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mainon's review against another edition
5.0
I started this book shortly after my husband died, because something about the misfortune implied by the phrase "too much happiness" struck a chord with me as I struggled with the feeling that perhaps I had been too happy, really, for it to be a sustainable happiness. I couldn't help feeling, for a time, that maybe I had inadvertently and indirectly brought about this crushing loss, because it is the natural order of the universe to balance itself, and maybe the proximate cause of my pain had been, well, an excess of happiness.
That may have been too personal a statement for a book review, but now, having finished this book, I am experiencing a faint echo of that feeling I just described. It took me more than a year to slowly finish this book, putting it away whenever the emotion was too much. In the meantime, of course, Ms. Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. But having read that Ms. Munro is not well enough to attend the Nobel ceremony in her honour, I can't help but feel that the universe is being forced to take her away from us to settle a cosmic imbalance of genius that has existed for too long. She's just too talented.
Fittingly, the last story in this collection is based on a true one, of Europe's first female mathematics professor, who in somewhat Alcottian style finds love and freedom but shortly thereafter dies of pneumonia. Hers is the title story; another instance of too much happiness resolved, apparently, by death.
Perhaps that's a more maudlin reading than Munro intended. Still, there's no denying that her stories drip with sentimental genius. Read her, if you haven't yet, and steel yourself for the rush of pleasure that must nevertheless be balanced by the disappointment of reaching the end.
That may have been too personal a statement for a book review, but now, having finished this book, I am experiencing a faint echo of that feeling I just described. It took me more than a year to slowly finish this book, putting it away whenever the emotion was too much. In the meantime, of course, Ms. Munro was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. But having read that Ms. Munro is not well enough to attend the Nobel ceremony in her honour, I can't help but feel that the universe is being forced to take her away from us to settle a cosmic imbalance of genius that has existed for too long. She's just too talented.
Fittingly, the last story in this collection is based on a true one, of Europe's first female mathematics professor, who in somewhat Alcottian style finds love and freedom but shortly thereafter dies of pneumonia. Hers is the title story; another instance of too much happiness resolved, apparently, by death.
Perhaps that's a more maudlin reading than Munro intended. Still, there's no denying that her stories drip with sentimental genius. Read her, if you haven't yet, and steel yourself for the rush of pleasure that must nevertheless be balanced by the disappointment of reaching the end.
cristian1185's review against another edition
Apariencias que vistas de lejos transcurren sin contratiempos, vidas simples y comunes que esconden una corriente interna de experiencias vitales tremendas, que de una u otra forma, explícita y/o implícitamente, trastocan la vida misma.
Alice Munro, quien nos recuerda a Chejov, Cheever y Carver, elabora historias impresionantes a partir de la materia que se encuentra en la aparente normalidad de sus cuentos. Vidas comunes, hábitos comunes y experiencias comunes. Manejar un vehículo, hacer las compras, visitar a una amiga, ir de excursión, etc. Cada uno de sus cuentos esconde secretos imperceptibles, desvíos y deformaciones que hacen que sus historias deslumbren, y provoquen al lect@r la necesidad de configurar su proceso de lectura a partir del ejercicio detectivesco, ejercicio que le permita desmadejar las extrañas transformaciones que los relatos progresivamente muestran, y comprender las implicancias tácitas que poco a poco fueron permeando a cada uno de estos.
Cuentos que recomiendo personalmente:
Dimensiones
Ficción.
Cara.
Radicales libres.
Juego de niños.
Alice Munro, quien nos recuerda a Chejov, Cheever y Carver, elabora historias impresionantes a partir de la materia que se encuentra en la aparente normalidad de sus cuentos. Vidas comunes, hábitos comunes y experiencias comunes. Manejar un vehículo, hacer las compras, visitar a una amiga, ir de excursión, etc. Cada uno de sus cuentos esconde secretos imperceptibles, desvíos y deformaciones que hacen que sus historias deslumbren, y provoquen al lect@r la necesidad de configurar su proceso de lectura a partir del ejercicio detectivesco, ejercicio que le permita desmadejar las extrañas transformaciones que los relatos progresivamente muestran, y comprender las implicancias tácitas que poco a poco fueron permeando a cada uno de estos.
Cuentos que recomiendo personalmente:
Dimensiones
Ficción.
Cara.
Radicales libres.
Juego de niños.
jberry09's review against another edition
4.0
I began the book in audiobook form, listening as I drove. I particularly enjoyed the first several stories, where Ms. Munro develops characters who are yearning for a purpose, meaning, moment in life. Suddenly, each of them hits a moment where they uncover a more significant purpose than the many superficial ones they had been pursuing. She deftly uncovers the characters emotions in this moment of epiphany. While the rest of the stories continued to be quite interesting, I did not feel that they had the same compelling nature.
christymaurer's review against another edition
2.0
There are some really disturbing stories in here, and being shorts, many don't get resolved. Not my cup
nepozbuvna_bentega's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
penelope_ausejo's review against another edition
5.0
A pesar de que no me suelen gustar los cuentos, casi todos me han enganchado. Algunos demasiado fuertes para mí gusto. Muy bien traducido, lo cual se agradece.
La breve historia de Sofía Kovalevsky muy interesante, apetece saber más.
La breve historia de Sofía Kovalevsky muy interesante, apetece saber más.
monicacm's review against another edition
4.0
As always, her stores sneak up on you an catch you off guard.
tawallah's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Too Much Happiness is a later short story collection which is dominated by reviewing the past significant events as seen by each narrator. The setting is mundane and reflects the city where the author lived. But these stories often have a much more sinister nature. It would be easy to read these stories looking for comparison or explanation of the real life drama of this recently deceased author. It doesn’t help that the stories blur the lines between fiction and reality. There is a play on perception, accuracy of memories and hiding of the truth in unexpected places.
The best stories are the first half of the collection and Child’s Play. The titular story was underwhelming and could easily be overlooked. These are stories to be savored and not rushed and best suited to those who are familiar with more literary styled character arcs such as Hemingway or Flannery.
The best stories are the first half of the collection and Child’s Play. The titular story was underwhelming and could easily be overlooked. These are stories to be savored and not rushed and best suited to those who are familiar with more literary styled character arcs such as Hemingway or Flannery.
kate327's review against another edition
4.0
Another wonderful collection of short stories by one of my favourite authors. Sometimes bizarre, sometimes haunting, always intriguing, just what I have come to expect.