The Garden Party
Written during the final stages of her illness, The Garden Party and Other Stories is full of a sense of urgency and was Katherine Mansfield's last collection to be published during her lifetime. The fifteen stories, many of them set in her native New Zealand, vary in length and tone from the opening story, "At the Bay," a vivid impressionistic evocation of family life, to the short, sharp skectch "Mrs. Brill," in which a lonely woman's precarious sense of self is brutally destroyed when she...
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Katherine Mansfield (1888-19230 was a New Zealand modernist writer of short fiction stories. Katherine moved to London where she attended Queen's College. She followed a bohemian lifestyle. After her brother's death in World War I her work took on a nostalgic theme. After a near-fatal attack of pleurisy she contracted TB. It was at this point that she began writing her best works. The Garden Party and Other Stories contains the following stories. At the bay -- The garden party -- The daughters of the late colonel -- Mr. and Mrs. Dove -- The young girl -- Life of Ma Parker -- Marriage a la mode -- The voyage -- Miss Brill -- Her first ball -- The singing lesson -- The stranger -- Bank holiday -- An ideal family and The lady's maid.Children's LiteratureLaura is the daughter of a privileged family whose worldview is limited to that of their own social class. As her family prepares to host a lavish garden party, she and her siblings are drawn into the festivities as they discuss the choice of flowers, the placement of the tent, the types of sandwiches, and, of course, their expensive costumes. The activity is not even interrupted by the news of the death of a poor young worker who lives nearby. When the party is over, however, Laura's mother suggests that she take the leftover food to the deceased's family. Laura meets the dead man's family, and, in an unwelcome surprise, sees the corpse of the dead man himself. As she returns to her frivolous life, the reader is left to decide whether the confrontation will change Laura's outlook on life. This short story, first published in 1922, is as relevant today as it was then, when it sought to expose the callousness of the upper class. This edition includes a critical essay on the story and a short biography of the author by Kate Riggs, both of which are excellent. There is also a photograph of a garden party from the 1920s that vividly illustrates the milieu of the time. The layout and presentation of this story, which is part of the "Creative Short Stories" series by the publisher, is quite good, and the book should be a welcome addition to any school library. The only questionable aspect is the decision by the publisher to put some of the passages in colored type. This could be viewed as a type of study guide, as it certainly draws the reader's attention, but it is probably not necessary, since it tends to interfere with the flow of the work. Reviewer: Leona Illig
\ Children's Literature - Leona Illig\ Laura is the daughter of a privileged family whose worldview is limited to that of their own social class. As her family prepares to host a lavish garden party, she and her siblings are drawn into the festivities as they discuss the choice of flowers, the placement of the tent, the types of sandwiches, and, of course, their expensive costumes. The activity is not even interrupted by the news of the death of a poor young worker who lives nearby. When the party is over, however, Laura's mother suggests that she take the leftover food to the deceased's family. Laura meets the dead man's family, and, in an unwelcome surprise, sees the corpse of the dead man himself. As she returns to her frivolous life, the reader is left to decide whether the confrontation will change Laura's outlook on life. This short story, first published in 1922, is as relevant today as it was then, when it sought to expose the callousness of the upper class. This edition includes a critical essay on the story and a short biography of the author by Kate Riggs, both of which are excellent. There is also a photograph of a garden party from the 1920s that vividly illustrates the milieu of the time. The layout and presentation of this story, which is part of the "Creative Short Stories" series by the publisher, is quite good, and the book should be a welcome addition to any school library. The only questionable aspect is the decision by the publisher to put some of the passages in colored type. This could be viewed as a type of study guide, as it certainly draws the reader's attention, but it is probably not necessary, since it tends to interfere with the flow of the work. Reviewer: Leona Illig\ \ \ \ \ Library JournalThe Garden Party is the last volume of short stories published before this New Zealand author's untimely death from tuberculosis at age 35. These 15 stories are typical Mansfield slice-of-life glimpses into human relationships: parent-child, wife-husband, friend-friend, all recognizable, all vivid in their gentleness and sensitivity. Marguerite Gavin reads in a light, American-accented, rather uninspired way, but her voices are marvelous; presenting British accents of every description from cockney to Queen, with clear delineation between characters male and female, is a skill especially important in these character-driven tales. Her sound effects (birdcalls, running water, etc.) are perfect, and she sings in such a lovely clear soprano that the listener wishes there were more songs in the stories. The short story format is often a favorite with listeners who hesitate to commit to hours and hours of the same work. Mansfield belongs in all fiction collections; highly recommended.--Harriet Edwards, East Meadow P.L., NY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ BooknewsAn illustrated collection published to mark the centenary of Mansfield's birth. The paintings (in color) are largely by New Zealand artists who were her contemporaries. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
