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Metamorphosis
Superb, unmissable ...The writing is as good as it gets -- The TimesLively has guts and style. You are in the hands of a master -- Daily MailThe definitive selection of short stories from one of our greatest living writers, curated by Penelope Lively herselfWry, compassionate and glittering with wit, Penelope Lively's stories get beneath the everyday to the beating heart of human experience.In intimate tales of growing up and growing old, chance encounters and life-long relationships, Lively explores with keen insight the ways that individuals can become tangled in history, and small acts ripple through the generations.From new and never-before-published stories to forgotten treasures, Metamorphosis showcases the very best from a literary master.'Lively has the gift, rare and wonderful, of being able to peel back the layers one by one and set them before us, translucent and gleaming' Sunday Telegraph'A sublime storyteller . . . she has us riveted with curiosity as to what will happen next, yet also keeps us consistently aware of the nature of the illusion' Guardian'You are in the hands of a master' Daily Mail
336 pages, Hardcover
Published October 14, 2021
32 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Penelope Lively
129 books942 followersPenelope Lively is the author of many prize-winning novels and short-story collections for both adults and children. She has twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize: once in 1977 for her first novel, The Road to Lichfield, and again in 1984 for According to Mark. She later won the 1987 Booker Prize for her highly acclaimed novel Moon Tiger.
Her other books include Going Back; Judgement Day; Next to Nature, Art; Perfect Happiness; Passing On; City of the Mind; Cleopatra’s Sister; Heat Wave; Beyond the Blue Mountains, a collection of short stories; Oleander, Jacaranda, a memoir of her childhood days in Egypt; Spiderweb; her autobiographical work, A House Unlocked; The Photograph; Making It Up; Consequences; Family Album, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Costa Novel Award, and How It All Began.
She is a popular writer for children and has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award. She was appointed CBE in the 2001 New Year’s Honours List, and DBE in 2012.
Penelope Lively lives in London. She was married to Jack Lively, who died in 1998.
Her other books include Going Back; Judgement Day; Next to Nature, Art; Perfect Happiness; Passing On; City of the Mind; Cleopatra’s Sister; Heat Wave; Beyond the Blue Mountains, a collection of short stories; Oleander, Jacaranda, a memoir of her childhood days in Egypt; Spiderweb; her autobiographical work, A House Unlocked; The Photograph; Making It Up; Consequences; Family Album, which was shortlisted for the 2009 Costa Novel Award, and How It All Began.
She is a popular writer for children and has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award. She was appointed CBE in the 2001 New Year’s Honours List, and DBE in 2012.
Penelope Lively lives in London. She was married to Jack Lively, who died in 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 7, 2024
It may be uncool or unhip for someone to admit that they're a fan, but I'm a fan of Penelope Lively's writing. So much so that I bought this book - ordered it from England, since it was published there and wasn't available in the U.S. at the time - even though I knew that it was a collection of previously published short stories, all of which I had read, with the exception of two new stories.
The two new stories bookend the previously published stories. The first, "Metamorphosis, or the Elephant's Foot" is fairly standard Penelope Lively (nothing wrong with that), but the second, "songs of Praise", is Ms. Lively at her best - a tale of a memorial service in which we learn something about the deceased, but much more about her family and an associate. For me, it was well worth the price of the book.
Metamorphosis also contains an interesting introduction by the author. (She made the choices of which stories to include, and she excluded one of my favorites but I can still read it in the book in which it was originally included.) I enjoyed reading the introduction because Ms. Lively wrote about the genesis of several of her stories and it was interesting to try and detect the workings of her imagination.
Truth in reviewing - I didn't reread every one of the older stories in this collection - just the three that were mentioned in the introduction and a few that I remembered as favorites. One day, I'll reread the entire book.
The two new stories bookend the previously published stories. The first, "Metamorphosis, or the Elephant's Foot" is fairly standard Penelope Lively (nothing wrong with that), but the second, "songs of Praise", is Ms. Lively at her best - a tale of a memorial service in which we learn something about the deceased, but much more about her family and an associate. For me, it was well worth the price of the book.
Metamorphosis also contains an interesting introduction by the author. (She made the choices of which stories to include, and she excluded one of my favorites but I can still read it in the book in which it was originally included.) I enjoyed reading the introduction because Ms. Lively wrote about the genesis of several of her stories and it was interesting to try and detect the workings of her imagination.
Truth in reviewing - I didn't reread every one of the older stories in this collection - just the three that were mentioned in the introduction and a few that I remembered as favorites. One day, I'll reread the entire book.
