While I remain not a big fan of short stories in general, Edith Wharton is always good. I've read at least a couple of these before (Roman Fever, After Holbein) but the rest were new. Xingu: HA HA HA HA. All the divorce stories: it's interesting how none of the divorced women were really judged as morally reprehensible, but instead as Not Respectable. Obviously acceptance into NYC/upper-class society was the big deal at the time, but it's still a striking contrast to all the fire & brimstone that tend to get thrown around in the US in general.

A 'Roman Holiday' of a different kind.

A GR glitch and my review vanished. Xingu? So I'll reveal Xingu is a river in Brazil, not a philosophy, language, ritual or something best whispered about.

Love the Xingu story - delightful!

These short stories are jewels crafted to perfection by a master craftsman! Only two fall short of wonder. I highly recommend them.

I bought this at a pop up shop and the seller said that roman fever was his favorite. it was pretty wonderful. but i really loved all of them, they were sad and hard and about people who ranged all over the place in terms of goodness and terribleness. i loved the butlers/servants for the aging people one, and the mother/daughter relationships. Edith Wharton!!! Is so great.

I didn't really get Ethan Frome. I remember it being a decent story but a little too... cold. Or something. Her short stories though are nothing short of magic. Society ladies are usually the last people Id care about but maaaagic.

Damn I'm feeling autre temps too much.

When I read a friend's review of this collection, I realized GR had dropped my rating and my review. I will not attempt a new review, but I thought I would restore my rating. Great collection, as I find all Wharton's writing to be.

Overall rating: 3.43.... Let's make it 3.5 stars lol.

I read this for my March 2021 challenge of only reading books by women writers for Women's History month! You can read more about my experience here!

Wharton's ability to make her characters say so many words but at the same time say absolutely nothing at all is really impressive. It's definitely a hallmark of Gilded Age American writing that is often quite hit or miss with me. While I really didn't care for The Age of Innocence, I had a far better time with these stories! So much so that I intend to keep this volume, which I never would have thought would happen. A very pleasant surprise.

Roman Fever - 2 stars
Well... that sure was a story.
I'm not entirely sure how they choose to order and title short story collections (even after three years of being on the editing board of my college lit mag and actually voting on publication order) because this was by far my least favorite of the collection. I could very well be in the minority, though.

Xingu - 4 stars
We love a spicy book club meeting.

The Other Two - 3.5 stars
A very interesting take on divorce and child custody in the early 20th c.

Souls Belated - 3 stars

The Angel at the Grave - 4.5 stars
A spooky House, a bookish woman, and expository text that self-references its own capitalization???? Omg yes.

The Last Asset - 3.5 stars
Okay WOW, what a ride!

After Holbein - 4 stars
That's one hell of an opening line.

Autres Temps - 3 stars
A story about messy social etiquette that I think would have benefited from being a bit shorter, but some very excellent lines in the last scene propped up the rating.

I only read “Roman Fever.” It is, as Sam say, “Mike drop excellent.”

Not up to her usual standard, but solid throughout with a couple of real gems.