A Pair of Silk Stockings

by Kate Chopin

BOOKS

Genres: Short Stories, Classics, Fiction, Feminism, School, American, 19th Century

Paperback

First published January 1, 1897

About the author

Kate Chopin was an American author whose fiction grew out of the complex cultures and contradictions of Louisiana life, and she gradually became one of the most distinctive voices in nineteenth century literature. Raised in a household shaped by strong women of French and Irish heritage, she developed an early love for books and storytelling, and that immersion in language later shaped the quiet precision of her prose. After marrying and moving to New Orleans, then later to the small community of Cloutierville, she absorbed the rhythms, customs, and tensions of Creole and Cajun society, finding in its people the material that would feed both her sympathy and her sharp observational eye. When personal loss left her searching for direction, she began writing with the encouragement of a family friend, discovering not only a therapeutic outlet but a genuine vocation. Within a few years, her stories appeared in major magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, and The Century, where readers encountered her local-color sketches, her portrayals of women navigating desire and constraint, and her nuanced depictions of life in the American South. She published two story collections, Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie, introducing characters whose emotional lives were depicted with unusual honesty. Her short fiction often explored subjects others avoided, including interracial relationships, female autonomy, and the quiet but powerful inner conflicts of everyday people. That same unflinching quality shaped The Awakening, the novel that would later become her most celebrated work. At the time of its publication, however, its frank treatment of a married woman’s emotional and sensual awakening unsettled many critics, who judged it harshly, yet Chopin continued to write stories that revealed her commitment to portraying women as fully human, with desires and ambitions that stretched beyond the confines of convention. She admired the psychological clarity of Guy de Maupassant, but she pushed beyond his influence to craft a voice that was unmistakably her own, direct yet lyrical, and deeply attuned to the inner lives of her characters. Though some of her contemporaries viewed her themes as daring or even improper, others recognized her narrative skill, and within a decade of her passing she was already being described as a writer of remarkable talent. Her rediscovery in the twentieth century led readers to appreciate how modern her concerns truly were: the struggle for selfhood, the tension between social expectations and private longing, and the resilience of women seeking lives that felt authentically theirs. Today, her stories and novels are widely read, admired for their clarity, emotional intelligence, and the boldness with which they illuminate the complexities of human experience.

Reviews

[Ilse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps some have been feeling caught and bereft of autonomy during these (semi) lockdown times, running into limitations we previously didn’t fathom possible, at least of some we might hope will be of passing nature so in the near future we might find again what we have missed most - a library visit, to meet friends or relatives who belong to our ever spatially expanding lives, so remote from the traditional life under the church tower that maybe still was the one of our grandparents. To put things into perspective it can be enlightening to read about past times, illustrating what is of essential value in our acquis, the importance of personal freedom, even if now under restriction to protect others and ourselves.

Personal freedom and the dearth of it especially for women in the rigid society that characterised the Deep South of the United States, Louisiana, in the late 19th century is one of the mayor, recurrent themes in these Kate Chopin’s (1850-1904) short stories – as in her novel The Awakening. Apart from the titular story and the poignant The Story of an Hour that I have read a few years ago, this collection comprises Désirée’s Baby, Miss McEnders and Nég Créol.

Some of these short stories are steeped in an astounding bravery, touching on topics that must have been audacious to speak about in Kate Chopin’s times and context, taboos - issues which are still a minefield today: race, class and gender - defying conventions and pointing at injustice.



(Berthe Morisot, Young Girl Putting on Her Stockings (1880)

Because I recently have been reading a story by Guy de Maupassant by coincidence, it struck me as meaningful to find out that Kate Chopin admired the writing of her French contemporary greatly:

"I read his stories and marvelled at them. Here was life, not fiction; for where were the plots, the old fashioned mechanism and stage trapping that in a vague, unthinkable way I had fancied were essential to the art of story making. Here was a man who had escaped from tradition and authority, who had entered into himself and looked out upon life through his own being and with his own eyes; and who, in a direct and simple way, told us what he saw.”

