Katherine Mansfield was only 22 years old when these stories were first published in book form. Mansfield was later reluctant to see them republished, considering them, apparently, to be mere juvenilia, but they still make interesting listening as portents of a formidable talent. Only some of the stories relate to life in a German boarding house (one presumably similar to the location where Mansfield herself spent the early months of an probably unwelcome pregnancy that ended in miscarriage). Many of the stories display a wicked sense of humour, while Mansfield's restiveness under the restrictions and expectations imposed on her as a woman is most palpable. (Summary by Peter Dann)