March 24, 2022
She writes about people in everyday situations but she does it so well. Get under the skin and describe things in a detailed but understated way and the result is a compelling human situation. The reader is slowly hooked, played and landed in the nicest literary way. This group of stories, some new, is an excellent example of her work and skills.
August 3, 2024
Possibly the most entertaining short story collection I have ever read. Fabulous characters, snarky voices and a good dose of karma in each story. So satisfying to see those who deserve it get their comeuppance.
At age 91, Lively has an extensive back catalogue which thrills me no end. Next stop: Moon Tiger
At age 91, Lively has an extensive back catalogue which thrills me no end. Next stop: Moon Tiger
May 6, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of stories that explore the theme of metamorphosis of human lives. Death, marriage, adultery, relationships and travel are explored as moments in time when a life can take a sudden turn and be upended. Lively uses sharp wit and mischievous humour to explore these complex moments, relationships and the discrepancy between inner dialogue (what we think) and what is voiced out loud (what we say). This is a wonderfully narrated audio because it makes the most of these nuances.
This is the second review I’ve written- my first crashed/deleted before I hit the Done button (it was better) frustrating because who likes to re-write.
This is the second review I’ve written- my first crashed/deleted before I hit the Done button (it was better) frustrating because who likes to re-write.
February 1, 2023
Like so many short story collections some grab you some don't. A few didn't grab me but some I'm still thinking about. I loved the first story all about different animals made into objects - elephant's foot umbrella stand, oyster pearl button etc. The visit to a couple in the Cotswolds for the weekend was great (until the last line which was maybe unnecessary), The Third Wife had touch of the Roald Dahl's about it. Really recommend if travelling so can dip in and out. Will definitely read more Penelope levels.
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January 12, 2024A mixed bag. I preferred the more recent stories on the whole. Some of them can be read in the space of a shit, which is a very good thing.
December 23, 2024
I don’t think I should be reading literary fiction short stories.
August 24, 2022
Rounded down from 10!! The worst moment of reading this book was finishing the final story.
Many of these stories display Lively's trade mark preoccupation with history and mutations over time, as in the title story. Another long story, Songs of Praise, focuses on the different images other people have of us. This was a theme in her novel The Photograph, but it's done arguably more skilfully in the short story. There is less blame implied here.
Many of these stories display Lively's trade mark preoccupation with history and mutations over time, as in the title story. Another long story, Songs of Praise, focuses on the different images other people have of us. This was a theme in her novel The Photograph, but it's done arguably more skilfully in the short story. There is less blame implied here.
February 24, 2023
I found myself rather disappointed by this collection of short stories, many of which left no impression on me at all. I suppose with a writer of Lively's quality, less certainly isn't more; and throughout much of this anthology I felt unsatisfied, with stories ending just when my interest had been piqued - at other times there seemed little story at all beyond a pithy observation or two.
But as always, such lovely writing.
But as always, such lovely writing.
September 21, 2022
I love Penelope Lively and most everything she writes
October 5, 2023
Meh.
Lively, me and you is parting ways girl!
Lively, me and you is parting ways girl!
October 27, 2024
It's been nearly 30 years since I first encountered a novel by Penelope Lively in school, but having never read anything else by her in that time, I felt the need to try out this selection of her short stories. As with any collection, some are better than others, but special mention goes to 'corruption' and ' the weekend.'
December 31, 2022
EASILY one of the best books I read this year… every story was just superb and her way of capturing the complexity of the human experience in words?!? Insane. 100% will be re-reading this at some point
January 4, 2022
Penelope Lively’s latest treasure trove is a compilation of previously published stories, bookmarked by two new lengthier tales. Together, they map her journey as a friend, parent and lover, but most importantly as a writer, asking - what does it all amount to?
A Booker Prize winning author, Lively has mastered the art of her craft with each story encapsulating its own vividly imagined universe, and leaving the reader with a sometimes sombre, often challenging moral sentiment, all of which can be perfectly allegorised by the elephants foot in her opening story.
From Devonshire countryside to an Egyptian airport, a bus ride through central London and a journey back to ancient Rome. Metamorphosis covers a wide range of locations, characters and styles with ease and elegance. A witty and grounding collection of 26 stories that will inspire you to embrace all that life teaches and all that we leave behind.
(Reviewed for the Press Association)
A Booker Prize winning author, Lively has mastered the art of her craft with each story encapsulating its own vividly imagined universe, and leaving the reader with a sometimes sombre, often challenging moral sentiment, all of which can be perfectly allegorised by the elephants foot in her opening story.