What she described having touched her in de Maupassant’s writing echoes through her own realist storytelling as well, having an observant eye for the dynamics of the time and place influencing the individual lives of people, living in times in which racism and patriarchal oppression was the order of the day.

Well-paced and punchy, three of the five stories stab like a knife, the endings leaving the reader against the ropes, rendering the reader into a shocked partaker when people are shattered on the rocks of brutish, bitter reality, watching how they crash into a concrete wall they hadn’t been aware of existing before – the veil of hypocrisy and self-delusion lifted, moral smugness retaliated and backfiring in the delicate pink coloured face of self-righteousness.

Particularly powerful and intense are the stories in which women taste the joys of independence and of personal freedom – in The story of an Hour almost, in A pair of Silk Stockings a delicious slice of it – the touch of silk unlashing a fairy-talish magic dotting a woman’s life for one day with a gracious frivolity of unexpected self-indulgence, ending this collection on a sparkling note of exquisite and sweet carpe diem.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens if a white supremacist finds himself in the situation to discover he is not white?

What happens if a woman, who suffers from the fact that matrimony is an eternal state of reciprocal ownership, finds herself free for an hour, until freedom is revoked again by the clarification of a misunderstanding?

What happens if a self-righteous Christian woman discovers she is a product of the sin she loves to point out to others?

What happens to 15 dollars if there is the temptation of perfect silk stockings at a sale?

This is my first attempt at reading Kate Chopin, and she blew my mind.

I can't believe she wrote these sharp, honest, brutal short stories in the final days of the 19th century, in the American South. I can't believe we had this kind of brilliant emancipation then and there and yet we are still struggling with the same kind of racist, misogynist, patriarchal structures. Why haven't we learned anything from Kate Chopin and her likes? Why don't we read Désirée's Baby and The Story Of An Hour in all schools everywhere to show the evil of white supremacy and patriarchal family structures?

Why don't we learn even from the lighthearted shopping spree of a poor housewife, who has her one day of pleasure in the theatre, restaurant and department store before facing the drudgery of sacrifice again?

This book was a spontaneous buy at a small bookstore that I entered on a whim, but it changed my day while I read it in a restaurant, with a glass of wine, all alone, like Mrs Sommers.

The only thing that is still missing to make this a perfect day is a good pair of silk stockings...

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Chopin wrote “A Pair of Silk Stockings” in April, 1896.

Mrs Sommers finds herself in the unexpected and fortunate position of having an extra 15 dollars to spend. Her first thought is for her children, but when she arrives at the store, her priorities appear to change!
Enjoyable little story. Thanks to Tina for the link. https://www.katechopin.org/pdfs/Kate%...

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short story by one of the earliest feminist authors, Kate Chopin. This was originally published in Vogue magazine in 1897.

A cute story about a tired and overworked woman who finds herself with an extra $15 and decides to treat herself to an ultimate, "ME" day. Just goes to show past or present women do enjoy a nice shopping spree every now and then!

You can read the story for free at the following link.

https://www.katechopin.org/pdfs/Kate%...

[Leonard Gaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Within the Southern US canon, Kate Chopin is a minor classic (not as popular as Mark Twain, let’s say). But this small volume pays homage to her remarkable talent as a storyteller through five very brief stories: “Désirée’s Baby”, “Miss McEnders”, “The Story of an Hour”, “Nég Créol”, and “A Pair of Silk Stockings”. All of them are centred on the Cajun and Creole communities and reflect the diverse social, ethnic, and linguistic milieu in Louisiana around the time of the Civil War.

Chopin’s writing is incredibly effective in creating compelling characters and engaging little narratives and, in this sense, is evocative of Flaubert’s and Maupassant’s stylistic mastery. But one of the most striking aspects of these stories is probably the ironic and satirical (sometimes ambiguous) overtones with which she denounces the coercive and racist white patriarchy of her time and the pressure put on virtually everyone, from urban upper-class women to Black communities living in the bayous. In that sense, Chopin was certainly well ahead of her time.

