With varied themes and interesting characters, The Book of Witty Women features an interesting mix of fifteen short stories written by women writers.

Given the title and description of this anthology, I was hoping for a light-hearted read, but unfortunately, “laugh-out-loud” funny or “witty” it was not. I won’t be sharing individual ratings for the fifteen stories in this anthology like I usually do in my other reviews, simply because I have mixed feelings about most of them (arising from my preconceived notions for which I blame the title and the description, once again) and had I not been expecting a stronger element of wit or humor, this anthology would have garnered a higher rating.

As with most anthologies, I did like some more than others. Double Date by Lucy Vine, Care Home Capers by Wendy Hood and Go Your Own Way by Kimberley Adams were entertaining reads and I was mildly amused by a few others (Jenny Bean, Calamity Queen by Julia Wood, Glue by Clare Shaw and Hapless by R. Malik). Shopping For England by Kim Clayden, The Art of Genital Persuasion by Kathy Lette and Sorry, Delivery by Paula Lennon featured interesting premises but needed to be explored further.

Two of these stories surprised me in that they just broke my heart, which I’m quite sure wasn’t the intent of this book. I’m sorry, but I can't be that person who finds any kind of humor/amusement in certain themes. [ A story that features a woman being fat-shamed and blamed for her childlessness by her mother-in-law ( Ways With Mince by Kathryn Simmonds) or one about a woman on a cathartic and emotionally draining journey as she coming to terms with her role in the dissolution of her friendship with her childhood best friend (Nothing Compared To You by Annemarie Cancienne) ]. Unbound by Jean Ende was a moving read, but You Can't Get There From Here by J.Y. Saville, Fake It Till You Hate It by Sadia Azmat and Poets Rise Again by Josie Long failed to make an impact.

Though I did like several of the stories in this anthology, I can't help feeling a tad disappointed. I respect the fact that the same book/story might evoke different reactions from its readers, and while I wouldn't discourage anyone from exploring this anthology, in my humble opinion it would be wise to approach it keeping in mind that it might not be as entertaining as the description suggests.

Many thanks to Farrago for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book was published on April 25, 2024. ( )