From Devonshire countryside to an Egyptian airport, a bus ride through central London and a journey back to ancient Rome. Metamorphosis covers a wide range of locations, characters and styles with ease and elegance. A witty and grounding collection of 26 stories that will inspire you to embrace all that life teaches and all that we leave behind.
(Reviewed for the Press Association)
December 29, 2021
There are only a couple of new short stories in this book - the rest are selected from previous collections and many were familiar to me.
That means that avid Penelope Lively fans may be a tad disappointed, but anyone new to her writing will discover that she writes excellent short stories. (Although I personally prefer the novels.)
That means that avid Penelope Lively fans may be a tad disappointed, but anyone new to her writing will discover that she writes excellent short stories. (Although I personally prefer the novels.)
January 23, 2022
A smattering of Penelope Lively's short stories with some new ones added. A fascinating look at human relationships and interactions from different character's perspectives. A mind opening, enlightening read.
This is the first time I’ve read any Penelope Lively; I’ll definitely be reading her again.
This is the first time I’ve read any Penelope Lively; I’ll definitely be reading her again.
October 9, 2025
A mixed bag this lot – plenty of ‘three star’ stories in here, which is a bit disappointing considering Lively selected what she considered her very best work for this collection.
The last one though, 'Songs of Praise', is verging on a five, with real substance lurking under the surface of what appears to be a mildly amusing story like so many others in the collection, but ultimately proves quietly devastating. Very quietly, but devastating nonetheless. Set at a funeral, it draws poignant contrasts between what family members say about the departed and the memories they edit out of their public remarks but nevertheless cannot keep from their thoughts. The lump in my throat took me by surprise.
These stories were written over a number of decades, starting in the 1970s, and many feel dated. By that I mean they are old enough for us to be conscious that times have changed since they were written, but not quite old enough to be classics, or interesting windows in the past. In many of them, Lively is grappling with issues that would have seemed zeitgeisty at the time, but you can sense that what was a bit daring and racey then is no longer so.
In her introduction Lively makes the point that there is no set length for a short story, and these vary widely in length. Some are pretty insubstantial, but at least you haven’t spent much time on them – they divert you for a moment and then are gone. ‘Corruption’ and ‘The Cats’ Meat Man’ fall into this category. ‘The Slovenian Giantess’ is another, highly effective in its evocation of slowly mounting panic, but ultimately without much point. ‘The First Wife’ commits the cardinal short story sin of having a 'twist' that you can see coming.
Others have a bit more bite. ‘A Long Night at Abu Simbel’, about a bunch of English holidaymakers who find themselves stuck in an Egyptian airport for the night, is a mischievous satire on the 'Blitz spirit' – very glancingly referenced at the end of the story, but just enough to let you know it was deliberate. ‘A World of her Own’, a story of two sisters treated unequally by their mother, is a ruthless takedown of a certain type of artistic temperament – you feel for the more ordinary sister who constantly has to pick up the pieces of her sibling’s chaotic life. ‘A Clean Death’, inspired by a childhood memory of Lively’s, cuts through with its expose of social snobbery, but ‘Bus-Stop’, about a bus conductor who has moved several rungs down the social ladder, comes across as an artefact of its time, like an old sitcom episode, and fails to make the same impact. ‘Mrs Bennet’, also concerned with social class, is a much stronger story, but what would have been a great punchline is undermined by subsequent events.
Behind a lot of these stories is a fascination with how women’s lives changed during the course of the twentieth century, as new vistas of possibility opened up. The title story ‘Metamorphosis’ is a novel in miniature, following an ambitious and resourceful woman through a long and varied life, with strange asides about household objects made from parts of animals: a pearl necklace, an elephant’s foot umbrella stand, a tortoiseshell mirror. It reflects on humans’ relationship with change, some of which we can choose for ourselves but some of which is forced on us anyway. Like the best of these stories, it lingers in the mind, avoiding pat conclusions and making you think instead.
The last one though, 'Songs of Praise', is verging on a five, with real substance lurking under the surface of what appears to be a mildly amusing story like so many others in the collection, but ultimately proves quietly devastating. Very quietly, but devastating nonetheless. Set at a funeral, it draws poignant contrasts between what family members say about the departed and the memories they edit out of their public remarks but nevertheless cannot keep from their thoughts. The lump in my throat took me by surprise.
These stories were written over a number of decades, starting in the 1970s, and many feel dated. By that I mean they are old enough for us to be conscious that times have changed since they were written, but not quite old enough to be classics, or interesting windows in the past. In many of them, Lively is grappling with issues that would have seemed zeitgeisty at the time, but you can sense that what was a bit daring and racey then is no longer so.
