Showing results by author "Stella Benson" in All Categories

In the spring of 1916, we meet orphaned sister and brother Jay and Kew Martin in London. Jay (real name Jane Elizabeth) has run away from her strange, claustrophobic, interfering, well-heeled family to the simplicities of the Brown Borough (otherwise Hackney), to live amongst its working-class people, to a job as a bus conductor, and to discover her own wild self. Kew is on recuperative leave from the War, and manages to find Jay in her humble new abode. She begs him to preserve her newfound freedom and not reveal her whereabouts to their family.

When Vi and Amos go diving for the first time in the West Indies, they hope to explore the recent wreck of a smuggling ship. Once underwater, Vi struggles to remember who the man up on the surface, pumping air down to their diving suits, reminds her of. Suddenly she realizes. He is Nana's son! Nana, the housekeeper who Amos sacked for stealing. And Nana's son had vowed to get even with them. Vi searches frantically among the coral for Amos and struggles to make him understand what has happened.

A fascinating collection of classic short stories featuring unusual ways of making a living, including 'The Umbrella-Mender' by Beatrice Harraden, 'The Triumphs of a Taxidermist' by H. G. Wells, 'A Pair of Silk Stockings' by Kate Chopin, 'A Skinful of Trouble' by Arthur Morrison, 'White Magic' by Ella d'Arcy, 'A Deal in Ostriches' by H. G. Wells, and many more.

Fifty short stories by women writers who broke the mould.

This is not just any book. Its a whimsical journey through the eyes of a recluse and a witch, set against the backdrop of London during the tumultuous First World War. Published in 1919, Stella Bensons Living Alone invites you to explore a world where magic intertwines with the realities of wartime life. While it may not follow a traditional plot, its enchanting blend of fantasy, moral musings, and aerial dogfights on broomsticks offers a charmingly eccentric experience. Perfect for witches, wizards, and muggles alike, this little gem is a delightful escape for those with a taste for the ...

In This Is The End, join a family on a half-hearted quest to locate a missing relative who seems determined to stay lost. As they navigate their mundane lives against the backdrop of World War Is turmoil, the story beautifully explores the extraordinary within the ordinary. Each characters journey is filled with moments that are often humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, but always resonant with truth. This tale reminds us that poetry and romance can be discovered in the most unexpected places, waiting to be uncovered beneath the surface of everyday life. (Summary by Peter Eastman)

Stella Benson (1892-1933) was an English feminist, novelist, poet, and short story and travel writer. The Man Who Fell in Love with the Cooperative Stores is an amusing allegorical story about mercenary love, the gullibility of those men who keep a mistress and the cynicism of those women who accept this kind of relationship.

A fast-paced and varied collection of captivating short stories ranging from action thrillers to poignant tear-jerkers to the downright weird, including: "Jerry Bundler" by W. W. Jacobs, "The Umbrella Mender" by Beatrice Harraden, "Green Ink" by J. S. Fletcher, "Why Herbert Killed His Mother" by Winifred Holtby, "The Red Mark" by Israel Zangwill, "The White Kid Glove" by J. S. Fletcher, "Sophy Mason Comes Back" by E. M. Delafield, plus many more.

The Desert Islander is the story of a deserter from the French Foreign Legion who seeks help from an Englishman living in a remote part of southern China during the Chinese war. Two facts quickly become apparent about our legionnaire. First, that he has a narcissistic personality disorder which leaves him devoid of empathy and in desperate need to attention and adulation. Second that he is suffering from a gangrenous leg.

'The Man Who Missed the Bus' is a creepy horror story about a lonely and eccentric man who finds himself unable to see other human faces. Worse still, gradually he also loses the ability to see his own reflection in the mirror. But this is only the beginning of the horror story. Far worse is to come....

It is the story of a Family halfheartedly searching for a missing relation who does not want to be found, while just off-stage, World War I is raging on the continent. It is a story about ordinary people trying to live ordinary lives in extraordinary times. The things they do are less important than the ways in which they do them: often comic, occasionally tragic, but always touching and true to life. It reminds us that Poetry and Romance can be found anywhere, hidden beneath the surface of the most commonplace things.