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A review by willowbiblio
The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose by Alice Munro
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"But wasn't the real fault hers? Her conviction that anyone who could fall in love with her must be hopelessly lacking, must finally be revealed as a fool?
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This book was a set of interconnected short stories presented as a novel. Rose grows up in extreme poverty and, as a child and teen, is in constant battle/discord with Flo, her stepmother. Her desire to shed the history and gain a sense of security and belonging leads her to seek safety in men. Rose overlays a personality and savior fantasy onto them that is entirely divorced from reality, and in this Munro captures that longing for others to fix or make us somehow good enough or less ourselves.
Rose consistently adapts to who the people around her want most, and so never develops a strong sense of self or direction. Munro is phenomenal at writing female characters who are aware of the dilemma of being smart and capable, but female. She also addressed the privilege that comes with whiteness and financial stability well.
I found the Franny story to be extremely uncomfortable to read, as well as Rose's assault on the train. It was interesting how Munro made Patrick and and Clifford foils of one another. Neither saw Rose for herself, both hurt her, and she used them to hurt herself as well. Rose was constantly seeking the right man to fill the void in herself, and intentionally drove healthy ones away because of her need to continue the narrative of undeserving (captured by the quote I chose above).
I liked that we circled back to Flo's later years to see how their relationship matured and became about Rose returning some of the care Flo had shown her, albeit each in her own convoluted way.
--------------
This book was a set of interconnected short stories presented as a novel. Rose grows up in extreme poverty and, as a child and teen, is in constant battle/discord with Flo, her stepmother. Her desire to shed the history and gain a sense of security and belonging leads her to seek safety in men. Rose overlays a personality and savior fantasy onto them that is entirely divorced from reality, and in this Munro captures that longing for others to fix or make us somehow good enough or less ourselves.
Rose consistently adapts to who the people around her want most, and so never develops a strong sense of self or direction. Munro is phenomenal at writing female characters who are aware of the dilemma of being smart and capable, but female. She also addressed the privilege that comes with whiteness and financial stability well.
I found the Franny story to be extremely uncomfortable to read, as well as Rose's assault on the train. It was interesting how Munro made Patrick and and Clifford foils of one another. Neither saw Rose for herself, both hurt her, and she used them to hurt herself as well. Rose was constantly seeking the right man to fill the void in herself, and intentionally drove healthy ones away because of her need to continue the narrative of undeserving (captured by the quote I chose above).
I liked that we circled back to Flo's later years to see how their relationship matured and became about Rose returning some of the care Flo had shown her, albeit each in her own convoluted way.