Hope Road

The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield ****

These nine stories feature various gentle, usually innocent main characters who are faced with dilemmas or knowledge that even they do not often understand. The stories are well-written. They are touchingly understated. Their gentleness amplifies the almost-hidden pain of the characters. Somehow, the veneer of innocence in the stories makes the hints of ugliness even more shocking. These stories are enigmatic glimpses into the real world.

Recommended age level: 17+. As I said, there are hints of ugliness in this story. There are not graphic or gratuitous, but they are still there and might be unnecessary or disturbing for younger readers.