[Sean Barrs · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’ve all had a day they we didn’t want to end: we’ve all had a day that was so good we wanted it to exist forever. I think if anything, that is the feeling this remarkable short story captures. Mrs Sommers has fifteen dollars, which to her is great deal of money. She treats herself to a lovely pair of silk stockings and, then later, some gloves. She goes to the theatre, and when the play ends she feels like she has woken up form a dream. Evening approaches so she gets a cable car home, except she doesn’t want the journey, and the day, to be over.



For me, a good short story is something that when its last few sentences are read, it makes you go back and read the whole short story again. I think with this one, the last few lines give us the realisation that Mrs Summers doesn’t want to go home. But, why is this? I think it is because she has a controlling husband. I get the feeling that the day she just has was a rarity, and would never have been possible in the presence of her other half. If this was the case then, it is no wonder she doesn’t want to go home, and wants to live that day for eternity.

This was only one of the five short stories in his edition and I must say together they comprise a very impressive collection. I have not heard of this author prior to reading this, and I’m glad I bought this collection if it was only to discover her and this short story. Indeed, this will certainly not be the last thing I read by this author.

Penguin Little Black Classic- 66



The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.

[Maria E (de Enigma, Espada, Esfinge…) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Glimpse of Freedom


Mrs Sommers knew better days before adding Sommers to her name. Nevertheless, she naturally refuses to think about it. Naturally cos she’s wholly absorbed in her daily routine—leisure time is a luxury Mrs. Sommers doesn’t know.

Correction: a luxury Mrs Sommers didn’t know until now!

Don’t ask me why nor how but… the fact is… that Mrs Sommers has 15 dollars in her purse 👜
Yes! And with that money she can make her own private party—she will buy herself a day of freedom
For a whole day, she will be the fish that will trade a suffocating aquarium for the entire ocean …

Ok! Mrs. Sommers will have a brief glimpse into freedom!! But… how will she cope with the rest of her life after that?!
I guess Mrs. Sommers is gonna buy herself the condemned man's last meal! Unless, of course, a miracle drops by.🎊
Do you believe in miracles, Mrs Sommers?! If you don’t, make one 😜


Moral of the Story : In the 19th century, most women needed a miracle to improve their lives!
My final thought : Why there weren’t more female serial killers in the 19th century remains a mystery to me!😜

Obrigada Paula Mota

[Shaghayegh]

محض اطلاع، ریویوم پیرامون داستان "یک جفت جوراب ابريشمی" هست.
تو این داستان، کیت شوپن شخصیتی رو خلق کرده به نام خانم سامرز. این زن یکی از ملموس‌ترین مامان‌هایی واسم به شمار میره که تو زندگی میبینم و باهاشون برخورد میکنم. زنی که بعد از ازدواج، زندگیش رو وقف خونواده میکنه. اولویتش بچه‌هاشن و حالا که ۱۵ دلار ناقابل دستش اومده، مونده باهاش چیکار کنه.
کل داستان با سادگی و ظرافت پیش میره. پارادوکس در تصمیم‌گیری نحوه‌ی خرج کردن پول و سوال تأمل‌برانگیزی که بعد از ورود به زندگی زناشویی و پاگذاشتن بچه پیش میاد؛ اینکه چطور میتونی عزیزانت رو دوست داشته باشی در حالی‌که خودت رو از یاد بردی.
خانم سامرز با شک و تردید مواجه میشه. اینکه بعد از مدت‌ها به خودش اجازه‌ی دوست‌داشتن بده یا محبتش رو خرج خونواده کنه. به خانم سامرز قبل ازدواج، همونی که به خودش می‌رسید کمی برگرده یا نه. کمی خودخواه رفتار کنه یا به ازخودگذشتگی میدون بده. فقط ۱۵ دلار و جدال ذهنی یه زن متأهل با خودش.
کیت شوپن تفاوت خرج کردن برای خود و دیگران رو نشون میده. چهره‌ی زن رو در اون زمانه به تصویر میکشه و شادمانی‌های کوچک رو خاطرنشان میکنه. قلمش پیچیدگی زیادی نداره. موضوع ساده اما بحث‌برانگیزی رو مطرح میکنه و این، سومین داستانی بود که ازش خوندم و به دلم نشست.
از دلارای عزیز متشکرم که به‌ واسطه‌ی میدل‌مارچ، با نویسنده‌ و قلم جدیدی آشنام کرد. بسی لذت بردم.

