A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote — Review

The main characters of the story “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote are an elderly lady and a boy whom she calls Buddy.

It is a very warm, nostalgic story after which readers can remember their own childhood and the New Year holidays. It is also about the connection between generations, and love, about the value of every moment spent nearby, about what is gone and what will never return.



This is a link to the text of the story:
http://www.sailthouforth.com/2009/12/christmas-memory.html

À La Carte by Jeffrey Archer — Review

The story “À La Carte” by Jeffrey Archer carries an idea of the importance of family values. The main character works as a lowly hotel porter to please his father, then unexpectedly … - the readers can know about it after reading this story.



This is the link to the text of the story:

https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/jeffrey-archer/page,53,39541-collected_short_stories.html

A Family Supper by Kazuo Ishiguro - Review

The story “A Family Supper” by Kazuo Ishiguro tells about what can happen during a typical family dinner. It can affect the fate of people who spend time together, talking and discussing ordinary, everyday things.

The main character returns to Japan, his mother died of fugu poisoning. His father and sister are expecting him for a family dinner. After, the father feeds the children fish, then serves himself.

Nothing hints at the seriousness of what is happening, but the conversations of the characters gradually become more personal and frank. The problems that the heroes kept to themselves for a long time, but which they are no longer able to hide from loved ones, become known.

Here is the link to the text of the story:
https://magicbarrel.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/family-supper_ishiguro.pdf

Sea Oak by George Saunders — Review

“Sea Oak” by George Saunders is a horrible story. This conclusion is not for the theme of zombies. This story is a trigger which is a warning for many things: cruelness of society, poverty etc.

The story takes place in a dystopian housing development, Sea Oak (United States), and centers around the narrator (male stripper) and his family. They are trying to become successful and enable themselves to move out of dangerous Sea Oak.



This is link to the text of the story:
https://barcelonareview.com/20/e_gs.htm

The Things They Carried By Tim O'Brien — Review

The story “The Things They Carried” By Tim O'Brien is about the soldiers of the American army in Vietnam. The author describes what exactly they take with them and this description refers not only to physical things (photos of girlfriends and letters from home, a flask of water etc) but also to moral settings.

Tim O'Brien is a veteran of the Vietnam War, to which he was called up at the age of 20, from his student days. It becomes frightening how the young people become cruel killers of civilians.



This is the link to the text of the story:
https://lessonbank.kyae.ky.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TTTC_Full_Text.pdf

Symbols And Signs by Vladimir Nabokov— Review

The story “Symbols And Signs” by Vladimir Nabokov" is written in the genre of family drama.

The plot centres on an unnamed husband and wife who are about to visit their terminally ill son in a psychiatric hospital.

What should they bring him for his birthday which wouldn’t offend him or provoke a nervous attack?


This is the link to the text of the story:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/05/15/symbols-and-signs

Runaway by Alice Munro — Review

The story "Runaway" by Canadian writer Alice Munro is about relationships between people. It seems they reached a dead end, but after a real threat of losing a loved one they rekindled their relationship again.

The main characters of the story are ordinary women whose desires can’t match with their dreams. The theme of escape (escape from life) is presented as a main idea of the story.


A distinctive feature of Munro’s story is unpredictability. As soon as readers expect a logical outcome, the author turns to the opposite direction and everything goes upside down.





This is the link to the text of the story:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/08/11/runaway-4