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sarahgudeman's review against another edition
3.0
I'm generally a fan of short stories, but didn't find myself enjoying more than one or two of these. Some - myself included - are probably inclined to call many of these stories depressing even.
Now worth noting that I am not the kind of reader who is just looking for masterful prose or tight writing structure. I'll admit that I am all about the story.
So even though there were some highlights in the book overall, I think the short story format works against the content in some ways here. Not really a fan, which based on the other reviews, makes me feel a little shallow.
(Though in all fairness to the book, I'd never have read the description and thought I'd enjoy it to begin with... That's the fun if book club though.) I fell asleep several times while reading - and actually had to push myself through. But it was a quick read, and skillfully done. Just not an experience I'd look to replicate.
Now... After our book club I actually liked this more than I realized. Huh. I guess I learned something new about myself in the process. Mission achieved Alice Munro.
Now worth noting that I am not the kind of reader who is just looking for masterful prose or tight writing structure. I'll admit that I am all about the story.
So even though there were some highlights in the book overall, I think the short story format works against the content in some ways here. Not really a fan, which based on the other reviews, makes me feel a little shallow.
(Though in all fairness to the book, I'd never have read the description and thought I'd enjoy it to begin with... That's the fun if book club though.) I fell asleep several times while reading - and actually had to push myself through. But it was a quick read, and skillfully done. Just not an experience I'd look to replicate.
Now... After our book club I actually liked this more than I realized. Huh. I guess I learned something new about myself in the process. Mission achieved Alice Munro.
kathlgpa's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to these stories on audio and some were riveting and others, I think, went over my head. Alice Munro is an author who I would compare to Hemingway in that I felt I don't know if I always understood her writing.
(Side note I did NOT realize she had won a Nobel Prize for her short stories until I just went to write this review, so honestly, I feel a little bit better). She is an amazing writer, and even if I didn't enjoy every story I am glad I read this book. I will probably read more someday. This is one of those cases where the more mature you are the more you will probably get from her works.
(Side note I did NOT realize she had won a Nobel Prize for her short stories until I just went to write this review, so honestly, I feel a little bit better). She is an amazing writer, and even if I didn't enjoy every story I am glad I read this book. I will probably read more someday. This is one of those cases where the more mature you are the more you will probably get from her works.
bpicillo's review against another edition
3.0
First time reading Munro. Appreciate the skill and structure of her short stories but the subject matter of these didn’t really grip me.
chaosmavin's review against another edition
2.0
Oh hell NO! I read this for book club and really had to force my way through. It was really the beginning of the end of bookclub for me truth be told. I would read each story and I kept thinking who is writing this...the voice seems like she is some 80 year old woman stuck in an archaic mindset of how the world should be based on antiquated cultural norms. Once I finished the book and looked up Alice Munro and guess what...yup 80. Look in the book defense everyone in bookclub liked it. So if your a somewhat typical middle aged urban woman you may too.
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.