The Purloined Letter

Hello all my fellow readers! I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and have had plenty of free time for reading and discovering new stories. Despite my busy life, I have made it a priority to read and write every single day, even if it is only for a little while. And it is something I recommend to all of you because it truly is wonderful stress relief. 

My entry today will be a bit different since it is not on an actual book. However, it is on the list and therefore demanded to be read. There are actually several short stories on the list and I feel they are just as important as the books. So I hope you give them a chance as well.

Anyway, my most recently read list item is actually a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, The Purloined Letter. Now, anyone who has met me knows I am a huge Poe enthusiast which is why I am sad to say that this particular story let me down. The story itself was fairly intriguing and, quite frankly, reminded me of something from a Sherlock Holmes saga. But, the story lacked Poe’s usual dark and twisted side, leaving the story lackluster and dull. I feel I went into the story expecting one thing and read something completely different. However, I will admit that I have a potential bias against this story because of my love for Poe. Perhaps if this story had been written by someone else, I would have enjoyed it more. But, again, that is just my personal opinion; I would love to know if you agree.

The one thing I did like about the story was the fact that it takes place in one setting. For this reason, I feel that it does deserve to be included on the list. Although the scenery of the story did not change, a plot was able to unravel. I have always believed that stories written in this manner deserve recognition because it takes true talent to accomplish. Furthermore, despite the lack of a dark side, Poe does offer some insight into the human mind through beautiful metaphors and analogies. And this aspect of all Poe’s stories is what makes me love him so much as an author.

So, to all my readers out there, I would recommend reading this story and let me know what you think. I hope that my somewhat negative review of it has not put you off too much. This story definitely deserves a chance and I will completely agree it deserves to be on the list even if it was not my favorite. 

Until next week, I hope you all keep reading! And I would love to hear what you think of the list so far...I know it has been an interesting and wonderful journey for me so far.