[In the below review, the critic praises Spencer's descriptive sense.]

The high quality of these stories [in The Stories of Elizabeth Spencer], which are presented in the order they were written, is uncommonly consistent. The first stories, written as early as 1944, are far from being apprentice-pieces; and the last, as late as 1977, do not betray any waning of the writer's abilities. From start to finish, this author knows exactly what story she wants to tell; her power over her characters, subjects, and scenes is unfaltering. In fact, her ability approaches the “magical” in the way she makes us recognize the particular world she sets us in. Whether the stories take place in the rural South, in Italy, or in Canada, Spencer re-creates her settings with a sure and penetrating eye. Her characters, whom the writer knows as thoroughly as these settings, are unique and yet recognizable to us—as are the experiences they undergo which alter their lives.