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gingerliss's review against another edition
4.0
My first experience with Alice Munro, after this collection I would describe her stories as quite somber and melancholic. Probably a good thing I read this book in sunny Lisbon in the summer rather in the rainy Netherlands in the winter. The stories are put together very well and each one makes you stop and think for a little while. These stories are certainly a reflection of what life can be like, perhaps the sadder side of life, but we all go through those things from time to time.
cathiedalziel's review against another edition
4.0
[bc:Dear Life: Stories|13530981|Dear Life Stories|Alice Munro|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1333579320s/13530981.jpg|19092649]
A wonderful collection of short stories. Poignant tales of love, loss, change. The stories are unsettling, messy, like life. The characters are not perfect but very human in all their flaws, their dreams, their realities.
It was not an easy read. The stories themselves are well written but the characters are complex and messy and left me many times searching for answers that simply are not there. It is like life.
The piece de resistance is the last section of this book called "FINALE". Munro's introduction to this section:
"The final four works in this book are not quite stories. They form a separate unit, one that is autobiographical in feeling, though not, sometimes, entirely so in fact. I believe they are the first and last - and the closest - things I have to say about my own life."
It is in this section you get a glimpse into Munro's upbringing, the roots of her personality. The very last piece of work entitled "Dear Life" brings together the whole book nicely and reveals the true underlying theme - forgiveness - of one's deeds, one's life, one's memories.
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway contest. I was elated when I was notified that I had won but even more satisfied now that I have finished reading this gem.
I can't help but wonder, if because of Munro's age, she has penned this work with the idea that it may be her last; it is definitely her most revealing.
A wonderful collection of short stories. Poignant tales of love, loss, change. The stories are unsettling, messy, like life. The characters are not perfect but very human in all their flaws, their dreams, their realities.
It was not an easy read. The stories themselves are well written but the characters are complex and messy and left me many times searching for answers that simply are not there. It is like life.
The piece de resistance is the last section of this book called "FINALE". Munro's introduction to this section:
Spoiler
"The final four works in this book are not quite stories. They form a separate unit, one that is autobiographical in feeling, though not, sometimes, entirely so in fact. I believe they are the first and last - and the closest - things I have to say about my own life."
It is in this section you get a glimpse into Munro's upbringing, the roots of her personality. The very last piece of work entitled "Dear Life" brings together the whole book nicely and reveals the true underlying theme - forgiveness - of one's deeds, one's life, one's memories.
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway contest. I was elated when I was notified that I had won but even more satisfied now that I have finished reading this gem.
I can't help but wonder, if because of Munro's age, she has penned this work with the idea that it may be her last; it is definitely her most revealing.
yvkhan's review against another edition
4.0
I won’t deny that Monroe’s fiction is probably constructed in a reasonably skilled fashion, but I cannot bring myself to find any of her stories particularly memorable or poignant. There is nothing that delights the eye.
shervinbr's review against another edition
4.0
داستان های این مجموعه بیشتر حالت جستار دارند تا داستان. برش هایی از زندگی افرادی که در موقعیت جغرافیایی و زمانی یکسانی زندگی میکنند و احساس و عواطفشون نسبت به مسائل روزمره. برای من این روایت ها بسیار گیرا و جذاب بود و مخصوصا از چهار داستان پایانی که به نوعی زندگی نامه خود نویسنده هم هست بسیار لذت بردم.
پ.ن: انتشارات ماهی ۳ داستان رو ترجمه نکرده و حذف کرده و باعث تاسفه که در ایران میشه انقدر راحت در کتاب ها دست برد بدون هیچ نظارتی.
پ.ن: انتشارات ماهی ۳ داستان رو ترجمه نکرده و حذف کرده و باعث تاسفه که در ایران میشه انقدر راحت در کتاب ها دست برد بدون هیچ نظارتی.
meshuggeknitter's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. I was looking forward to reading this book but the stories left me scratching my head. I guess Alice Munro is just not for me.
bluestarfish's review against another edition
4.0
It was great to read some short stories again. Especially such well written ones as these. The last four of this collection come with a warning that they are autobiographical in feeling (if not always in fact), and are the most likely to being about Munro as we are likely to get. 'To Reach Japan' kicked the collection off in such a way that I really got hooked in and savoured reading these stories (which were also a great length for my train commuting). Sometimes not all that much happens but the enjoyment is for me in all the details that are included.
madde's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
It’s always hard to review a collection of short stories as a whole. Some resonated with me more than others. Overall, I think many of the stories will stick with me over time.
dkberlin's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sure that my feelings toward this book reflect more negatively on me than on the book, and that I most likely just don't appreciate it like I should. I didn't actively dislike it, but I didn't make it through a single story in this book without falling asleep.