Harriet Walter

Ten excellent stories by Wilkie Collins, Edith Wharton, Louisa May Alcott, Sabine Baring-Gould, Marcel Proust, and Katherine Mansfield. However, I have to say I enjoyed volume 2 more. Outstanding narration by Juliet Stevenson, Harriet Walter, and others.

I was intrigued by Perilous Play by Louisa May Alcott, where a group of socialites get together to enjoy hashish bonbons. Rose (one of the characters said to be based on Alcott) tries the hashish because "I hoped it would make me soft and lovable, like other women. I'm tired of being a lonely statue." It ends with her love interest declaring, "Heaven bless hashish if its dreams end like this!" Her accurate description of the effects suggests Alcott a familiarity with the drug. Alcott scholar Madeline Stern states that at the time it was freely available at six cents a stick.… (more)

This book presents thoughts about Shakespeare, and playing Shakespeare, by a top tier Shakespearean actor. Harriet Walter may not be a household name in the U.S., but in classical acting circles she is deservedly famous -- a major Shakespearean actor, a Dame of the British Empire, and recently the star in three major male Shakespearean roles. I was fortunate enough to see her as Brutus in Julius Caesar and as Henry IV, so as soon as I became aware of this book, I rushed to read it. It is very interesting, and makes a strong contrast to most Shakespeare criticism, which tends to view the plays more as literature than as actual plays that are put on in theaters by hardworking actors. Ms. Walter's key focus is in getting into the skin of her character by figuring out what motivates the character. It's interesting to read about how this works in practice, particularly when other actors and directors are also developing their own interpretations. And Ms. Walter is very strong on the relationships between characters, interpreting (for example) the Merchant as a love triangle between two men and a woman. Reading the book makes me anxious to see Ms. Walter in action again!… (more)

This is an excellent collection of short stories all relating to love, or a form of love. The first story Ladies in Lavender, by William John Locke, recounts how two spinster sisters, slightly more than middle-aged, spot a young man washed ashore near their home. In taking care of him, they both discover love, sadly unrequited. I've seen a movie from the story that captured Locke's sentiments beautifully. I believed this would be my favourite story of the collection, until I reached the last one, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. I've heard of this story but until now had not come across it in any collection. It is disturbing to think that Gilman herself was subjected to this inhumane "therapy" for postpartum depression, that of being imprisoned in a room with no activity or stimulus of any type. Not surprisingly, the woman in the story became more deranged by the day. Unlike her fictional character, Gilman was able to take control of her own treatment forming the complete reverse. This is a wonderful anthology! These two stories deserve 5 stars, the others round it out to 4.5. The audiobook, narrated by Harriet Walker, was a treat.… (more)