The Third Persephone Book of Short Stories

by Persephone Books (Editor)

Published to mark the 25th anniversary of Persephone Books in Bath, England. Follows the successful reception of The Persephone Book of Short Stories, published in 2012 to celebrate Persephone’s 100th book, and The Second Persephone Book of Short Stories, published in 2019 to celebrate twenty years of Persephone Books.

The collection offers readers a chance to discover some great, often overlooked writers. And there are stories by Persephone favourites such as Dorothy Whipple, Mollie Panter-Downes, and Siân James and (as yet) non-Persephone authors such as Evelyn Sharp, Carol Shields and Rosamunde Pilcher.

The stories are variously funny, tragic, and perceptive; the tone and style varies enormously between them, while the settings shift from wartime Paris to suburban California to the foothills of an Italian mountain range. A number also reveal the tensions that emerge when comfortable middle-class lives are thrown into turmoil by global disasters like war. The thirty stories appear in the order in which they were published, the earliest dating from 1911 (‘Turned’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman) and the most recent from 1996 (‘Soup du Jour’ by Carol Shields); there is also a brief biography of each writer at the back of the book.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction

408 pages, Paperback

Published April 1, 2024

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal, as to be expected from Persephone. I found this edition most compelling because there are stories in here from as recently as 1996! This isn't what I think of, or have come to love, about Persephone. However, many of these more "modern" tales were excellent. It is no surprise though that you cannot help but notice how much things have changed in the way we look at the world, a woman's role in it, and that the tone of so many of them are pessimistic and lacking in joy. A sharp contrast to this was "An Evening to Remember" by Rosamunde Pilcher which was delightful through and through and was published in the late 1980s. I highly, highly recommend this collection.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-curated collection, as always.

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every story left its mark. This was my introduction to Persephone books, chosen for the very fact that the first story was written by Charlotte Gilman-Perkins and so sweetly reminded my of my English A-level class and the revival moment of reading The Yellow Wallpaper at 16 years old. I recently read an article on the decline of popularity for short stories, but to that I challenge anyone to read this book and not fall madly in-love with brief interlude between worlds and the nuggets of thoughts left long after completing a chapter on the shades of being human and a woman in the late 19th early 20th century.

Otherwise forgotten stories, so ceremoniously brought back to life with the publication of this book.

[Julia Chilver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful

[Grace Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories were well written and interesting. My favorite was An Evening to Remember by Rosamunde Pilcher. However, I didn’t like how many affair stories seemed to be included.

[Amber Futtit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful collection of stories