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Selected Stories of Saki
A beautifully jacketed hardcover selection of 53 darkly witty, whimsical, and macabre short stories by an acknowledged master of the form.
Saki's dazzling tales manage the remarkable feat of being anarchic and urbane at the same time. Studded with Wildean epigrams and featuring well-contrived plots and surprise endings, his stories gleefully skewer the pompous hypocrisies of upper class Edwardian society. But they go beyond mere satire, raising dark humor to extremes of entertaining outrageousness that have rarely since been matched. Saki's elegantly mischievous young heroes sow chaos in their wake without breaking a sweat, and are occasionally joined by werewolves, tigers, eavesdropping house pets, and casually murderous children. This selection includes such famous stories as "Tobermory," "The Open Window," "Sredni Vashtar," "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger," "The Schartz-Metterklume Method," and many more.
Saki's dazzling tales manage the remarkable feat of being anarchic and urbane at the same time. Studded with Wildean epigrams and featuring well-contrived plots and surprise endings, his stories gleefully skewer the pompous hypocrisies of upper class Edwardian society. But they go beyond mere satire, raising dark humor to extremes of entertaining outrageousness that have rarely since been matched. Saki's elegantly mischievous young heroes sow chaos in their wake without breaking a sweat, and are occasionally joined by werewolves, tigers, eavesdropping house pets, and casually murderous children. This selection includes such famous stories as "Tobermory," "The Open Window," "Sredni Vashtar," "Mrs. Packletide's Tiger," "The Schartz-Metterklume Method," and many more.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published October 31, 2017
5 people are currently reading
127 people want to read
About the author
Saki
1,673 books591 followersBritish writer Hector Hugh Munro under pen name Saki published his witty and sometimes bitter short stories in collections, such as
The Chronicles of Clovis
(1911).
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
His sometimes macabre satirized Edwardian society and culture. People consider him a master and often compare him to William Sydney Porter and Dorothy Rothschild Parker. His tales feature delicately drawn characters and finely judged narratives. "The Open Window," perhaps his most famous, closes with the line, "Romance at short notice was her specialty," which thus entered the lexicon. Newspapers first and then several volumes published him as the custom of the time.
His works include
* a full-length play, The Watched Pot , in collaboration with Charles Maude;
* two one-act plays;
* a historical study, The Rise of the Russian Empire , the only book under his own name;
* a short novel, The Unbearable Bassington ;
* the episodic The Westminster Alice , a parliamentary parody of Alice in Wonderland ;
* and When William Came: A Story of London under the Hohenzollerns , an early alternate history.
Oscar Wilde, Lewis Carroll, and Joseph Rudyard Kipling, influenced Munro, who in turn influenced A. A. Milne, and Pelham Grenville Wodehouse.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 10, 2018
At a multi-story Barnes & Noble in NYC, I asked an information desk clerk where I would find stories by Saki. The question was received with a blank look. "Do you have a first name?" Onward to Amazon.
This handsome volume is a perfect introduction to Saki (1870-1916). His stories, 3 to 5 pages in length, are glittering moral fables that puncture hypocrisy, pretention, manipulation while celebrating mischief, and sometimes murder, in a hypnotic style - shimmering with wit - that can stun. Despite the absurdity or fantasy herein are situations and characters that are brutally real. Saki is in a class by himself.
First, a few samples of his literary sensibility. "He nurses the illusion that he is one of the lost arms of the Venus de Milo and hopes that the French Government may be persuaded to buy him. On all other subjects I believe he is tolerably sane." ~~ On modern art jargon: "She's so fond of talking of certain pictures as 'growing on one,' as though they were a sort of fungus." ~~
Boring maiden relatives: "I believe I once considerably scandalized her by declaring that clear soup was a more important factor in life than a clear conscience."~~
On visiting Normandy: "And be surrounded by Americans trying to talk French? No, thank you. I love Americans, but not when they try to talk French. What a blessing it is that they never try to talk English."
Keeping up appearances: "I'm always having depressing experiences...but I never give them outward expression. It's as bad as looking one's age."
Loyalty: "The sacrifices of friendship were beautiful in her eyes as long as she was not asked to make them."
