Status
Available
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Publication
Penguin Books Ltd (1994), Edition: New Ed, Paperback, 288 pages
Description
Limits and Renewals, Kipling's last collection of short stories, was written shortly after the death of his only son. Unsurprisingly therefore, many of the stories take on the themes of pain, inner suffering and mental anguish, with an on-going exploration into the level of physical and psychological torment that can be endured before a complete breakdown. Dark and penetrating in tone, these are brilliant portraits of a soul in torment with some welcome relief coming in the tales of 'Aunt Ellen' and 'The Miracle of Saint Jubanus'.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Dayspring Mishandled - weird. A revenge on a man for crimes against a woman, which gets derailed by illness and then diverted into revenge on a woman for crimes against the man. The method is elegant, the complexities fascinating; I wish we got the whole story, though I don't know much of Chaucer.
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4. The Woman in His Life - I like the poems, particularly Dinah. The story is so simple and straightforward that it almost disappears - there's not much to it, aside from his man manipulating him to a fare-thee-well. 3. The Tie - eh. The point of the story is very much the English public school culture, and that's completely foreign to me. It's mildly amusing, mostly for side-comments - 'the indurated intestines of the mess-caterer' and the narrator's final error on the drillfield. 3. The Church That Was At Antioch - this is the story I was looking for, but it's not possible to read _one_ Kipling. It reminds me of Sutcliff - the rich color and perfectly normal human faces put on historical characters. Peter and Paul are fascinating - the rivalry between them illuminates a lot of the early Church's decisions. And the poem The Disciple is magnificent. 4.5. Aunt Ellen - mmm, not much. It's occasionally very funny, when I hit it in the right mood, but mostly the story gets mild interest and the climax merits a chuckle. And there's nothing to it but the joke. 3. Fairy-Kist - a great story. A very neat murder-mystery, with a seriously weird twist - I won't tell. And the gardener is fascinating. I need to find and read that story. 3.5. A Naval Mutiny - the story itself is kind of pointless (and how long has it been? His hand is still bandaged) but the characters are both great. And I love the bit when the officer comes looking for him - shows how they think of him, and he's already shown what he thinks of Vergil. 3.5. The Debt - Cute - a pretty little story of the British in India and of a boychild there. I wonder if it's Kipling's own story (a memory, I mean) or only similar to his life. I also wonder whether the King died - whether Kipling wrote this while he was ill of his final illness or that came later. I don't know the history of the period well - just glimpses, mostly from fiction. Again, not much to the story, but enjoyable. And I love the poem - Akbar's Bridge. 3.5. The Manner of Men - another Bible story, but less interesting than Antioch to me. Paul again, but not in person - a retelling of an old adventure. I don't find the characters all that interesting (and in one spot can't figure out who's talking); I more-or-less like the setting, but it doesn't add up to enough to interest me much. 3. Unprofessional - An odd concept, tying science (or Science) into what astrology's talking about. The science is highly suspect; the characters are what makes this story. Her physical tics matching the mouse are interesting. 3. Beauty Spots - this and Antioch are the only two I remembered before I read them (plus several of the poems). It's an odd tone - the father is _so_ oblivious (and aren't the trippers messing up his plants?), the son so dismissive until the end. Then - it could have been a joke, but somehow.... 3. The Miracle of Saint Jubanus - Again - the story is 90% one joke, what makes it worth reading and remembering are the characters. As Kipling says in the poem '(I) pray(s) you read - and love him!'. 3.5. The Tender Achilles - Very weird. Psychology and obsession and PTSD; a very nasty look at the life of an Army doctor in wartime...not nearly as funny as MASH made it look. Wilks is such a whiner (yes, he had reason for stressing out, but still) I really don't care what happens to him. 2.5. Uncovenanted Mercies - I like this. When Kipling writes about the angels and the Eternal Bureaucracy, it's always interesting and usually fun. This one makes me cry - the two who may not meet and do, twice. I like Azrael too - and Gabriel and Satan, but particularly Azrael. 4.5. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
288 p.; 7.95 inches
ISBN
0140185119 / 9780140185119