[Ahmed Ejaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me this is a very simple and plain story . But I have read some reviews which says completely the opposite. :(

OVERVIEW
One day Mrs Sommers finds fifteen dollers. Her first thought is to spend them on her children. But when she goes to the store, she ends up spending them on herself by buying a pair of stockings, boots, going to restaurant and watching a movie. In the end, she doesn't want to go back home; to her responsibilities.

Overall, I don't know I liked it or not. But I would recommend it to everyone. Especially women.

[Jan-Maat]

Many a long and weary year ago I read The Awakening, I remember little about it apart from the sense of languid people in a sultry climate and it's inevitable cheerful ending see how I evade giving spoilers through such gross dishonesty!, I suspect I read it not as a stand alone but in a collection with some of her other stories which the passage of time has eroded from my mind. Her name remain intact in my blockhead and so I was glad to spot and seize this little volume in a little library.

This is a little book, fiftyish pages with five stories of equalish length, so they average out as short.
Five stories: Desiree's Baby, Miss McEnders, The Story of an Hour, Neg Creol, and A Pair of Silk Stockings.

Now I will digress and hopefully circle back to this book. Somebody gave my sister Becoming by Michelle Obama and because I am a high sociable and out going type of person and always honest except when I am not . I have ideally leafed through a good deal of the book and read it with a certain degree of slack jawed, wide-eyed amazement because it strikes me as such a regressive book. Here is a woman who we are only reading about because of her husband and who is presenting herself as the good wife and helpmate who walks a step behind him, she does not wish to appear to be a driving and dynamic force in his political life. Anyway, this is a digression, I'm sure she is a lovely lady and naturally a book by a politician or a politician's wife has to conform to the expectations and ideals of the readership, a fiction writer can be harder and sharper, they can kick over our expectations and force us to think and see differently, even if only for ten pages. Perhaps enough of those ten pages can transform a person, or open them up to the possibilities of being a different person. In short I end my digression. Kate Chopin is not regressive, time has not blunted her, she is still sharp, facing up to mind forg'd manacles. These are great little stories with perfect endings, full of sad self defeating pretensions. Five Stars.

[Katie Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these stories. I need to read more by Kate Chopin!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

The purchase of A PAIR OF SILK STOCKINGS begins a "rare" and fun little shopping spree that a mother wishes would go on forever.

Not my favorite Kate Chopin, but ok.

[Zuli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨
I'm just a girl...

[Katya]

A primeira vez que li esta coletânea de Kate Chopin, a primeira vez, aliás, que li Kate Chopin, foi em 2017, numa altura em que a data da compra do livro e a data da sua leitura ainda coincidiam. Portanto, há oito anos. Da experiência já pouco recordava, mas lembrava-me bem do conto que abre esta seleção e lhe dá nome. Esse ficou comigo ao longo de quase uma década e eu teria ainda podido recordá-lo quase linha a linha ainda antes de o ter relido. Releituras, aliás, são coisa a que estou pouco acostumada, mas queria avançar para o O despertar e, com a pouca disponibilidade de tempo (e vontade) com que agora me encontro, decidi recuperar este pequenino amuse-bouche.
E sem espanto: Um par de meias de seda resiste como o momento alto desta recolha. Nada mais simples: temos uma Sra. Sommers e a Sra. Sommers dá por si, inesperadamente, com 15 dólares a mais na sua bolsa. Em que os poderá gastar uma mãe de pelo menos quatro crianças, certamente viúva, decididamente desamparada, e com um rendimento incerto? Essa é a exploração essencial deste pequeníssimo conto onde as circunstâncias de vida da protagonista parecem ecoar a realidade da escritora - viúva aos trinta e poucos anos, com seis filhos a cargo. Os outros oito contos, no entanto, não se ficam atrás deste primeiro (apesar da minha evidente preferência por alguns deles).
Habitada por mulheres, aristocratas e criolas, esta coletânea ferve numa rebeldia emancipatória em que as protagonistas seduzem, tomam a dianteira nos namoros, se comprazem com a liberdade da viuvez e planeiam relações extra-conjugais numa evidente resposta ao condicionalismo imposto pelo casamento e pela descendência (que vários dos contos também abordam). Ambientadas no sul profundo, onde as plantações são cruzadas pelo Bayou, e as cicatrizes da escravatura ainda se fazem sentir, estas histórias estão cheias de mulheres que têm de encontrar forma de resistir à tradição e à autoridade que concorrem para as obliterar em corpo e espírito.
Salpicadas de pormenores autobiográficos, começam por aparentar ser escritos singelos, mas acabam por conseguir abordar, com uma dose de ironia considerável, a natureza das relações de poder (homem/mulher, branco/negro patrão/assalariado), as tensões raciais e o colorido cultural de uma região que congrega heranças geográficas tão distintas como a francesa, a Cajun (do Canadá), a espanhola e a africana.
Aperitivo degustado, vamos agora à refeição principal.

Um par de meias de seda
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Azélie
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Uma mulher de respeito
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
O sonho de uma hora
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Um cavalheiro de Bayon Têche
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Uma noite em Acadie
⭐️⭐️⭐️
O bebé de Desirée
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
O divórcio de Madame Célestin
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
No baile canadiano
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Sandysbookaday (on indefinite hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: The neighbours sometimes talked of certain "better days" that little Mrs. Sommers had known before she had ever thought of being Mrs. Sommers. She herself indulged in no such morbid retrospection. She had no time - no second of time to devote to the past. The needs of the present absorbed her every faculty. A vision of the future like some dim, gaunt monster sometimes appalled her, but luckily tomorrow never comes.

ABOUT 'A PAIR OF SILK STOCKINGS': "A Pair of Silk Stockings" is a short story written by Kate Chopin. Published in 1897, the story follows Mrs. Sommers who prefers spending a windfall on herself, rather than on her children.

MY THOUGHTS: She had the best of intentions when setting out, but . . .

I first came across Kate Chopin when I was given a copy of her novel Awakening to read. The link to my review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

It seems Kate likes to write about women whose own desires come to the fore.

A Pair of Silk Stockings is a very short, short story in which Mrs. Sommers does what. no doubt, we have all wished to do at one time or another.

Thank you to Tina and Maureen for the link. https://www.katechopin.org/pdfs/Kate%...

MEET THE AUTHOR: Kate Chopin was an American novelist and short-story writer best known for her startling 1899 novel, The Awakening. Born in St. Louis, she moved to New Orleans after marrying Oscar Chopin in 1870. Less than a decade later Oscar's cotton business fell on hard times and they moved to his family's plantation in the Natchitoches Parish of northwestern Louisiana. Oscar died in 1882 and Kate was suddenly a young widow with six children. She turned to writing and published her first poem in 1889. The Awakening, considered Chopin's masterpiece, was subject to harsh criticism at the time for its frank approach to sexual themes. It was rediscovered in the 1960s and has since become a standard of American literature, appreciated for its sophistication and artistry. Chopin's short stories of Cajun and Creole life are collected in Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897), and include "Desiree's Baby," "The Story of an Hour" and "The Storm."

https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um par de meias de seda
Uma mãe de família que planeia gastar um dinheiro extra a comprar roupas para os filhos.
5*

O sonho de uma hora
Uma senhora recebe a notícia de que o marido faleceu num acidente de comboio.
5*

O bebé de Desirée
Uma jovem adoptada em criança, um dia descobre no seu filho algo que a aterroriza.
5*

Estes são os três contos, dos nove desta colectânea, de que mais gostei. São histórias comoventes - e reveladoras da opressão feminina pela sociedade da época - tratadas com ousadia por Kate Chopin; uma escritora norte-americana (1850-1904), cuja obra coloca em causa a submissão a que as mulheres estavam sujeitas.