The opening to a story of a child's revenge: "Nicholas was not to be of the party; he was in disgrace. Only that morning he had refused to eat his wholesome bread-and-milk on the seemingly frivolous ground that there was a frog in it. The dramatic part of the incident was that there really was a frog
in his basin; he had put it there himself."
It's very hard to summarize a Saki story; suffice to say the aunt who wished to punish Nicholas almost drowns in a water tank....now, here's a true story, Sakiesque, I believe, of a spoiled friend named Stanley who, at age 40, felt certain his rich father, age 70, would shortly die and life would be wonderful. (The mum who spoiled him had succumbed years earlier). He bought a vast house in Palm Springs, quit his accounting job and moved from LA to the desert. There is nothing to do in Palm Springs but drink, and he did. Still waiting for father to die. He watched TV, all the daytime shows. He joined a nudist swim group for recreation. And drank and smoked nonstop. Soon his savings began to evaporate...he was going to lose his house..meantime he was too embarrassed to tell papa. Then, one day, while tipsy, he fell into the pool at a nudist frolic and cracked his dead. For some days there was no communication. One dawn a phone call from Palm Springs. Stanley had died from a concussion, his father told me...well, that was ten years ago. Daddy is still alive.
That's a Saki story for you. You understand why I'm humming a careless light-hearted refrain. One more irony suggests a certain music.
This handsome volume is a perfect introduction to Saki (1870-1916). His stories, 3 to 5 pages in length, are glittering moral fables that puncture hypocrisy, pretention, manipulation while celebrating mischief, and sometimes murder, in a hypnotic style - shimmering with wit - that can stun. Despite the absurdity or fantasy herein are situations and characters that are brutally real. Saki is in a class by himself.
First, a few samples of his literary sensibility. "He nurses the illusion that he is one of the lost arms of the Venus de Milo and hopes that the French Government may be persuaded to buy him. On all other subjects I believe he is tolerably sane." ~~ On modern art jargon: "She's so fond of talking of certain pictures as 'growing on one,' as though they were a sort of fungus." ~~
Boring maiden relatives: "I believe I once considerably scandalized her by declaring that clear soup was a more important factor in life than a clear conscience."~~
On visiting Normandy: "And be surrounded by Americans trying to talk French? No, thank you. I love Americans, but not when they try to talk French. What a blessing it is that they never try to talk English."
Keeping up appearances: "I'm always having depressing experiences...but I never give them outward expression. It's as bad as looking one's age."
Loyalty: "The sacrifices of friendship were beautiful in her eyes as long as she was not asked to make them."
The opening to a story of a child's revenge: "Nicholas was not to be of the party; he was in disgrace. Only that morning he had refused to eat his wholesome bread-and-milk on the seemingly frivolous ground that there was a frog in it. The dramatic part of the incident was that there really was a frog
in his basin; he had put it there himself."
It's very hard to summarize a Saki story; suffice to say the aunt who wished to punish Nicholas almost drowns in a water tank....now, here's a true story, Sakiesque, I believe, of a spoiled friend named Stanley who, at age 40, felt certain his rich father, age 70, would shortly die and life would be wonderful. (The mum who spoiled him had succumbed years earlier). He bought a vast house in Palm Springs, quit his accounting job and moved from LA to the desert. There is nothing to do in Palm Springs but drink, and he did. Still waiting for father to die. He watched TV, all the daytime shows. He joined a nudist swim group for recreation. And drank and smoked nonstop. Soon his savings began to evaporate...he was going to lose his house..meantime he was too embarrassed to tell papa. Then, one day, while tipsy, he fell into the pool at a nudist frolic and cracked his dead. For some days there was no communication. One dawn a phone call from Palm Springs. Stanley had died from a concussion, his father told me...well, that was ten years ago. Daddy is still alive.
That's a Saki story for you. You understand why I'm humming a careless light-hearted refrain. One more irony suggests a certain music.
March 24, 2018
While most of these stories have similar themes and structures, I really enjoyed Saki's style and this collection as a whole. There were a few standout stories, among them The Storyteller, The Brogue, Gabriel Ernest and The Square Egg. These stories poke fun at the upper class, often at the hands of precocious children. But there were a few horror stories that I really enjoyed. The humor reminds me of Oscar Wilde, but a little more humble. I highly recommend you try Saki for quick, witty short stories.
