Here are 100 crisp stories that are funny, poignant, clever, and no more than 300 words each. All are modern tales inspired by O. Henry’s insight and surprise endings. Got a minute for one?
Here are 100 crisp stories that are funny, poignant, clever, and no more than 300 words each. All are modern tales inspired by O. Henry’s insight and surprise endings. Got a minute for one?
It was the brim of the hat, snapped smartly down, that gave Marshall that look and feeling. When the wind turned the brim up, as it sometimes did, Marshall swiftly batted it back down. On a sunny, chilly, windy autumn day, Marshall looked elegant in his C-crown fedora, the classic businessman’s hat of decades ago. Marshall wore the fedora with a leather bomber jacket and khakis; it was a swell outfit. He looked and felt confident. The upturned brim was the Achilles heel of his confidence — with the brim down, he felt like Indiana Jones or Frank Sinatra; with it up, he felt like Lou Mark C. Wallfisch 16 Costello or Archie Bunker. Marshall was flummoxed by the wind. He stood at the street corner fiddling with the brim, snapping it down and holding his head tilted a bit so the wind wouldn’t catch the brim. He strode confidently off the curb, not seeing a fabulously restored 1957 red and cream colored Chevrolet Bel Air swiftly approaching his path. The car tossed Marshall four feet into the air and six feet down the street, where his body landed. Eight feet away, a homeless man picked up the fedora, snapped the brim down smartly, and strode off confidently
Before branching into discussing the actual book, I just want to settle on the praise the author highlights in the book. Quotes are mentioned by authors that died as far back as the early 20th century and yet are credited as being either the second or third best short story writer in America. I found this quite cheeky and, in some ways, fraudulent. A writer of such acclaim from this set of esteemed authors would arguably be more successful and famous in their own right. Instead, it feels like a bit of a con to rope in the reader with embellished claims.
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Each story is illustrated with a simple grayscale line drawing. They are not enough to tell the story but give mild hints to support the title as to what the story is about. That said, even the titles are vague and provide an air of mystery. By the time you get to the end of each story, you realize how apt the drawing and title really is. Ignoring the stories that contain a lot of dialogue, the others all appear to have a similar style/format, which is probably to be expected of such short works. The main thing is that each story has a clear beginning, middle, and conclusion.
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The individual tales are a maximum of 300 words making it a very quick read in general but great for people that do not have a lot of time to dedicate to reading in one go. It also means that the book needn’t be read cover to cover and instead the reader can dive in and pick stories at a whim. With such a wide range of material, there are stories for everyone. I particularly liked the stories that came with comical twists at the end. Admittedly, there were a few that went over my head, but that may be due to cultural differences and not understanding the Americanisms within the text.
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Whilst the majority of the stories are quite innocent, there are a couple that push the boundaries causing this book to be rated R. Therefore, this book is recommended for a mature audience, particularly those that like a bit of a challenge or a quirky quick read.