Cliffs of Fall and Other Stories
by Shirley Hazzard
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From the author of "The Great Fire," a collection of stories about love and acceptance, expectations and disappointmentShirley Hazzard's stories are sharp, sensitive portrayals of moments of crisis. Whether they are set in the Italian countryside or suburban Connecticut, the stories deal with real people and real problems.In the title piece, a young widow is surprised and ashamed by her lack of grief for her husband.In "A Place in the Country," a young woman has a passionate, guilty affair show more with her cousin's husband. In "Harold," a gawky, lonely young man finds acceptance and respect through his poetry.Moving and evocative, these ten stories are written with subtlety, humor, and a keen understanding of the relationships between men and women. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Shirley Hazzard (1931-2016), the award-winning author of four novels including The Transit of Venus (1980) and The Great Fire (2003), also published two short story collections:
'A Place in the Country' in Cliffs of Fall, was originally published as two separate stories, but it seemed seamless to me. The copyright page provides the information that I wish all collections had, about where the stories were first published. It's even better when the stories are dated.
The settings in the collection are country houses or villas, with one or more characters who are visitors and do not quite belong. They are house guests, or tourists, or relations who are not entirely familiar with dress codes or rules of engagement. In 'A Place in the Country' Nettie has joined her cousin May at the country house for the summer. May and her husband Clem are obviously well off, but not so wealthy that the house is fully furnished with everything they need for a long stay. So the story begins with May about to make a start on unpacking her china while Nettie unpacks the books according to May's instructions, with assistance from Clem to fill the top shelves.
In just a couple of pages Hazzard has established the triangular relationship between these three: May is bossy, confident in her role as In Charge, and blithely unaware that Nettie and Clem are having an affair. Nettie is young, naïve and absolutely besotted by Clem even as she ponders whether she is in love with him or not, while Clem, twenty years older and a father as well as a husband, is mildly patronising, and perhaps not as invested in the affair as Nettie thinks he is.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/09/20/cliffs-of-fall-and-other-stories-1963-by-shi... show less
- Cliffs of Fall and Other Stories (1963)
- People in Glass Houses (1967)
'A Place in the Country' in Cliffs of Fall, was originally published as two separate stories, but it seemed seamless to me. The copyright page provides the information that I wish all collections had, about where the stories were first published. It's even better when the stories are dated.
Nine of the stories in this collection appeared originally in The New Yorker. 'A Place in the Country' was first published in The New Yorker as two stories entitled 'A Place in the Country' and 'Ashow more
Leave-Taking'. 'In One's Own House' appeared in Mademoiselle.
The settings in the collection are country houses or villas, with one or more characters who are visitors and do not quite belong. They are house guests, or tourists, or relations who are not entirely familiar with dress codes or rules of engagement. In 'A Place in the Country' Nettie has joined her cousin May at the country house for the summer. May and her husband Clem are obviously well off, but not so wealthy that the house is fully furnished with everything they need for a long stay. So the story begins with May about to make a start on unpacking her china while Nettie unpacks the books according to May's instructions, with assistance from Clem to fill the top shelves.
In just a couple of pages Hazzard has established the triangular relationship between these three: May is bossy, confident in her role as In Charge, and blithely unaware that Nettie and Clem are having an affair. Nettie is young, naïve and absolutely besotted by Clem even as she ponders whether she is in love with him or not, while Clem, twenty years older and a father as well as a husband, is mildly patronising, and perhaps not as invested in the affair as Nettie thinks he is.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/09/20/cliffs-of-fall-and-other-stories-1963-by-shi... show less
I was completely enthralled by these stories about failed relationships in Cliffs of Fall, Shirley Hazzard’s 1963 debut.
Mismatched couples, relationships gone sour, partners talking dismissively to each other. Hazzard shows by constantly alternating their perspectives how her characters think they know how others regard them, yet they are completely wrong.
Combined with Shirley Hazzard’s beautiful writing style which is somewhat brighter and feels a bit less weighted down with symbolism than her later novels, every single story in this collection was a joy to read.
Mismatched couples, relationships gone sour, partners talking dismissively to each other. Hazzard shows by constantly alternating their perspectives how her characters think they know how others regard them, yet they are completely wrong.
Combined with Shirley Hazzard’s beautiful writing style which is somewhat brighter and feels a bit less weighted down with symbolism than her later novels, every single story in this collection was a joy to read.
Jun 1, 2023Dutch
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Shirley Hazzard was born in Sydney, Australia on January 30, 1931. Before becoming an author in the early 1960s, she went to work for the British Combined Intelligence Services in Hong Kong, was an employee of the British High Commissioner's Office in Wellington, New Zealand, and was a technical assistant to under-developed countries for the show more United Nations. Her first book, Cliffs of Fall and Other Stories, was published in 1963. Her other books include The Evening of the Holiday, People in Glass Houses, The Bay of Noon, Greene on Capri, Countenance of Truth: The United Nations and the Waldheim Case, Defeat of an Ideal, and The Ancient Shore: Dispatches From Naples written with her husband Francis Steegmuller. She won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction in 1980 for The Transit of Venus and the National Book Award for fiction in 2003 for The Great Fire. She died on December 12, 2016 at the age of 85. (Bowker Author Biography) Shirley Hazzard's books include "The Evening of the Holiday", "The Bay of Noon", & "The Transit of Venus" (winner of the 1981 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction). (Publisher Provided) show less
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Cliffs of Fall and Other Stories
- Original publication date
- 1963
- Dedication
- In memory of Elena Vivante
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 94
- Popularity
- 342,838
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.56)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 6
- ASINs
- 2