April 15, 2019
Saki fue uno de los padres de la comedia británica contemporánea. Y de paso, uno de los miembros de esa generación de cuentistas de principios del S. XX (tipo O. Henry y así) que supo retratar una época y criticar su clima cultutral mediante historias rápidas y fugaces que muchas veces terminaban con un twist.
En el caso particular de este autor, uno puede fácilmente encontrar su influencia en escritores como Wodehouse, Dahl, algunos cuentos de Waugh e incluso ciertos aspectos de ciertos personajes de Pratchett. Y algo que destaca mucho con Saki es, como comentó otro reseñador, que entre las sonrisas que nos deja leer sus cuentos hay un dejo de nerviosismo. Como si entre risa y risa hubiera mala leche o un sentido de agresión oculto. Por eso, Saki repetía varias veces historias de criaturas salvajes rompiendo la armonía social de las estrictas reglas de la Inglaterra eduardiana, así como historias donde la gente se mete el pie entre amigos y conocidos y destruye amistades sólo por conveniencia o por protegerse del qué dirán.
Los cuentos más icónicos de la antología son el brutal Sredni Vashtar, El Método Schartz-Metterklume y Gabriel-Ernest.
Antología altamente recomendada, aunque sí sugiero espaciar los cuentos un poco: las temáticas tienden a repetirse bastante y resultar un poco cansadas.
En el caso particular de este autor, uno puede fácilmente encontrar su influencia en escritores como Wodehouse, Dahl, algunos cuentos de Waugh e incluso ciertos aspectos de ciertos personajes de Pratchett. Y algo que destaca mucho con Saki es, como comentó otro reseñador, que entre las sonrisas que nos deja leer sus cuentos hay un dejo de nerviosismo. Como si entre risa y risa hubiera mala leche o un sentido de agresión oculto. Por eso, Saki repetía varias veces historias de criaturas salvajes rompiendo la armonía social de las estrictas reglas de la Inglaterra eduardiana, así como historias donde la gente se mete el pie entre amigos y conocidos y destruye amistades sólo por conveniencia o por protegerse del qué dirán.
Los cuentos más icónicos de la antología son el brutal Sredni Vashtar, El Método Schartz-Metterklume y Gabriel-Ernest.
Antología altamente recomendada, aunque sí sugiero espaciar los cuentos un poco: las temáticas tienden a repetirse bastante y resultar un poco cansadas.
November 14, 2017
This lovely little book, "Saki: Selected Stories" by the Everyman Library publishers, is JUST the gift for any avid reader! Saki (pen name of H. H. Munro) wrote delightful, and very short, stories full of "Brit Wit" and swift satire. The stories collected here (and published with a handy ribbon bookmark) can be read in mere minutes, but the lift you'll feel will be lasting.
I'm not alone among my fellow readers in experiencing a recurring "nightmare" or "panic" that I'm caught somewhere WITHOUT ANYTHING TO READ! So I keep short story books my desk at work, in both my glove box AND the trunk of my car, and of course I've always got a book in my purse. This stylish little pocket-sized collection is a perfect addition to my addiction! Anytime I need a two-three minute escape from reality with a trip back to England in the early twentieth century - here I go!
I'm not alone among my fellow readers in experiencing a recurring "nightmare" or "panic" that I'm caught somewhere WITHOUT ANYTHING TO READ! So I keep short story books my desk at work, in both my glove box AND the trunk of my car, and of course I've always got a book in my purse. This stylish little pocket-sized collection is a perfect addition to my addiction! Anytime I need a two-three minute escape from reality with a trip back to England in the early twentieth century - here I go!
November 6, 2018
Funny stuff, a wonderful satire of a class and an era, but they're all pretty much the same.
June 11, 2019
I was given this as a gift and I loved it! My first experience with Saki, and the selection was wonderful. His sense of humor is fantastic and I truly believe he mastered the art of the short story. I'm studying to be an English teacher and some of these stories, such as "The Bag", truly stuck out as ones I could use in future classes.
