O. Henry, the pseudonym of the American writer William Sydney Porter (1862–1910), is best known for writing stories full of wit, wordplay, and warm characterizations, and particularly for their clever twist endings. This volume contains twenty of O. Henry's best and best-loved stories. They are marked by coincidence and surprise endings as well as the compassion and high humor that have made O. Henry's stories popular for the last century. The stories contained in this unique collection are "Whistling Dick's Christmas Stocking," "The Gift of the Magi," "The Cop and the Anthem," "One Dollar's Worth," "A Retrieved Reformation," "The Last of the Troubadours," "The Caballero's Way," "Last Leaf," "The Furnished Room," "Cupid's Exile Number Two," "The Lotus and the Bottle," "The Trimmed Lamp," "Springtime à la Carte," "The Sleuths," "Out of Nazareth," "Memoirs of a Yellow Dog," "The Making of a New Yorker," "Law and Order," "Hearts and Hands," and "The Ransom of Red Chief."
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"Am not really through with this yet, but I really like O'Henry so far. He has a sharp eye for the minute, daily clashes and crashes between individuals of various races, backgrounds, etc, as per the America of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It makes me think that Singapore is in a similar situation - if only we had a writer with a sharp eye and turn of phrase to turn our history into the next generation's literature! His twists are smart but realistic, his writing sympathetic without being soppy. He has a style of introducing social criticism and philosophy into his writing, but obliquely, so you're not sure if he thinks it or stating/drescribing it in order to satirise it. One problem I have though is that after a while the stories read in very similar manner, so you need a bit of distance before coming back to read more."
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Matthew (4 out of 5 stars)