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bonnieg's review against another edition
5.0
Alice Munro is a marvel. She focuses in on very specific subject matter (though she pushes those boundaries more in this collection than any other I have read, especially in the title story). Yet with all the similarities in her work, every story surprises me, and leaves me feeling off kilter. I think its the way she frames stories. Her narratives start at moments that seem like the middle of a story and make you wonder what came before, and then the stories end somewhere utterly different from where you expect them to end. It leaves you feeling like you missed something before and after, and yet each story is absolutely complete. I do not know how she does this, but she always does. I crave that off-kilter feeling. There is a beauty in the way she manages to make you see things from uncomfortable perspectives. Munro brings language to heel and makes it do what she wants to it to do, but her language is not expansive or beautiful. Her language is plain, sometimes rather ugly, sometimes positively vulgar. Yet there are no more perfect words for what she is saying.
Bottom line, another perfect collection, though for me the greatest among equals was [b:Wenlock Edge|16067323|Wenlock Edge|Alice Murno|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|21858954], which is odd and creepy and speaks exquisitely to the ways in which women accept the unacceptable, repress our honest reactions, take the blame for wrongs visited upon us, and lower our standards to recast situations to make even the most repulsive things appear as if they are satisfying to us.
Bottom line, another perfect collection, though for me the greatest among equals was [b:Wenlock Edge|16067323|Wenlock Edge|Alice Murno|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/book/50x75-a91bf249278a81aabab721ef782c4a74.png|21858954], which is odd and creepy and speaks exquisitely to the ways in which women accept the unacceptable, repress our honest reactions, take the blame for wrongs visited upon us, and lower our standards to recast situations to make even the most repulsive things appear as if they are satisfying to us.
athyagar's review against another edition
2.0
I expected to really like this book but somehow it failed to engross me.
ladydewinter's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not a big fan of short stories, but whenever I pick up a volume by Alice Munro, her stories blow me away. I find it difficult to pinpoint just why I like her writing as much as I do - there's a wonderful clarity to it, and she always manages to pull me in with the first sentence. And she is very insightful without being too obvious about it. Her stories are simply amazing, and they deserve every bit of the praise their getting.
backatitbetty's review against another edition
4.0
My first book by Alice Munro. Where has she been all my life? Master short-story writer. If you love Joyce Carol Oates you will love her work as well.
jamesrmarshall's review against another edition
4.0
A novella and collection of short stories about female protagonists that zing along: many have a twist at the end revealing unreliable narrators. I haven't read Munro before, but I will read more. She is an excellent writer.
nurainoladeji's review against another edition
4.0
Remarkable stories that are so vast the book feels a bit like a collection of novels. It's a bit tedious to read and feels insufferable to finish. Nonetheless, it is impossible to ignore the excellence of the prose even when it does not necessarily resonate with one.
edenali's review against another edition
4.0
Alice Munro’s stories often seem to come from a place of deep isolation; her characters seem to only form shallow bonds whether with friends, family or romantic partners. Well written, but unsettling stories.
jpep24's review against another edition
5.0
Munro's a genius, nuff said. It's interesting how she tells 'essentially' the same story over and over but it never loses its power or meaning.