June 17, 2018
Selected Stories by Saki was given by a friend who knows that I like good, old English humour. What a delightful collection of short, witty stories! The stories span from 1904 to 1924, often poking fun of the pretentious, frivolous English upper middle class, featuring precocious children and peculiar animals. I especially enjoyed Tobermory and stories from Beasts and Super-beasts.
August 30, 2019
I first encountered Saki’s work in an audiobook collection of short stories produced by a now defunct British publisher called CSA Word. I’ve come across more audio stories by Saki in similar collections, and have really enjoyed them all. Oddly, this is the only book of his currently in print that I could find, though deeper searches turned up a few public domain reprints of his books, and the library does have some collections that I believe are now out of print. I’m reading the stories in some of those collections as well, but just those that aren’t in this one.
This collection includes over 50 stories form his books Reginald (1904), Reginald in Russia (1910), The Chronicles of Clovis (1911), Beasts and Super-Beasts (1914), The Toys of Peace (1919), and The Square Egg (1924).
He has great wit, reminding me a bit of Maupassant and Oscar Wilde, though he’s also compared to Noel Coward, P.G. Wodehouse, and Evelyn Waugh. I’m not as familiar with those authors’ works, though apparently I need to be.
Saki’s short stories focus on Edwardian society. Often witty and wry, there are moments of the macabre and supernatural. My favorites are the mischievous characters, such as the titular character of his first collection, Reginald. Clovis takes over as his recurring havoc-maker, showing up notably in “The She-Wolf,” “The Hen” and the brief “The Talking-out of Tarrington.”
Saki also has his share of mischievous female characters including Vera in ”The a Lull” who livens up the stay of a visitor with livestock and the niece in “The Open Window” who spins a ghostly tale with amusing results. But my favorite is Lady Carlotta, the main character in one of my favorite stories, “The Schwartz-Metterklume Method”.
When Lady Carlotta’s train leaves without her, a woman approaches her at the station declaring she must be the new governess, Miss Hope. Lady Carlotta responds, “Very well, if I must I must,” and plays along, going home with her, albeit behaving outrageously. When the woman tells her she must speak French at mealtimes several days a week, Lady Carlotta replies, “‘I shall talk French four days of the week and Russian in the remaining three.’
“‘Russian? My dear Miss Hope, no one in the house speaks or understands Russian.’
“‘That will not embarrass me in the least,” said Lady Carlotta coldly.”
There wasn’t a story in this collection I didn’t enjoy reading, but with 50 stories, I’ll just mention some other favorites:
“The Reticence of Lady Anne” which is all about the ending.
“Gabriel-Ernest” a dark and supernatural tale.
“Tobermory” about a talking cat, and the havoc it wreaks on an otherwise dull country party.
“The Background” about a man who runs into trouble when he gets an extravagant tattoo while visiting Italy. I hadn’t realized they did tattoos like that in the 1910s.
“Sredni Vashtar” inspired by Munro’s childhood being raised by a cold and harsh aunt. “The Lumber-room” seems to be similarly inspired.
“The Boar-Pig” in which two ladies try to sneak into The Garden Party of the season, and find themselves trapped by a foul-tempered animal—and not by accident.
“The Brogue” in which an unruly horse threatens a very good match.
“A Holiday Task” which involves a gentleman trying to assist a lady he meets with amnesia.
“Fur” about two women who strategize to get the best present from a wealthy relative.
“The Toys of Peace” where adults try to convince children that war toys are out of vogue, and to instead play with toys inspired by peaceful civilianhood (which is not a word, but should be).
“Bertie’s Christmas Eve” where we meet another of Saki’s mischievous characters. This story made me laugh out loud.
“Mark” - a must read for authors and book publishing people.
“The Bull” about rivalry between half-brothers, one a farmer and the other an artist.
“The Seven Cream Jugs” which involves a couple plotting to deal with a visit from a kleptomaniac relative. There’s a funny little turn at the end.
“The Occasional Garden” - a must read for gardeners.
The final story in the collection is the titular story for The Square Egg. The tone of this story wad markedly different. At this point, Saki had experienced fighting in The Great War. Where his previous collections satirized the frivolity of Edwardian society, “The Square Egg” begins with the reality of life in the mud-filled trenches of war in France. Nevertheless, in the last line, Saki’s humor breaks through and had me bursting out laughing.
