The Collected Stories of Shirley Hazzard

I found the early stories a bit lacking in verve, or maybe I just hadn't got into them yet, because the Organization stories are outstanding.

Although I have read several of Shirley Hazzard's excellent full-length novels, I must admit I've never tried her short stories - and that was my loss, for in this collection of the author's shorter fiction there are many stories that I very much enjoyed and will return to. The book contains twenty eight titles and is divided into three sections: the first includes stories from Ms Hazzard's 'Cliffs of Fall' (exquisitely written and my favourite of the collection); the second includes stories from 'People in Glass Houses', where we read about various employees of the 'Organization' (based, I believe, on Shirley Hazzard's time working for the UN, and is filled with amusing observations about the 'red tape' that is prevalent in many such institutions); and the last section brings together a selection of stories that have not previously been collected or even published. Although, as previously commented, the 'Cliffs of Fall' stories in the first section were those that I found the most enjoyable, all of these stories are beautifully written and perceptively observed, some of them amusing and others rather poignant or even quietly tragic. An elegant (and underrated) writer whose exquisite writing deserves more recognition than I feel it has generally received; hopefully these wonderful short stories will encourage others to read her full-length novels and will gain the author (who is sadly no longer with us) the acclaim she deserves.5 Stars.

So evocative ..if you love short stories this is a great purchase.

I do not find her stories gripping or exciting - sorry!

I cannot, for the life of me, comprehend how anybody could possibly enjoy wading through this complete load of pointless rubbish.

I’m not a great reader of short stories, often finding them frustrating and unsatisfactory, but this collection completely won me over. The 28 stories collected here from Australian-American writer Shirley Hazzard are without exception captivating, showing insight and a shrewd observation of relationships, insecurities and the pain and disappointments of love and life. I read one a day, a real treat to start my mornings. The collection is divided into 3 parts. The first comprises stories from her 1936 collection Cliffs of Fall, sometimes quite brutal stories about love and connection – or lack of it. The 2nd section is from her 1967 collection People in Glass Houses and in these her humour and wit come to the fore. The tales here are sometimes considered a novel but felt more like a series of linked vignettes about life at an international organisation based on the UN, where Hazzard herself worked for a time and she casts a jaundiced eye over bureaucracy in all its absurdities. The last section comprises previously unpublished stories that are tender and often melancholy and sad. Precisely observed, nuanced and compassionate, this timeless collection as a whole made me laugh and cry in equal measure, and her calm measured style, where every word counts, is short story writing at its best.