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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It just struck me that Munro gets to the heart of what I personally think family and relationships end up being about.
That didn't sound too impressive... but this is my favourite theme, the all-consuming topic of my life for the past few years, in particular. Adulthood to me is the realisation that family in particular is not to be taken for granted, and that age can be a gently wonderful and terrible beast.
Munro tackles these so well, story after story... which is why she is one of my favourite authors, and why I have read so many of her works, even if they have recurrent concerns and plots.
I gave this three stars because this does feel like the embryo of several of what would become her more mature ideas - on things as specific as relationships between the aged in a nursing home.
Alas, just to add that I have, without success, tried to recommend Munro to at least one friend and one (ex-)student. On hindsight, though, the student was simply not in the right frame of mind to read such stories.
That didn't sound too impressive... but this is my favourite theme, the all-consuming topic of my life for the past few years, in particular. Adulthood to me is the realisation that family in particular is not to be taken for granted, and that age can be a gently wonderful and terrible beast.
Munro tackles these so well, story after story... which is why she is one of my favourite authors, and why I have read so many of her works, even if they have recurrent concerns and plots.
I gave this three stars because this does feel like the embryo of several of what would become her more mature ideas - on things as specific as relationships between the aged in a nursing home.
Alas, just to add that I have, without success, tried to recommend Munro to at least one friend and one (ex-)student. On hindsight, though, the student was simply not in the right frame of mind to read such stories.
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Novelleissa oli hassuja ja erikoislaatuisia naisihmisiä. Usein kuitenkin tarinat pyörivät miesten ja rakkauden ympärillä, vaikka Munroen kuvailemaan miehet ovat useinmiten hirveitä. Jotkut novelleista imaisevat kyllä mukaansa nopeasti. Jonkinlainen mysteeriys oli läsnä kaikissa novelleissa.
Short story collections are the most difficult to rate. I liked some very much, some were meh. I definitely like Alice Munro a lot and will get back to her.
Read this for my book club. I'm not usually a fan of short stories because I don't feel like I get attached or invested with the characters or story enough to enjoy them. I liked this book and the author's writing style. I enjoyed most of the short stories.
Una colección de relatos, desde el punto de vista de una mujer y su entorno familiar (años arriba, años abajo). Algunos son entretenidos y otros me han dejado un poco fría, pero en general muy agradable de leer. De corte realista e intimista, es bonito y evocador
So... I didn't get it. Most of it. I got into most of those stories easily enough, but the mostly ended at seemingly random points. Two of them I actually liked (Accident and Mrs. Kidd and Mrs. Cross), the rest was just blah. I saw no progression in most stories, just scenes, and thats not what I want, even from a short story.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This collection was very thought-provoking.
While short stories are generally not a format I enjoy reading, Alice Munro is a master of the short story. Not only was she able to pull me in with almost every story, but I was also often left thinking about philosophical life questions after I had finished one. Her metafictional prose turned ordinary lives into extraordinary stories.
My favorite stories were the opening and the closing: "Chaddeleys and Flemings" and "the Moons of Jupiter." They revolved around similar themes of family history and yet left me with different questions at the end. "Chaddeleys and Flemings" left me wondering about the human ability to construct narratives and stories, even for those we have never met. And "the Moons of Jupiter" left me with the existential question: "What are we doing here on earth?"
As I said, these stories were pretty thought-provoking. None the less, Munro's uncanny ability to construct these large themes in seemingly domestic, working-class stories is what makes her such an amazing author.
I look forward to reading more from her and decided to give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
While short stories are generally not a format I enjoy reading, Alice Munro is a master of the short story. Not only was she able to pull me in with almost every story, but I was also often left thinking about philosophical life questions after I had finished one. Her metafictional prose turned ordinary lives into extraordinary stories.
My favorite stories were the opening and the closing: "Chaddeleys and Flemings" and "the Moons of Jupiter." They revolved around similar themes of family history and yet left me with different questions at the end. "Chaddeleys and Flemings" left me wondering about the human ability to construct narratives and stories, even for those we have never met. And "the Moons of Jupiter" left me with the existential question: "What are we doing here on earth?"
As I said, these stories were pretty thought-provoking. None the less, Munro's uncanny ability to construct these large themes in seemingly domestic, working-class stories is what makes her such an amazing author.
I look forward to reading more from her and decided to give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.
"Dulse" was probably my favorite short story I've read in the last five years. Munro has an effortless style.