In her introduction Lively makes the point that there is no set length for a short story, and these vary widely in length. Some are pretty insubstantial, but at least you haven’t spent much time on them – they divert you for a moment and then are gone. ‘Corruption’ and ‘The Cats’ Meat Man’ fall into this category. ‘The Slovenian Giantess’ is another, highly effective in its evocation of slowly mounting panic, but ultimately without much point. ‘The First Wife’ commits the cardinal short story sin of having a 'twist' that you can see coming.
Others have a bit more bite. ‘A Long Night at Abu Simbel’, about a bunch of English holidaymakers who find themselves stuck in an Egyptian airport for the night, is a mischievous satire on the 'Blitz spirit' – very glancingly referenced at the end of the story, but just enough to let you know it was deliberate. ‘A World of her Own’, a story of two sisters treated unequally by their mother, is a ruthless takedown of a certain type of artistic temperament – you feel for the more ordinary sister who constantly has to pick up the pieces of her sibling’s chaotic life. ‘A Clean Death’, inspired by a childhood memory of Lively’s, cuts through with its expose of social snobbery, but ‘Bus-Stop’, about a bus conductor who has moved several rungs down the social ladder, comes across as an artefact of its time, like an old sitcom episode, and fails to make the same impact. ‘Mrs Bennet’, also concerned with social class, is a much stronger story, but what would have been a great punchline is undermined by subsequent events.
Behind a lot of these stories is a fascination with how women’s lives changed during the course of the twentieth century, as new vistas of possibility opened up. The title story ‘Metamorphosis’ is a novel in miniature, following an ambitious and resourceful woman through a long and varied life, with strange asides about household objects made from parts of animals: a pearl necklace, an elephant’s foot umbrella stand, a tortoiseshell mirror. It reflects on humans’ relationship with change, some of which we can choose for ourselves but some of which is forced on us anyway. Like the best of these stories, it lingers in the mind, avoiding pat conclusions and making you think instead.
Currently reading
June 5, 2025Metamorphosis was such an unexpectedly beautiful story considering the subtitle ‘elephant’s foot’. Absolutely adore the way Lively writes about the concept of change in all its forms — the material, the personal, the micro and macro etc. — especially through little glimpses and echoes through time. There is a poetically simplistic approach of Lively to language that I’ve also noticed in her other works (namely The Moon Tiger, which I also *love* and need to reread). In its essence this is a story about the metamorphosis of one’s life, and its often expressed through passings in the ordinary commonalities; a drop of a pearl button, researching a book, discussing plans about the future. For a story that’s under 40 pages, Lively manages to encapsulates the changing of one’s thoughts and actions across one’s life.
August 26, 2022
Valedictorian: in what she suggests will, but I hope won’t, be her final book, Penelope Lively returns to her abiding concerns - time, memory, fate and death, and the effects of concealment, secrets and things unsaid. As crisp and clear as ever, there’s nonetheless a sense of passing on in this collection of short stories, some of which date from early days as a writer of adult fiction, whilst others are of recent vintage, making their debut in Metamorphosis. Superficially a documenter of the mores of middle England, Lively is much more than a turbocharged Joanna Trollope - hers are the more lasting truths about what makes us tick and what happens when the clock stops. It’s consummate stuff and I, for one, hope there is still more to come. A bientôt, Madame….
December 21, 2024
A great collection of short stories. A lot of different times, lives and people, mostly female POV but a couple of male ones as well. No matter the time or the people, they each capture experiences that are immediately understood and relatable. Even if not something personally experienced, I could immediately understand the humour, frustrations and lives the different people were living.
They are all the everyday moments of lives, sometimes defining, life affirming, crushing, heartbreaking, happiness, sadness, obliviousness. Every kind of the every day experiences of being alive and having relationships and families, the positive and negatives of just life.
A great collection. Superbly read.
They are all the everyday moments of lives, sometimes defining, life affirming, crushing, heartbreaking, happiness, sadness, obliviousness. Every kind of the every day experiences of being alive and having relationships and families, the positive and negatives of just life.
A great collection. Superbly read.
July 4, 2024
Delicious little tales of lives of quiet desperation.
Lively gets beneath the skin of middle class lives, neatly skewering the hypocrisy and delusion that underpins the outwardly comfortable lives of the English.
People fail to convey what they want from life, others put up with behaviour that makes them unhappy because they don’t know how to do otherwise, some believe they are unseen but are watched anyway.
There is humour and even sometimes a touch of the supernatural in the these stories that range across the decades of the late 20th and early 21st century.
Lively’s writing style is deceptively simple, her observations sharp.
