The Book of Witty Women – Various Authors

Published By: Farrago
Pages: 352
Released On: 25/04/2024

The Book of Witty Women showcases the very best in humorous short story writing, by outstanding contemporary women writers, including Kathy Lette, Sadia Azmat, Lucy Vine, Josie Long, Paula Lennon, and many more.

It includes the winning and shortlisted stories from the Comedy Women in Print Short Story Prize. From tales of a narcoleptic biscuit lover, con artists with a twist, and the accidental death of a hamster; to consequences of accidental gluing, the imagined world of extreme shopping, and the delightfully surreal world of canine dating, these 15 boldly imaginative stories range across a multitude of genres and themes.

Each proves the power of the short story to disarm, tickle or simply entertain.

*****

Thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the gifted proof this title in return for an honest review and spot on the book tour.

This book contains the following 15 stories:

– Sorry, Delivery – Paula Lennon
– Double Date – Lucy Vine
– Unbound – Jean Ende
– Jenny Bean, Calamity Queen – Julia Wood
– You Can’t Get There From Here – J.Y. Saville
– Fake It Till You Hate It – Sadia Azmat
– Glue – Clare Shaw
– Care Home Capers – Wendy Hood
– Hapless – R. Malik
– Poets Rise Again – Josie Long
– Ways With Mince – Kathryn Simmonds
– The Art of Genital Persuasion – Kathy Lette
– Go Your Own Way – Kimberley Adams
– Nothing Compared To You – Annemarie Cancienne
– Shopping For England – Kim Clayden

I was initially going to review each story separately but I realised I was saying near enough the same thing in each review, so to stop repeating myself, I scrapped that idea.

I will state now that my favourite three were:

– Sorry, Delivery by Paula Lennon: Not something I would call funny, but it is an enjoyable story. I really liked it and would love to have read it made into a longer story as I think it’s got great potential to expand further.
– Double Date by Lucy Vine: Again, not particularly funny, but it is sweet. For a short story, there was a twist quite early on which was nice, as I often find that short stories don’t have the time for twists, so that was a surprise.
– Jenny Bean, Calamity Queen by Julia Wood: This was the only one I found remotely amusing and it was very relatable.

Whilst I did enjoy reading these stories, I think they made a mistake saying “laugh-out-loud” stories on the front cover, as I didn’t find any of them funny. They weren’t bad; they were interesting and entertaining, some happy, some sadder, some I enjoyed more than others. But the “15 new laugh-out-loud stories” was a bit of a false advertising for me, as I didn’t laugh at any of them. Maybe that’s just my sense of humour, as it’s a very subjective thing.

I think if it had just been called “witty women”, it would have been fine, as for me, wit could mean originality or cleverness etc. which are categories these stories do fit it. If they’d just said “witty”, then if you did find any of them funny then that’s a bonus, but by promising hilarious stories, it falls short and you’re disappointed.

But I do appreciate seeing a collection of stories by women that aren’t just your usual romcoms. Don’t get me wrong, I love a romcom, I could read them all day every day. But generally speaking, it seems that women are often seen as the writers of romance, things that are a bit fluffier perhaps, and that comedy should be left to the men. So I really liked that this book gave them the chance to show off their comedy chops – even if they weren’t hugely funny.

It has peaked my interest though for some of the writers, as I had only heard of Josie Long, so that gives me new authors to explore. What I really liked was they were all different. Which is ideal in an anthology, otherwise they all become samey and a bit boring, but these are all very clearly different voices and then you get a different enjoyment out of them.

I read it from start to finish, how I would read a normal novel, but it is ideal for people who don’t have much reading time. It can be read on the commute, or on the toilet (if you so wish to) or in that 10 minutes you might get before your head hits the pillow.

The stories are a mixed bag of heartwarming, uplifting, sad, happy, and interesting. But I was slightly let down by the lack of promised humour.