Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Other Short Fiction (Bantam Classic) (original 1893; edition 1986)

These stories were, as with most short story collections, a bit of a mixed bunch. Some I liked (The Monster, His New Mittens), some not so much.
Overall the book was ok, but I felt like I was missing something. Half of the stories just left me feeling confused and like "What the...?".
The title story Maggie started off really well, with Maggie and her brother as children. I thought I was going to enjoy it, but then it jumped ahead to when Maggie was grown up and it just went a bit weird.
I liked The Monster. It was about a black slave who tries to save a boy from a burning building and is badly burnt in the process. His face is scarred for life, and the story tells how instead of being treated as a hero he is treated like a monster.
I also liked His New Mittens which is about a little boy who runs away from home because his mother is angry at him for losing his new mittens. The little boy in the story is sweet and his main reason for running away is to punish his mum for being angry at him. ( )

Reading through the hard life of Maggie makes you think about how blessed you are to have what you have. Maggie, who grew up with terrible, drunken parents, just wants to find a guy that can support her and treat her with the respect that her parents didn't give her. But, turns out he doesn't care very much about her either. So, since her mom and brother wont have anything to do with her since she left them, they won't let her back when her boyfriend pete leaves her for another woman. Stephen Crane, being a writer during the Rise of Realism, did a good job using real life problems during his writing rather than fantasy and happy endings. If you want a short read, i would definitely recommend this book! ( )

Franklin Library, 1983. Leather Bound. Book Condition: Near Fine. Nearly Fine Condition! Full genuine leather with silk moire end papers. Full brown leather, raised bands, decorated in gilt, all edges gilt, silk endpapers, place ribbon. Fine. ISBN ***

3594. Maggie A Girl of the Streets and Other Short Fiction, by Stephen Crane (read July 3 2002) Maggie first was published in 1893 by an anonymous publisher. Looking at it as reading material I thought the slang dated and odd-sounding and the characters were all stupid-acting. One was expected to feel sorry for Maggie, who is led into an immoral life though quite innocent. Her parents are unbelievably dysfunctional and I could not get caught up in the story. There are also four shorter stories in the book, including the classic "The Open Boat" which I had read before and which is memorable. ( )

http://www.slywy.com/bookreviews/ny-maggie.html ( )