Lively gets beneath the skin of middle class lives, neatly skewering the hypocrisy and delusion that underpins the outwardly comfortable lives of the English.
People fail to convey what they want from life, others put up with behaviour that makes them unhappy because they don’t know how to do otherwise, some believe they are unseen but are watched anyway.
There is humour and even sometimes a touch of the supernatural in the these stories that range across the decades of the late 20th and early 21st century.
Lively’s writing style is deceptively simple, her observations sharp.
September 8, 2024
This was a delightful collection, especially with the author’s intro to contextualize the historical progression of the stories. I often try to read an author’s works in the sequence in which they were written, to best enjoy the development of the writer’s skill. This book is very satisfying in that respect, with the later stories showing a writer in full command of her craft. I spent months reading this book in order, a couple stories at a time between other books, but I anticipate dipping back to re-read particular stories again and again. I find more to appreciate with each reading.
January 17, 2022
I really enjoyed this book - some of the short stories, especially ‘In Olden Times’, really struck a chord with me.
I love that Penelope Lively’s writing is less about plot; there are no grandiose dramatic events in these stories; and more about the characters and their interactions, and how they understand (or rather don’t understand) each other’s inner workings.
This is the first Penelope Lively book I’ve read and I’ll definitely be revisiting her in the future.
I love that Penelope Lively’s writing is less about plot; there are no grandiose dramatic events in these stories; and more about the characters and their interactions, and how they understand (or rather don’t understand) each other’s inner workings.
This is the first Penelope Lively book I’ve read and I’ll definitely be revisiting her in the future.
March 27, 2022
When Penelope Lively publishes a new book, it’s a high priority to read it. And this does not disappoint. Featuring short fiction across her career, including two new longer pieces written during the pan-$&@&-demic this collection will amuse, engage, and grab you by your collar at times. Utterly loved it.
May 16, 2022
DNF@50%
Unconvincing characterization. A woman going through wartime, even on the front line, with no scratch on her body, or her sense of self, or musings about the darkness of humanity? Just success after success, then looking at herself in the mirror and wondering about her skin at old age? Really. Riddled with first-world problems & bland, vacuous characters.
Unconvincing characterization. A woman going through wartime, even on the front line, with no scratch on her body, or her sense of self, or musings about the darkness of humanity? Just success after success, then looking at herself in the mirror and wondering about her skin at old age? Really. Riddled with first-world problems & bland, vacuous characters.
February 14, 2023
brilliant (but then i wouldn't expect any less from my absolute favorite author)
the one thing i would say is that sometimes it feels like her short stories are just versions of the same characters and situations - which doesn't make them bad at all, just sometimes you feel as if you're reading almost the same story over again
the one thing i would say is that sometimes it feels like her short stories are just versions of the same characters and situations - which doesn't make them bad at all, just sometimes you feel as if you're reading almost the same story over again
March 2, 2023
I have always enjoyed Penelope Lively's writing and had read some of these stories before. The book is made up of a selection from three short story collections chosen by the author plus two new longer stories. Each story is beautifully crafted. Recommended for when the reader only has a few minutes of reading time.
December 15, 2023
Thrown out by Goodreads in the middle of writing a review AGAIN.
I listened on audio capably read by Alex Dunmore.
I decided to read some short stories as I hadn’t read any for a while. Chose this selection written over a 40 year writing career.
A delightful selection of stories based on families and relationships. Principally middle class. Wry perception of human frailties.
I listened on audio capably read by Alex Dunmore.
I decided to read some short stories as I hadn’t read any for a while. Chose this selection written over a 40 year writing career.
A delightful selection of stories based on families and relationships. Principally middle class. Wry perception of human frailties.
June 12, 2024
I was tempted to give this five stars, but not all the stories were, and some had predictable endings, but the writing was sublime and I loved some of them. I slowed down the audio book to normal speed to really relish them.
I loved how she captured a whole life though a few brushstrokes, and some of the stories were very witty. Her sometimes scathing writing gives the impression that she's rather a formidable woman, who doesn't suffer fools, as they don't come out the better of her stories. Overall very enjoyable.
I loved how she captured a whole life though a few brushstrokes, and some of the stories were very witty. Her sometimes scathing writing gives the impression that she's rather a formidable woman, who doesn't suffer fools, as they don't come out the better of her stories. Overall very enjoyable.
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March 24, 2022What a wonderfull collection. I can see myself giving this to folks for birthdays and christmases for years and years.
The final story is probably the weakest in my opinion, but that's relative. All killer and no filler baby.
The final story is probably the weakest in my opinion, but that's relative. All killer and no filler baby.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews