“The Stage-coach” By Washington Irving Review

Here we are again talking about another not so great short story from no other than Washington Irving.

The characters in this short story lack any form for having a personality. And at the same time the characters are very flat and dull which really doesn’t help the reader like this short story. 

The pacing of this short story is very uneven since at times it goes fast and other times it drags for far too long which really makes this entire short story very boring and uninteresting.

The narrator of this short story feels like he isn’t interested in this short story and because of this the narrator feels very dry and bored himself in a way.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“The Spectre Bridegroom” By Washington Irving Review

Originally published in 1819, “The Spectre Bridegroom” is a ghost story about a baron and his daughter in historic Germany. The tale revolves around the daughter’s betrothal to Count Van Altenburg and the strange occurrences that lead up to the wedding.

I gotta say the more short stories I read from Washington Irving the more he becomes one of my most misliked authors ever. 

This short story has a good premise for a plot but the way its delivered to us is less good. Because as the narrator goes on into the short stories it feels like he is losing focus of the main plot line of this short story and goes into things which doesn’t have meaning in the long run

The pacing in this short story is very uneven. Since it changes multiple times during the short story. What I mean here is that the pacing of the narrative of this short story goes from being fast to being very slow to then again being fast. Which isn’t very consistent and good in my opinion.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“Old Christmas” By Washington Irving Review

I gotta say that this short story feels very blank and like there wasn’t a lot of thought and effort behind it.

The premise of this short story is the nostalgia of traditional Christmas celebrations, but I gotta say this short story fails on doing that. Because when you are reading this short story it feels like it is drifting into sentimentality without delivering a compelling plot to us as readers.

The characters in this short story again lack any sort of depth into them or having any form for personality to them.

The pacing in this short story is very uneven. Since it changes multiple times during the short story. What I mean here is that the pacing of the narrative of this short story goes from being fast to being very slow to then again being fast. Which isn’t very consistent and good in my opinion.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“The Mutability of Literature” By Washington Irving Review

This short story as the majority of shirt stores written by Washington Irving focuses on the wrong things in my opinion and because of this it isn’t as engaging as maybe the author wanted it to be.

The plot itself feels like it isn’t as development to be a short story because the premise is very weak as well as the entire short story and the plot of it. 

But the plot does have a good moment here and there during the short story, but those moments are very rare in this one.

The pacing of this short story is very slow, and the majority of this short story feels as if it drags for far too long. 

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“Rural Funerals” By Washington Irving Review

I gotta say here that this short story is far better than the majority of short stories by Washington Irving I’ve read so far.

The descriptions in this short story are pretty good here because the descriptions create a unique and cozy atmosphere of rural life which this short story is about. 

The pacing in this short story is very uneven like in the majority of short stories written by Washington Irving. Since it changes multiple times during the short story. What I mean here is that the pacing of the narrative of this short story goes from being fast to being very slow to then again being fast. Which isn’t very consistent and good in my opinion.

I Give This Book 3 / 5

“A Sunday in London” By Washington Irving Review

I gotta say here that this short story impressed me a little bit. Because the writing style in this short story isn’t as bad as in the rest of Washington Irving’s short stories I’ve read so far. 

The writing style is okay in this short story which is a much higher standard than in the other Washington Irving’s short stories I’ve read in the past. 

The characters in this short story lack any form for having a personality. And at the same time the characters are very flat and dull which really doesn’t help the reader like this short story. 

The pacing in this short story is very uneven. Since it changes multiple times during the short story. What I mean here is that the pacing of the narrative of this short story goes from being fast to being very slow to then again being fast. Which isn’t very consistent and good in my opinion.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“The Widow and Her Son” By Washington Irving Review

This short story has a unique and good premise for the plot but the author fails to present the the premise for the reader and it turns to be boring and at times very uninteresting. 

The plot in this short story lacks the depth which would engage the reader and make the reader interested in the short story. 

The emotional moments in this short story which are clearly intended to be touching, feels more like superficial and overdone in a way.

The characters in this short story lack any form for having a personality. And at the same time the characters are very flat and dull which really doesn’t help the reader like this short story. 

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“The Country Church” By Washington Irving Review

Here we are again talking about another short story written by Washington Irving which didn’t work for me. 

The plot off this short story lacks a compelling structure to the plot in a way which really doesn’t engage the reader.

The characters here are very flat and dull. For the most part the characters in this book feel like they are just meant to fill out the pages rather than the characters having a personality which would make the reader interested in them. 

The pacing of this short story is very uneven since at times it goes fast and other times it drags for far too long which really makes this entire short story very boring and uninteresting.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“What Is Poetry?” By Washington Irving Review

This short story has the same problems as the majority of short stories written by Washington Irving. If you haven’t read any of my reviews on Washington Irving’s short stories then let me explain what I mean here. 

This short story has the same issue as some of the other Washington Irving’s short stories which is that the pacing of the short story is very uneven. Since it changes as the short story continues.

The writing style in this short story lacks the depth of presenting the short story in a good way which would play along with the plot. 

The events in this short story feel somewhat disjointed. And like they don’t play along with each other.

I Give This Book 2 / 5

“The Broken Heart” By Washington Irving Review

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world’s literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This short story has a good premise for a plot. But the issue is the way it is presented to the reader. And here let me explain what I mean.

The narrator in this short story feels overly sentimental while telling the story of this short story and at the same time it lacks the complexity needed to fully engage and interest the reader. 

This short story has the same issue as some of the other Washington Irving’s short stories which is that the pacing of the short story is very uneven. Since it changes as the short story continues.

I Give This Book 2 / 5