[Carmo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Chopin aponta o dedo com muita classe a temas muito delicados para serem abordados no séc XIX; por uma mulher, e sobre as mulheres principalmente.
A maioria dos contos começam e desenrolam-se com extrema delicadeza e alguma subtileza, para terminarem com uma machadada fatal nas convenções sociais. Adorei, e alguns deles emocionaram-me sobremaneira.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but sweet story by Kate Chopin, though I still think "The Story of an Hour" is her best short fiction.

[Célia Loureiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Na sua opinião, o amor era sinónimo de degradação, algo que quase tinha vergonha de confessar a si próprio; e sabia que não tinha forças para o reprimir.”

Kate Chopin (1851-1904) foi uma autora norte-americana que viveu toda a vida no Louisiana. Peguei nas suas Meias de Seda convencida de que se tratava de uma novela sobre o dilema de uma mãe entre gastar, ou não, o dinheiro extra que recebeu consigo ou com os filhos. No entanto, esta edição contém sim uma compilação de contos da autora. Em todos é transversal a delicadeza com que aborda a vontade das mulheres, a sua submissão – ou insubmissão – face aos homens da sua época, e também um cuidado em retratar a vida de famílias crioulas e de origens francófonas (portanto marginais) do Louisiana.

Todos os nove contos aqui compilados (Meias de Seda, Azélie, Uma Mulher de Respeito, O Sonho de uma Hora, Um Cavalheiro de Bayon Têche, Uma Noite em Arcadie, o Bebé de Desirée, O Divórcio de Madame Célestin e No Baile Canadiano) evidenciam o espírito crítico da autora, bem como a sua luta pelos direitos (e a voz) das mulheres. Emocionou-me também o modo como mistura brancos e negros, jogando com a dignidade e os sentimentos e expectativas destas personagens de grande carácter.

O bebé de Desirée foi o meu conto favorito, de tal modo que a autora, que já havia conquistado a minha atenção até então, arrebatou de vez a minha admiração.
De salientar também o modo como se aventura por questões de honra e sexualidade, com certeza escandalosas para a época, mas que evidenciam bem a sua pertinência no mundo das letras na viragem do século.

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

“But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.”
― Kate Chopin, "The Story of an Hour"



Vol N° 66 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. This volume contains five short stories written by Kate Chopin, that appear in Penguin's The Awakening and Selected Short Stories. This selection contains:

1. Déserée's Baby ★★★★★
2. Miss McEnders ★★★★
3. The Story of an Hour ★★★★
4. Nég Créole ★★★★
5. A Pair of Silk Stockings ★★★★

I really enjoyed these tight little stories. It was nice to be reminded that Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis, MO and lived in Louisiana. Sometimes, the long shadow she throws on early 20th-Century American letters seems to almost remove her from the source material of much of her writing. These stories are VERY grounded in St Louis and the Creole South.

[Connie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A Pair of Silk Stockings" short story was read.

Mrs Sommers has been hardworking and frugal. She has a small amount of unexpected money that she's planning to use for new clothes for her children. But she gets tempted by a pair of silk stockings at the store and makes an impulsive purchase. Things snowball and she finds she has spent the money on a pleasurable afternoon shopping and going to the theater. She gave herself a needed lift in spirit before going back to a life where she was always putting her family first. It seemed like Chopin realized that everyone occasionally needs a psychological lift, and we have all impulsively done something special for ourselves. 3.5 stars.

[Renee M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deceptively simple. A perfect little story about the choices most women have made through the centuries. Family First. Often to the detriment of self.

The heroine has one luxurious day to herself, not taking anything away from loved ones, but merely spending a bit of unaccounted money on herself, a bit of time to her own needs. There's a longing here with which we can all identify. It is a powerful story even in our times. I cannot imagine how it must have resonated in hers.

