how their lives together would be, and orchestrates a “chance” meeting with her when he follows her while she's doing her shopping one day, walks behind her till she gets home, and then pretends that he has found an egg that she had “dropped”. I particularly liked this story because it highlights how people's expectations and perceptions of others sometimes overshadow who they really are.  A Dill Pickle tells the story of an encounter between two people who used to be involved romantically. The man keeps going on about all the things he accomplished since they have last seen each other. The woman, while still attracted to him, notices how his focus is more on himself and money and not their relationship. The highlight of the story for me was when the woman simply gets up and leaves him while he's still mid-sentence. However, we find out that he did not even care that she left, and was more concerned with not being charged extra for the cream he didn't add to his coffee. I thought that those stories were very interesting, and invited quite a lot of reflection. I enjoyed the guide's notes and the pointers that were provided, as they helped put some of those reflections in a better context. They also managed to point out things that I would have otherwise overlooked in the stories. 

Stories: This is my introduction to Katherine Mansfield and this collection of short stories was a perfect introduction. Each one was entertaining in its own way and it is hard to pick a favorite. 

Experience: This collection of stories ranges in time from 15 minutes to 40. It is easy to listen to the stories at once or break them up. I enjoy the extra notes about each story and the guide's thoughts. 

App: Since my introduction to Audrey I have listened to multiple stories. It has quickly become a go to while listening to audiobooks. The app is user friendly. The illustrations with each story are beautiful. 

Thank you Love Books Tour and team Aurey for the opportunity to listen to this collection of stories. 

The app is free to download and stories vary in cost. Compared to others these books are affordable and worth the price.