The Darkness Of Wallis Simpson
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Review
"This collection is a jewel-box containing gems of near perfection ... She's a consistently superior writer. Do yourself - and literature - a service: Read her."
-- "Globe & Mail"
." . . moving and tragic. The Darkness of Rose Tremain is never far from the surface in this brilliantly written short story collection."
-- "Express"
"Written with the deft imagination we've come to know and love from Rose Tremain."
-- "Good Housekeeping
""Mordantly perceptive tales."
--" Sunday Times"
"Her exactness and lightness of touch in scene-setting are used to superb effect in her short stories."
-- "Independent on Sunday"
-- "Globe & Mail"
." . . moving and tragic. The Darkness of Rose Tremain is never far from the surface in this brilliantly written short story collection."
-- "Express"
"Written with the deft imagination we've come to know and love from Rose Tremain."
-- "Good Housekeeping
""Mordantly perceptive tales."
--" Sunday Times"
"Her exactness and lightness of touch in scene-setting are used to superb effect in her short stories."
-- "Independent on Sunday"
Stephanie Cross, Observer, 25 October 2006
`a distinguished collection'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Most of the short stories in this collection are agreeably good, the title story is especially so, telling the story of Wallis Simpson's final days in Paris, imprisoned by her angry and demanding French lawyer, Maitre Suzanne Blum and charged with the giving the details of her relationship with her most famous husband. The only trouble is, Wallis by now can barely remember her own name - still less remember the significance of that "dull little man, who hated sitting still."
The other stories here are very short and are addictively varied in both subject and tone, running from an East German guard, who, when the Wall comes down, much against the prevailing mood, decides to go east; to the Yank whose wartime girlfriend never arrived on the New York steamer. Thirty years and an uninspired marriage later he sets off to find her.
The poignancy of some of these stories is firmly understated, as if Tremain has eschewed any waste of emotion. It makes for a rather stern atmosphere with things tidied neatly away. But there is no denying the talent and craft.
The other stories here are very short and are addictively varied in both subject and tone, running from an East German guard, who, when the Wall comes down, much against the prevailing mood, decides to go east; to the Yank whose wartime girlfriend never arrived on the New York steamer. Thirty years and an uninspired marriage later he sets off to find her.
The poignancy of some of these stories is firmly understated, as if Tremain has eschewed any waste of emotion. It makes for a rather stern atmosphere with things tidied neatly away. But there is no denying the talent and craft.
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I would place myself somewhere between the other three reviewers of this. I actually found the headline Wallis Simpson story disappointingly turgid, whereas I really liked some of the others - eg the second story about a German soldier who comes to a chilly end, and another about an elderly American who seeks to retrace the steps of a failed love affair.
But maybe this is always the way with short story collections - a bit hit-and-miss. But Rose Tremain has a very sharp eye for the hidden, quirky corners of life, and I recommend this book.
But maybe this is always the way with short story collections - a bit hit-and-miss. But Rose Tremain has a very sharp eye for the hidden, quirky corners of life, and I recommend this book.
36 of 40 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Please ignore the two previous reviewers who obviously bought the book hoping to read something sensational about Wallis Simpson. Rose Tremain is a remarkable writer, and this collection of short stories is nothing less than brilliant. I savoured every word! If you have an appreciation for literature, particularly the craft of the short story writer, then you will not be disappointed, I can assure you. This woman has added so many bricks to the house, surely a little village must be standing somewhere all of her own making.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
From the depths of dementia to the heights of magical realism
An interesting selection of short stories, taking us from the demented last days of Wallis Simpson to a trailer park in America where a toddler starts growing a pair of wings. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Clive A. H. Still
The Darkness of Wallis Simpson
I was dissapointed as it was only one short I felt fictional story Consisting of 8 pages dealing with Wallis Simpson . Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. L. M. Evans
Damp squibs
I like short stories, they're good for bedtime reading as I often don't stay awake long. These I found disappointing though. Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2009 by Sandy
Nice story, badly written
An interesting, if predictable, tale but sad about the wordcraft. Poor Rose just can't string them together, and she mixes up her tenses in a way that make it confusing.
Published on 11 Jun 2009 by Geoffrey Rex Hill
Misleading
I was extremely disappointed to realise after (what I thought was) the first chapter, that rather than being a fictionalised account of the end of life of the Duchess of Windsor in... Read more
Published on 11 Mar 2008 by J. M. Turton
The daftness of Rose Tremain
Somebody paid Rose Tremain good money to write this stuff. A pity she didn't bother to do a scrap of meaningful research into the life and eventual death at the age of 89 of one of... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2008 by zelda lableu
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