[BookishDramas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had forgotten that I had read KC's books way back in high school.
Thanks to Sandysbookaday's review I remembered this.
This was a renewal of connection, re-reading this short story after 36 years, a story of a thrifty mother who had seen better days and a different life now at the edge of penury with a brood of six children, who unwittingly succumbs to a little self indulgence while in the market. This short essay of sorts by KC does not point to any point of view but just states in a short period when the lady lowers her guard and looks beyond her hard life.
Times have changed but not the expectations from a mother but in the 19th century this would have been scandalized, those were different times.
This is a short 15-20 minute story which is not out of place even in todays society.

[Liz Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was read for the #readwomen month.
Stories about women, and what they often give up for their family, and a socially acceptable life at the time as well as the role of race at the time.

-Désirée's Baby: Now my rating of five stars is mostly because of this story, which is my favourite of all her short stories after I read it at school right before we were made to read her novel The Awakening. This tiny story deals with miscegenation in Louisiana during the antebellum period, and how this leads to a small journey of race, heritage, and identity. Plus that plot twist!

-Miss McEnders: Do not be ethnocentric, it should not be that hard.

-The Story of an Hour: A woman hears of the death of her husband and dreams of freedom, and the title tells you all you need to know about the end.

-Neg Créol: The struggle between cultures, the story of a black fishmonger and his former master's family.

-A Pair of Silk Stockings: This is a story of escapism of a woman who wants to feel free for as long as she can (a day) after spending her entire life looking after her husband and children.

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A smile provoking short story from Kate Chopin. It's universal and timeless. Mrs. Sommers, frugal and conscientious Mrs. Sommers, suddenly finds herself with a few extra dollars, and she must decide how to spend it. Of course she knows that she should spend it on her children and she thinks through the items that they need. But out shopping, she inadvertently lays her hand on a pair of silk stockings, and they are on sale so she buys them. Well, one thing leads to another and Mrs. Sommers has spent the day and her extra money treatiing herself to a few small pleasures. We've all been there, we've done the same thing, and watching Mrs. Sommers do it is what brings a smile to your face.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot. The main character's thoughts and feelings are really well written, and when you look at her bckground, her thoughts about buying something for herself become more important and less selfish. 5 out of 5 stars

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed each of these stories. I chose this collection because I had read somewhere that Kate Chopin was a master at the short story. She certainly was. Each story has a climax finale that is more than a zing and not always a sting. The first story, Desiree's Baby, had that curl in the tail end that I did not expect and yet spoke volumes about the characters up to that point.

The naming piece, A Pair of Silk Stockings, by contrast, did not have a zing or a sting in the end but a summation that encapsulated the young woman's state of mind and emotions so expertly.

I have encouraged my wife to read these as I know she will appreciate each story. I will wait a year to pass before returning to reread them, but I certainly shall reread them.

[Amanda B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5🌟

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Mrs. Sommers had no time—no second of time to devote to the past. The needs of the present absorbed her every faculty.

Having recently discovered a couple of marvellous short stories from Kate Chopin, I am now inspired to scour the recesses of the Interwebs in search of more.

These silk stockings are what I have discovered first.

And this is what I have learned: Never go shopping on an empty stomach!

Of course, that is the flippant approach. In the undercurrents of this story Chopin has more to say about the disappointments of marriage, the demands of child-rearing, and the onerous —perhaps unbearable— self-denial imposed on women.

Three stars because it was not as strong as the first two I read: The Storm and The Story of an Hour.

[Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not heard of Kate Chopin before I started reading this. A Pair of Silk Stockings contains five short stories and overall it was a really nice read. That's what I have been reading these little books for, finding new-to-me authors.

In the title story, a woman has 15 dollars to spend on nice things for herself - a rarity - and as she has a wonderful day choosing the beautiful stockings and gloves and visiting the theater, at a certain point realization hits that it can't last and that when the curtains draw she will have to return to her normal life. I think that is a very relatable kind of thing.

~Little Black Classics #66~

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