Brady Meyer’s Reviews > About Love and Other Stories > Status Update

"The Bishop" was NOT a great way to start my Friday morning. The depressing story of an old bishop looking back on his life, wishing he could revisit his youth.

All done with the collection, just need to read all the supplemental material at the front of the edition.

"At Christmas Time", a very short story involving elderly parents trying to get in touch with their daughter.

"The Lady with the Little Dog", about a love affair that reflects on the private lives we hide vs the public lives we share with others.

"About Love", the final story of a little trilogy, about a man who falls in love with a married woman and falls into misery as a result.

"Gooseberries", a reread for me and the second of a trilogy of short stories that seem concerned with how we choose to live a satisfied life.

"... it's obvious that the contented person only feels good because those who are unhappy bear their burden in silence; without that silence happiness would be inconceivable. It's a collective hypnosis."

"The Man in the Case", about a man who lives a constrained life due to his insecurities.

"In the Cart", a deeply moving portrait of Marya Vasilievna, who's loneliness causes her to dwell on the past and what her life could have been. I first read this short story nearly two years ago in "A Swim in the Pond in the Rain" and it still hits just as hard.

"The House With the Mezzanine", a story about a spiritual cynic and a dreaming realist butt heads.

"The Student", where history is presented as a flow of events and that truth and beauty connect us to different times.

"Rothchild's Violin", a parable about living life to the fullest and not wasting a single moment of your health and youth.