The Necklace and Other Short Stories - Guy de Maupassant

Rating: ★★★★
21/01/14

This is the first time I read this writer and I'm a bit confused now. I really liked a couple of short stories but the rest just seemed okay for me (I think it would be a sacrilege to say "meh"). For example, "Boule de Suif", his most famous short story, is simply brilliant (nothing new about that). I loved it and hated it at the same time. I loved the writing, the irony, but I hated the story itself. It made me feel bad and... violent. And that's what makes it good: the ability of creating those mixed emotions in us. It's set in the Franco-Prussian war (it starts a bit slow, in order to explain the whole context; however, drink coffee and keep reading because it's worth it) and a bunch of people decided to leave Rouen, because it was now occupied by the Prussians. Elisabeth (called "Boule de Suif", "Ball-of-fat" and other similar translations for such a charming nickname...), was a prostitute whose patriotism made all those wealthy men look small. For me, it's a contemporary story because I see a person of a lower class ready to sacrifice in a way that other people wouldn't. That woman helped those rich and virtuous bastards that traveled with her and they forgot about that in a couple of hours, making her feel like the most insignificant thing in the entire world. The more I remember the story, the more I hate those hypocrite jerks.

Another short story I loved is "The Necklace". Oh, Mathilde, you asked for it! I feel bad for your husband, though.
However, this Guy deserves four stars (I really liked those stories I mentioned before).
I also liked "Miss Harriet", "The Horla". And the rest of them... They're good, entertaining; yet nothing too extraordinary, honestly.