This collection includes over 50 stories form his books Reginald (1904), Reginald in Russia (1910), The Chronicles of Clovis (1911), Beasts and Super-Beasts (1914), The Toys of Peace (1919), and The Square Egg (1924).
He has great wit, reminding me a bit of Maupassant and Oscar Wilde, though he’s also compared to Noel Coward, P.G. Wodehouse, and Evelyn Waugh. I’m not as familiar with those authors’ works, though apparently I need to be.
Saki’s short stories focus on Edwardian society. Often witty and wry, there are moments of the macabre and supernatural. My favorites are the mischievous characters, such as the titular character of his first collection, Reginald. Clovis takes over as his recurring havoc-maker, showing up notably in “The She-Wolf,” “The Hen” and the brief “The Talking-out of Tarrington.”
Saki also has his share of mischievous female characters including Vera in ”The a Lull” who livens up the stay of a visitor with livestock and the niece in “The Open Window” who spins a ghostly tale with amusing results. But my favorite is Lady Carlotta, the main character in one of my favorite stories, “The Schwartz-Metterklume Method”.
When Lady Carlotta’s train leaves without her, a woman approaches her at the station declaring she must be the new governess, Miss Hope. Lady Carlotta responds, “Very well, if I must I must,” and plays along, going home with her, albeit behaving outrageously. When the woman tells her she must speak French at mealtimes several days a week, Lady Carlotta replies, “‘I shall talk French four days of the week and Russian in the remaining three.’
“‘Russian? My dear Miss Hope, no one in the house speaks or understands Russian.’
“‘That will not embarrass me in the least,” said Lady Carlotta coldly.”
There wasn’t a story in this collection I didn’t enjoy reading, but with 50 stories, I’ll just mention some other favorites:
“The Reticence of Lady Anne” which is all about the ending.
“Gabriel-Ernest” a dark and supernatural tale.
“Tobermory” about a talking cat, and the havoc it wreaks on an otherwise dull country party.
“The Background” about a man who runs into trouble when he gets an extravagant tattoo while visiting Italy. I hadn’t realized they did tattoos like that in the 1910s.
“Sredni Vashtar” inspired by Munro’s childhood being raised by a cold and harsh aunt. “The Lumber-room” seems to be similarly inspired.
“The Boar-Pig” in which two ladies try to sneak into The Garden Party of the season, and find themselves trapped by a foul-tempered animal—and not by accident.
“The Brogue” in which an unruly horse threatens a very good match.
“A Holiday Task” which involves a gentleman trying to assist a lady he meets with amnesia.
“Fur” about two women who strategize to get the best present from a wealthy relative.
“The Toys of Peace” where adults try to convince children that war toys are out of vogue, and to instead play with toys inspired by peaceful civilianhood (which is not a word, but should be).
“Bertie’s Christmas Eve” where we meet another of Saki’s mischievous characters. This story made me laugh out loud.
“Mark” - a must read for authors and book publishing people.
“The Bull” about rivalry between half-brothers, one a farmer and the other an artist.
“The Seven Cream Jugs” which involves a couple plotting to deal with a visit from a kleptomaniac relative. There’s a funny little turn at the end.
“The Occasional Garden” - a must read for gardeners.
The final story in the collection is the titular story for The Square Egg. The tone of this story wad markedly different. At this point, Saki had experienced fighting in The Great War. Where his previous collections satirized the frivolity of Edwardian society, “The Square Egg” begins with the reality of life in the mud-filled trenches of war in France. Nevertheless, in the last line, Saki’s humor breaks through and had me bursting out laughing.
December 20, 2021
I read Saki stories many years ago but had almost no memory of them when I decided to pick up this collection. The only two that seemed familiar were "The Interlopers," "Tobermory," and "The Open Window" which are probably his best known and most anthologized.
I put his stories in three sections - the satires of British life of the time (especially the upper class), the ones with a twist at the end, and ones that border on horror.
All the stories are truly "short" stories, so this is the kind of book I can pick up and put down and I was reading other novels at the same time.
This time around I found the satires the least interesting. They seemed dated and snobby.
The stories that surprise you are my favorite and when I read them as a youth, I thought of them as British O.Henry.
The horror stories are not Poe horror and actually, all three types might show up in a Saki story.
