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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
‘queen of short stories’, theme of women. Well written, most stories aren’t action based plots - more daily stories that the authors runs with. To me this gets boring but the character reflection is very nuanced. Especially liked Bear came Over the Mountain, HFCLM, Nettles, Post & Beam. Will have to read again slowly to really appreciate it.
My ambivalence about Alice Munro is reflected well in the fact that I've been reading this book (which contains no more than nine stories, averaging 30-40 pages each) off and on for something like six years, and only just this late afternoon finished it. On the one hand, her stories seem like such weak tea to me - so little happens, the characters are never more than gently amusing, it's all so dull, mundane, Ontarian. When I take one up in a reading mood that's hungry for escape and speedy excitement, or perhaps retching anguish and/or belly laughter, I'm disappointed and swear off bothering with her ever again. On the other, she's so expert at portraying the interior life, the knowing sexuality of aging adults (I am at a loss for a more elegant way to put it), at describing with dignifying compassion the private conspiracies of her principal characters - who are always intelligent and good people, if not morally blameless from external perspectives - and at seasoning all this with stealthily placed, suddenly devastating curls of lyricism in an otherwise plain-seeming forward narrative, that when I'm quiet and patient enough to lose myself in one of these I shudder in reverence at what she's able to accomplish with what superficially appears so boring. Her short stories are like traveling by hot-air balloon; you move slowly, not so far, and so the terrain is familiar and you don't expect to see anything new. But the modesty of those expectations is false: even from just a few hundred feet up, it's actually quite risky to float under fire, the heat of which you'll feel even more in the quiet as you behold the achingly beautiful landscape below, and notice, with some reconsideration, your own relation to it.
So interesting that so many of the reviews here are in Italian, and that many commented on taking quite a while to finish the book. I found the collection compulsively readable, and pretty much raced through the stories. This was a selection for my book club, and we all gave these stories a big thumb's up, especially "Hateship, etc.", "Floating Bridge," and "Family Furnishings." The final story, "The Bear Came Over the Mountain," was the source for Sarah Polley's film, "Away from Her." which is a lovely flick I'd also recommend.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Munro’s stories all have a similar tone, so reading them all together is not the best way to appreciate them as after a while the same themes occur. Some of the stories are engrossing, telling an interesting narrative arc. Others seem overly long with nothing happening. My story ratings from 1 (worst) to 5 (best).
Hateship, Friendship, ... 5
Floating Bridge 5
Family Furnishings 2
Comfort 1
Nettles 1
Post and Beam 4
What is Remembered 3
Queenie 5
The Bear Came Over the Mountain 5
Hateship, Friendship, ... 5
Floating Bridge 5
Family Furnishings 2
Comfort 1
Nettles 1
Post and Beam 4
What is Remembered 3
Queenie 5
The Bear Came Over the Mountain 5
lighthearted
relaxing
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Alice Munro is a master short story writer. One page is all it takes, and I'm hooked. They're kind of addictive.
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Больше всего понравились первый рассказ, по русски он переведён как “Плюнет, поцелует, к сердцу прижмет, к черту пошлет, своей назовет”, и последний "Мишка косолапый гору перелез", но и все остальные замечательные.