I love anthologies. And, I admit it: I like the hefty - and the small - size of Everyman's Pocket Classics. I also like the cloth bookmark incorporated into many of the books.
So: I like the physical reality of the book I am reviewing here, not read on kindle, but in a real (yes, I used that word) book, and, indeed, a hard back book. I also like the wrap around paper cover, complete with a delightful bit of artwork. I like anthologies because one can dip in and out, in the editor's order if one chooses, or one's own order, and at the speed one wants. If you stop for a while, unlike a novel or a nonfiction monograph, one does not risk losing the thread or crucial aspects of plot of argument. (Ok, I admit it. One might miss the implicit argument underlying the editor's choices. But, except in exceptional circumstances, I do not care!)
The title, you ask? Shaken and Stirred: Intoxicating Stories edited by Diana Secker Tesdell. Here is a visual:
But: to the subject at hand. What did I make of this particular anthology? I liked it but did not love it. Why did I like it? Variety - variety - variety. In authors. In settings. In characters and roles. Most crucially, I liked that alcohol - appearing here as THE main character - seemed to be deeper and more meaningful than any one approach - risky, horrifying, delightful, enchanting, challenging, snobby or (frankly) low class. Everything almost appears.
What was less enchanting, to be honest, was the feeling that the theme was overwhelmed by fairly flat prose. I wanted more sparkle in the writing than I got. I wanted to be engaged not merely because I was entertained by the theme, but because I cared. Even though the range of authors was itself fairly strong, the range of writing was not. Hmm. Getting picky in my old age? For someone who reads (and comments on here) an enormous amount of utterly junky writing and formula fiction, I find myself surprised by my own critique. Fitzgerald, Wodehouse, Dickens, Poe, Jack London, Doris Lessing, Munro and Rhys. Happily, Dorothy Parker, ,Yes, all stellar writers. Even some snarky prose and some important figures.
Maybe it's me.
Yes, you will want to read this. But, I am just not sure you will want to re-read and re-read this. We'll have to see.
Finally, a few side notes:
Tesdell has edited multiple of these pocket classics most of which do not focus on food or drink, though I do think I might be interested in her Stories from the Kitchen.
And, here is a review of Shaken and Stirred by someone other than moi!
