- Paperback: 96 pages
- Publisher: Penguin; Abridged e. edition (July 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0146000455
- ISBN-13: 978-0146000454
- Product Dimensions: 13.2 x 10.4 x 0.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 384,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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First Sentence
A young man asked a father for his daughter's hand, and received it in a box-her left hand. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
A young man asked a father for his daughter's hand, and received it in a box-her left hand. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
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7 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
More misanthropic than misogynistic
20 Dec 2002
Format:Paperback
Much of Patricia Highsmith's writing proceeds from one simple idea: that with intense effort and single-minded determination, even the most unremarkable people can manage to ruin not only their own lives, but the lives of everyone around them as well. One need look no further than this slim collection of short fables to make the point. Whether it's "Oona the Jolly Cave Woman," hapless Elaine in "The Breeder," or a truly malevolent creature like Thea in "The Perfect Little Lady," all of the main characters in these short stories display an insatiable appetite for destruction.
Although the title suggests that this book is misogynistic, the men in this collection aren't necessarily any better than the women. Highsmith's deep misanthropy can (and does) get monotonous, but with such gemlike stories as "The Hand" and "The Prude" in this collection, the book gives little cause for complaint.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Black humor?
12 Nov 2000
Format:Hardcover
These aren't stories, really, merely vignettes that describe horrific women abusing men, rolling around in self-absorption, or just being stupid blobs; they occasionally meet richly-deserved bad ends, at which we are invited to cheer, or at least feel satisfied. The fact that the book was written by a woman, and one who, one suspects, found the writing of the project vastly amusing, makes it a must-read of sorts; Highsmith was a very unique person. A nice companion piece to her other extremely eccentric work, THE ANIMAL LOVER'S BOOK OF BEASTLY MURDER.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Chilling and hilarious
3 Mar 2010
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Patricia Highsmith isn't for everyone, but this slim collection of short tales of women who meet their fates in a variety of ways, many of them disturbing, is quite a wonderful read. It proves that short fiction can be every bit as entertaining as longer forms. These tales glitter like sunlight striking the tip of a very sharp stiletto.
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