There is a good mix of male and female protagonists.
Clearly, Saki is a classic short story author and some of the stories are 5*, some 3*, so I'm going to settle on 4* as my average.
I put his stories in three sections - the satires of British life of the time (especially the upper class), the ones with a twist at the end, and ones that border on horror.
All the stories are truly "short" stories, so this is the kind of book I can pick up and put down and I was reading other novels at the same time.
This time around I found the satires the least interesting. They seemed dated and snobby.
The stories that surprise you are my favorite and when I read them as a youth, I thought of them as British O.Henry.
The horror stories are not Poe horror and actually, all three types might show up in a Saki story.
There is a good mix of male and female protagonists.
Clearly, Saki is a classic short story author and some of the stories are 5*, some 3*, so I'm going to settle on 4* as my average.
July 26, 2020
Madeline and I were speculating on the name of the author of a familiar short story. The name of Saki (H.H. Munro) came up, probably because we had both read “The Interlopers” in high school. I recalled that I enjoyed that story, with its final twist, and I also recalled having read somewhere that at the height of his popularity, collections of Saki stories were de riguer for guest room bed tables. I have two guest rooms, now that the offspring have moved on, so I thought I would spring for a copy.
Saki’s stories are quite varied and clever, involving practical jokes, talking cats, were-tigers, comeuppances, etc. As a fan of Wodehouse, I see the inspiration for difficult aunts, Rosie M. Banks, Psmith, a proposal on the golf course....
I’m sorry it took me so long to read another of Saki’s works.
Saki’s stories are quite varied and clever, involving practical jokes, talking cats, were-tigers, comeuppances, etc. As a fan of Wodehouse, I see the inspiration for difficult aunts, Rosie M. Banks, Psmith, a proposal on the golf course....
I’m sorry it took me so long to read another of Saki’s works.
July 29, 2025
Reading this collection of 50 short stories by Saki turned out to be an unexpected adventure. I had heard much about his unique storytelling style, sharp wit, and clever commentary, and this book delivered on all fronts. The initial stories focus on the character Reginald, who, in my view, serves as a literary reflection of Saki himself. Through Reginald, Saki repeatedly challenges societal norms, exposing the hypocrisy deeply rooted in the world around us.
While the characters in the other stories may not be as striking, each tale carries a powerful message. What truly sets these stories apart is their endings — often surprising, always thought-provoking, and sure to leave the reader both intrigued and occasionally bewildered.
While the characters in the other stories may not be as striking, each tale carries a powerful message. What truly sets these stories apart is their endings — often surprising, always thought-provoking, and sure to leave the reader both intrigued and occasionally bewildered.
January 21, 2019
Saki is one of the masters of the humorous short-story...but leaves the reader with all kinds of deeper thoughts about the human condition & the subjective viewpoint of so many of us about our fellow eccentrics!
A quintessentially British sense of the absurdities of Edwardian morality & behaviour, which the Great War destroyeded as completely as it ended the life of H.H.Munro, pervades this wonderful collection. Such a sad reflection on the tragic loss of so many gifted men...(& women). But we will always have the inspirational stories of this genius; so many later writers of sardonic & satirical short-stories seem to have absorbed the tones & shadings of the incomparable Saki.
A quintessentially British sense of the absurdities of Edwardian morality & behaviour, which the Great War destroyeded as completely as it ended the life of H.H.Munro, pervades this wonderful collection. Such a sad reflection on the tragic loss of so many gifted men...(& women). But we will always have the inspirational stories of this genius; so many later writers of sardonic & satirical short-stories seem to have absorbed the tones & shadings of the incomparable Saki.
May 14, 2024
These stories all have a similar rhythm — short amusing and perfectly balanced despite their brevity — which makes it surprising when every so often Saki will throw you in an entirely new direction.
The punchlines are consistently very good though.
The punchlines are consistently very good though.
December 21, 2017
Overall, I liked it although there were a few stories that I grimaced through.
June 1, 2018
Delightful and funny!
October 31, 2020
Snob satire. Stories making fun of the elite in the early 1900's. Some were funny, but this particular brand of privileged snob was so specific to the era that the humour just didn't resonate over an entire collection of short stories.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews