The Book of Witty Women

15 new laugh-out-loud stories by women writers

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Pub Date 25 Apr 2024 | Archive Date 9 Apr 2024

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Description

The first ever anthology dedicated to comedy writing by women authors

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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.

The first ever anthology dedicated to comedy writing by women authors

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The Book of Witty Women showcases the very best in humorous short story writing, by outstanding contemporary women...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781788424639
PRICE £12.99 (GBP)
PAGES 352

Available on NetGalley

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Send to Kindle (EPUB)
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Average rating from 68 members


Featured Reviews

This book is a fantastic quick read, but likewise it is one you can return to again and again. "The Art of Genital Persuasion" by Kathy Lette had me absolutely howling with laughter and frankly, each story at least got a few chuckles right up to gasping for air, reaching for the inhaler honking laughter!

"Jenny Bean, Calamity Queen" by Julia Wood is certainly not one to miss and neither is "Ways With Mince" by Kathryn Simmonds. When I say I was crying laughing, it is no exaggeration

Whether you like to devour an anthology or as I did with this one, savour one story as a treat on the daily, you will not be disappointed in this book. Blooming fantastic!

Thank you to Netgalley and the authors for this brilliantly hilarious anthology. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

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I love reading short stories especially from witty women. My favourite story involved a hamster and a Sinead O’Connor song ‘Nothing compared to you’. This is a book I will return to again when I need a pick me up. It is lovely to have an anthology solely based on women’s humour. I appreciated the wit throughout. Thanks for the ARC.

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So excited for this book of amazing stories by some incredible women.I look forward to sharing my favorites and bringing this to readers very soon!

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"The Book of Witty Women" is a captivating collection that features 15 stories penned by women authors. It offers an enjoyable and swift reading experience, filled with characters that stay with you long after you've turned the last page and moments that will have you bursting into laughter. This anthology would serve as a perfect literary present for a bookish girlfriend.

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My thanks to NetGalley and Farago Publishing for a copy of “ The Book Of Witty Women “ for an honest review.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book.I usually find anthologies or short stories more miss than hit, but I was in need to something a little more light hearted to read, so I thought I’d give it a go .
This was a joy of a read from start to finish, and I found all of the stories numerous and entertaining .
Well worth a read !

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It was great to read this collection of stories by these fantastic women and many women that I have looked up to.

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The Book of Witty Women is like watching Netfix's Black Mirror series in a novel form. I mostly read this book during commute and it is the perfect read to indulge in if you only have 20 minutes max for reading daily.

It is an anthology of 15 short stories written by renowned female writers (as you can tell from the cover of the book) without the hardhanded preaching on feminism or any grotesque use of sexual connotation (as seen from a lot of so called comic/talk show nowadays). It is a book full of day-to-day happenings and whimsical story telling with brilliant twists that are relatable and comical at the same time.

Ways with Mince by Kathryn Simmonds is by far my favourite among the whole series. The struggle of getting along with in laws and getting "starved" during your stay with them is portrayed in a monologue of Sue, the unfortunate wifey who ruined their stay after getting hangry and probably drunk. Double Date by Lucy Vine is also a hearting warming one depicting how a woman recover from her lost of love through the eyes of her dog. There are way more to cover in this small book but I can guarantee you it is an enjoyable read about family, friendship, and even shopping, by incredible female writers.

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An enjoyable collection of short stories in which everyone will have their favourites. I love this type of book as I not only find different authors but also it's ideal for situations when one's attention is subject to interruptions especially when when travelling. Quick, lighthearted and entertaining reads all completely different.

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So refreshing to read a book of short stories instead of a full novel, which is usually what I go for. Loved the idea of supporting women writers and their work, too. I liked all the stories, my favorite being Double Date by Lucy Vine, Glue by Clare Shaw and Ways With Mince by Kathryn Simmonds.
They’re mostly a compilation of very light stories, some funnier than others but all enjoyable and entertaining. Very well written as well.

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I loved all the short stories in this anthology especially the first one by Kathy Lette (Biscuits and crime?!) This is a wonderful collection that is guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Some of my favourite authors contributed but I was also introduced to some new ones and I can't wait to read their other work.

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A good mix of stories, some funnier than others, some easier to read than others.
I don't normally like short stories mixed by different people but I read this over a period of time, one at a time, and it worked well.
A diverse range of authors which made it interesting.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I believe until now I have only read horror anthologies, but I'm glad I decided to explore The Book of Witty Woman. I did laugh or giggle quite a bit and was exposed to an entirely new literary world. Highly recommend

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The Book of Witty Women is a wonderful anthology of short stories written by some very funny women. The stories are all different covering so many aspects of life, including friendship, relationships, family, food and shopping! Every story brought a smile to my face and on top of being funny, most were heartwarming and poignant too.

Amongst my favourites were ‘Ways with Mince’ by Kathryn Simmonds, a hilarious tale of a woman starved by her mother-in-law and ‘Double Date’ by Lucy Vine, a beautiful love story told from the POV of a woman’s best friend.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was perfect for dipping into one story at a time, especially when I found myself with a free half an hour. Thank-you NetGalley and Farrago for sending me this ARC for free, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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A fun read but not memorable. Great for a holiday. Amusing and sometimes quite perceptive. Good to have strong women as principal characters

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A collection of heartwarming, wise and often witty stories written by women. You are not being mis-sold in the title.

My stand out story is Lucy Vine’s ‘Double Date’ which had a very unexpected protagonist and was just lovely. Others I really enjoyed were ‘Glue’ by Clare Shaw which was very funny and very poignant; ‘Ways with Mince’ by Kathryn Simmonds where poor Sue has the world’s most awful mother-in-law; ‘The Art of Genital Persuasion’ Kathy Lette a look into the underrated world of penis puppeteering; and finally the pain of ‘Nothing Compared to You’ Annemarie Cancienne which cut to my heart.

This is a lovely collection of short stories, really great for readers who want to dip their toe in without committing to a novel.

This collection is full of tales of women looking out for each other, women competing (shopping gets serious) and women just trying to get by. There’s also one about a man and a pig which didn’t really fit the pattern but was equally as enjoyable.

Would highly recommend for a nice, comforting unwind.

Thank you to Netgalley and Duckworth Books for my #arc

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This made for a very interesting collection of short stories. I went into it expecting them all to be funny, and whilst there were funny bits in most of them, some of them were surprisingly moving.

I particularly enjoyed the twist in Lucy Vine's Double Date - hard to picture a cuter duo than Ava and Eliza.

Overall, this was a fun read, and the stories were all a nice contrast. Most of them felt like real people with genuine emotions and confusion and challenges, which I did enjoy. My least favourite of the bunch had to be Shopping for England, which felt like a vacuous way to end the book, particularly following on from the beautiful writing of Nothing Compared To You.

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This book was a treat to myself. I always keep a book of short stories to fill in the between series times and to have something to read while I'm waiting. But this book is not just a time filler. It's wildly entertaining and has given me some new authors to research. As always, some of the stories are better than others, but all of them....I repeat all of them were great. 5 easy stars.

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Witty is as witty does…

The wittiness described in this group of female writers holds up to its title, with some of the short stories more amusing and lighthearted than others. There were undertones of sadness in a few that the reader should be able to catch on to.
I appreciate the collection of authors that is showcased.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy read, this is the book for you.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Farrago for the early ARC copy.

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3.5 stars
This is a collection of fifteen short stories and is a great book to pick up as and when you want a quick read.
Some stories are better than others, and my two favourites were Lucy Vine's Double Date and Wendy Hood's Care Home Capers.
An interesting collection of short stories.
Thanks to Farrago and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

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The Book of Witty Women is a fun short story collection with a variety of stories. These fifteen humorous stories showcase a variety of genres in an exciting way.

I found I did like some stories more than others; my favorites matched the genres I tend to read more often. My favorites were “Glue”, “Care Home Capers”, “Unbound”, “Sorry, Delivery”, and “The Art of Genital Persuasion”.

Overall, I felt all of the stories were unique and fun and would definitely recommend to those who enjoy reading short stories. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for access to an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

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