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Stories for Lovers
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Expected 12 Jan 27224 pages, Paperback
Expected publication January 12, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Review of advance copy
10/31 ‘At that instant, not even Time himself could have guessed with what lines they would be engraved when he had finished with them.’
very beautiful range of stories with many depictions of love shown, got this book from the library but will definitely be buying it when it comes out in stores
very beautiful range of stories with many depictions of love shown, got this book from the library but will definitely be buying it when it comes out in stores
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
NB: The info in the Goodreads description is incorrect. This book was published in January 2026 and is available in bookshops and online.
Short story anthologies often challenge concentration as the reader is required to dip in and out of different worlds; but this carefully selected anthology is an exception, gripping the reader from first to last page.
The anthology's trajectory follows the many iterations of romantic love, from youthful infatuation, to thwarted couplings, to honeymoons, marriage, widowhood, and relationships that last into old age.
The stories segue into one another like pieces of classical music selected by a compere with perfect pitch. They slide together on the same note, then riff on different themes, taking diverse directions that end quietly, or with a frisson of surprise. The hearts on the book's cover may create the illusion that this is the perfect Valentine's gift but there are no chocolatey soft centres to be found in the stories here. The authors (all women) are never misty-eyed; they serve up romance with a dose of reality, avoiding any accusation of mush. There is hope and heart-break, passion and compromise. There is promise and disillusionment and there is the satisfaction of the survivor, if love, itself, actually survives.
Stand-out stories include the remarkable 1928 lesbian love story written in crystalline prose by Chinese author, Ling Shuhua. Two girls at boarding school fall in love, only to be separated when one is forced into marriage, breaking the other's heart. The story's power leaves you wondering why Shuhua isn't universally acclaimed. Elizabeth Taylor's beautifully observed 'The Prerogative of Love' is another gem, depicting two middle-aged couples at a dinner party, which is ruffled, though not quite compromised, by the arrival of a beautiful young bohemian niece. There is no great dramatic ending but the story lingers on quietly in the mind. There are wonderful stories, too, by Dorothy Parker, Virginia Woolf, Malachi Whitaker and others. What is not to love?
I do have one or two small quibbles. Firstly, I would have liked to see the dates of the story's first publications on each title page. Secondly, I would have appreciated a short paragraph about each of the authors at the end of the book. There are authors I had never heard of yet the quality of the writing is uniformly superb.
Disclaimer: I have a personal connection to one of the stories in this book but the five star recommendation is 100% sincere.
Short story anthologies often challenge concentration as the reader is required to dip in and out of different worlds; but this carefully selected anthology is an exception, gripping the reader from first to last page.
The anthology's trajectory follows the many iterations of romantic love, from youthful infatuation, to thwarted couplings, to honeymoons, marriage, widowhood, and relationships that last into old age.
The stories segue into one another like pieces of classical music selected by a compere with perfect pitch. They slide together on the same note, then riff on different themes, taking diverse directions that end quietly, or with a frisson of surprise. The hearts on the book's cover may create the illusion that this is the perfect Valentine's gift but there are no chocolatey soft centres to be found in the stories here. The authors (all women) are never misty-eyed; they serve up romance with a dose of reality, avoiding any accusation of mush. There is hope and heart-break, passion and compromise. There is promise and disillusionment and there is the satisfaction of the survivor, if love, itself, actually survives.
Stand-out stories include the remarkable 1928 lesbian love story written in crystalline prose by Chinese author, Ling Shuhua. Two girls at boarding school fall in love, only to be separated when one is forced into marriage, breaking the other's heart. The story's power leaves you wondering why Shuhua isn't universally acclaimed. Elizabeth Taylor's beautifully observed 'The Prerogative of Love' is another gem, depicting two middle-aged couples at a dinner party, which is ruffled, though not quite compromised, by the arrival of a beautiful young bohemian niece. There is no great dramatic ending but the story lingers on quietly in the mind. There are wonderful stories, too, by Dorothy Parker, Virginia Woolf, Malachi Whitaker and others. What is not to love?
I do have one or two small quibbles. Firstly, I would have liked to see the dates of the story's first publications on each title page. Secondly, I would have appreciated a short paragraph about each of the authors at the end of the book. There are authors I had never heard of yet the quality of the writing is uniformly superb.
Disclaimer: I have a personal connection to one of the stories in this book but the five star recommendation is 100% sincere.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews