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Oxford Bookworms Collection
And All for Love...
What sad, appalling, and surprising things people do in the name of love and for the sake of love. These short stories give us love won and love lost, love revenged, love thrown away, love in triumph, love in despair. It might be love between men and women, children and parents, even humans and cats; but whichever it is, love is a force to be reckoned with.
This collection contains stories by Maeve Binchy, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, H.E. Bates, Graham Greene, Fay Weldon, Patricia Highsmith, John Morrison, and Somerset Maugham.
This collection contains stories by Maeve Binchy, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, H.E. Bates, Graham Greene, Fay Weldon, Patricia Highsmith, John Morrison, and Somerset Maugham.
- GenresShort Stories
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 5, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 31, 2025
And All For Love …Oxford Bookworms Collection
All the short stories included here are wonderful
A collection of wonderful stories that I have rated and noted on my blog www.realini.blogspot.ro
I will just briefly try and look at what the stories are about:
The Garden Party by Maeve Binchy
A woman is abandoned by her husband. In the first place, he claims he wants no children, but then he leaves with a woman young enough to be his daughter and who carries …his child.
The new neighbor knows what the alternatives are: either integrate in his life somehow, or make a clean break. The garden party is meant to support one of the two solutions…
Roman Fever by Edith Wharton
I first heard about and read Edith Wharton a few years ago. I was surprised to learn she is so acclaimed and appreciated.
In this story, two friends make a complete break with their past. One of them is used with having the upper hand and looks down on her friend, until a major surprise, regarding a daughter and her late husband takes her aback and shocks the reader.
The Legacy by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf is considered to be one of the greatest writers of mankind. To The Light House and Mrs. Dalloway are included on the lists of the best books which can be found on the sites of The Guardian, The Modern Library and others.
The Legacy is a story about love and real values. Angela Clandon is married to a man- Gilbert- that she believes to symbolize goodness, manhood and more. Until she meets the love of her life, which shows Gilbert for what he is: a vain, pompous and arrogant man. There are a few surprises and a bit of socialism- the latter I hate, but otherwise the story is fabulous.
A Painful Case by James Joyce
This tale has been included in The Dubliners.
James Duffy meets a woman with whom he gets along fine. Until they have some disagreement and their ways part. With what may look like absurd consequences. I have appreciated very much the stories included in The Dubliners, for they have brought me closer to the next big step- cope with Ulysses, which so far has been too heavy for me.
The Kimono by Herbert Ernest Bates
A kimono can change your life, may be the short message of the …short story. It could be argued that even without the kimono, Richard would have found an opportunity to give in to his lust and live a life of submit ion to desire and passion for sex.
That could be one point of view, not included in my original notes on The Kimono. In a way it was sad to see Richard end up in a relationship which could have been so much better, had he chosen the first woman, serious and reliable, even if not as sexy as the second.
A Shocking Accident by Graham Greene
At the same time funny and, well…Shocking.
A pig falls from above and kills a man.
Jerome is called to the head master and learns about his father’s death. His image makes him ask:
- Was it a bullet through his heart?
And the headmaster has to go to the window to hide his giggling. After that, Jerome has a problem with the story- how can he tell it, without provoking laughter? His nickname is…Pig.
Horrors of the Road by Fay Weldon
A woman becomes paralyzed because of her husband. He is so annoying and cruel, that his wife gets hysterical paralysis. Everywhere they go, the Nobel Prize winner wants to know every detail about all the food items, would not leave any wine tasting without drinking from every bottle, to the despair of the local people.
Ming’s Biggest Pray by Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith is the wonderful author of The Talented Mr. Ripley- a movie that I loved.
Ming’s Biggest Pray is a great tale, where the hero is a…cat called Ming. His mistress loves him, but she has a lover that tries to kill the innocent cat. On the boat, then on shore. Ming barely escapes and is hurt by a lunatic who deserves what he gets. He becomes the Biggest Pray.
All the short stories included here are wonderful
A collection of wonderful stories that I have rated and noted on my blog www.realini.blogspot.ro
I will just briefly try and look at what the stories are about:
The Garden Party by Maeve Binchy
A woman is abandoned by her husband. In the first place, he claims he wants no children, but then he leaves with a woman young enough to be his daughter and who carries …his child.
The new neighbor knows what the alternatives are: either integrate in his life somehow, or make a clean break. The garden party is meant to support one of the two solutions…
Roman Fever by Edith Wharton
I first heard about and read Edith Wharton a few years ago. I was surprised to learn she is so acclaimed and appreciated.
In this story, two friends make a complete break with their past. One of them is used with having the upper hand and looks down on her friend, until a major surprise, regarding a daughter and her late husband takes her aback and shocks the reader.
The Legacy by Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf is considered to be one of the greatest writers of mankind. To The Light House and Mrs. Dalloway are included on the lists of the best books which can be found on the sites of The Guardian, The Modern Library and others.
The Legacy is a story about love and real values. Angela Clandon is married to a man- Gilbert- that she believes to symbolize goodness, manhood and more. Until she meets the love of her life, which shows Gilbert for what he is: a vain, pompous and arrogant man. There are a few surprises and a bit of socialism- the latter I hate, but otherwise the story is fabulous.
A Painful Case by James Joyce
This tale has been included in The Dubliners.
James Duffy meets a woman with whom he gets along fine. Until they have some disagreement and their ways part. With what may look like absurd consequences. I have appreciated very much the stories included in The Dubliners, for they have brought me closer to the next big step- cope with Ulysses, which so far has been too heavy for me.
The Kimono by Herbert Ernest Bates
A kimono can change your life, may be the short message of the …short story. It could be argued that even without the kimono, Richard would have found an opportunity to give in to his lust and live a life of submit ion to desire and passion for sex.
That could be one point of view, not included in my original notes on The Kimono. In a way it was sad to see Richard end up in a relationship which could have been so much better, had he chosen the first woman, serious and reliable, even if not as sexy as the second.
A Shocking Accident by Graham Greene
At the same time funny and, well…Shocking.
A pig falls from above and kills a man.
Jerome is called to the head master and learns about his father’s death. His image makes him ask:
- Was it a bullet through his heart?
And the headmaster has to go to the window to hide his giggling. After that, Jerome has a problem with the story- how can he tell it, without provoking laughter? His nickname is…Pig.
Horrors of the Road by Fay Weldon
A woman becomes paralyzed because of her husband. He is so annoying and cruel, that his wife gets hysterical paralysis. Everywhere they go, the Nobel Prize winner wants to know every detail about all the food items, would not leave any wine tasting without drinking from every bottle, to the despair of the local people.
Ming’s Biggest Pray by Patricia Highsmith
Patricia Highsmith is the wonderful author of The Talented Mr. Ripley- a movie that I loved.
Ming’s Biggest Pray is a great tale, where the hero is a…cat called Ming. His mistress loves him, but she has a lover that tries to kill the innocent cat. On the boat, then on shore. Ming barely escapes and is hurt by a lunatic who deserves what he gets. He becomes the Biggest Pray.
January 20, 2026
“Helen knew only too well how easy it was to alienate your friends by weeping all night at their kitchen tables. Friends preferred to think you were coping, or trying to cope. Then they were supportive and practical and around. Friends could disappear into the woodwork if you cried on their shoulders as much as you wanted to.”
.
A book filled with stories catering to English-language learners might not be everyone’s first choice, it certainly isn’t really mine. Too often such collections favour simplicity and clarity over literary pleasure, they aim at understandability rather than delight. Hardly the sort of thing to set the heart racing.
.
And yet, while this collection is certainly directed at the learner, it turns out to be a wonderful gathering of excellent writers: some I already knew, some I had heard of but never read, and others complete unknowns to me. It is, in effect, a who’s who of nineteenth and twentieth century authors. The stories all orbit love and relationships, viewed from both female and male perspectives, without ever feeling overly schematic.
.
Aside from one, the stories are uniformly excellent. I was particularly taken with Patricia Highsmith’s tense piece told from the perspective of a much-loved dog, and Edith Wharton’s account of a friendship shadowed by an affair, which slowly unravels against an insanely, beautifully described Roman evening.
.
Although the book is clearly aimed at learners, I found myself genuinely enjoying the discussion points and the clarifications of certain words, some of which were unfamiliar even to me, as well as the brief biographical notes on each author. There are few better compliments one can pay a short story than to wish it wouldn’t end. I didn’t really want this collection to end, and I will almost certainly be seeking out more of these excellent volumes.
.
A book filled with stories catering to English-language learners might not be everyone’s first choice, it certainly isn’t really mine. Too often such collections favour simplicity and clarity over literary pleasure, they aim at understandability rather than delight. Hardly the sort of thing to set the heart racing.
.
And yet, while this collection is certainly directed at the learner, it turns out to be a wonderful gathering of excellent writers: some I already knew, some I had heard of but never read, and others complete unknowns to me. It is, in effect, a who’s who of nineteenth and twentieth century authors. The stories all orbit love and relationships, viewed from both female and male perspectives, without ever feeling overly schematic.
.
Aside from one, the stories are uniformly excellent. I was particularly taken with Patricia Highsmith’s tense piece told from the perspective of a much-loved dog, and Edith Wharton’s account of a friendship shadowed by an affair, which slowly unravels against an insanely, beautifully described Roman evening.
.
Although the book is clearly aimed at learners, I found myself genuinely enjoying the discussion points and the clarifications of certain words, some of which were unfamiliar even to me, as well as the brief biographical notes on each author. There are few better compliments one can pay a short story than to wish it wouldn’t end. I didn’t really want this collection to end, and I will almost certainly be seeking out more of these excellent volumes.
December 29, 2020
3.5 stars rounded down to 3.
I've had very mixed feelings about the stories in this book. The first few were brilliant and I wish I could rate them separately, but the second half of the anthology almost entirely bored me. I skim-read two stories (hence the rounding down) and generally did not enjoy the second half.
I've had very mixed feelings about the stories in this book. The first few were brilliant and I wish I could rate them separately, but the second half of the anthology almost entirely bored me. I skim-read two stories (hence the rounding down) and generally did not enjoy the second half.
December 10, 2018
An excellent collection of short stories.
May 23, 2021
Short stories covering different flavour of love from different perspectives.
Read
December 28, 2012It includes 10 short stories:
The Garden Party by Meave Binchy
Roman Fever by Edith Wharton
The Legacy by Virginia Woolf
A Painful Case by James Joyce
The Kimono by H.E. Bates
A Shocking Accident by Graham Greene
Horrors of the Road by Fay Weldon
Ming's Biggest Prey by Patricia Highsmith
The Children by John Morrison
Mabel by Somerset Maugham
I enjoyed "The Legacy," "The Kimono," and "A Shocking Accident." I could follow the rest of the stories, which there are lots of unfamiliar words for me.
The Garden Party by Meave Binchy
Roman Fever by Edith Wharton
The Legacy by Virginia Woolf
A Painful Case by James Joyce
The Kimono by H.E. Bates
A Shocking Accident by Graham Greene
Horrors of the Road by Fay Weldon
Ming's Biggest Prey by Patricia Highsmith
The Children by John Morrison
Mabel by Somerset Maugham
I enjoyed "The Legacy," "The Kimono," and "A Shocking Accident." I could follow the rest of the stories, which there are lots of unfamiliar words for me.
September 8, 2008
It's the love story collection. I'm not very fond of at love story, but they'r another kind of it. It's can give you strength after breakdown. In fact, it give the satisfaction to the readers.
Read
February 21, 2013This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to Read
September 20, 2014hij
Read
April 26, 2015case
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews