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143rd out of 247 books
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Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You: 13 Stories
by
Alice Munro
In the thirteen stories in her remarkable second collection, Alice Munro demonstrates the precise observation, straightforward prose style, and masterful technique that led no less a critic than John Updike to compare her to Chekhov. The sisters, mothers and daughters, aunts, grandmothers, and friends in these stories shimmer with hope and love, anger and reconciliation, a...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
December 21st 2011
by Vintage
(first published 1974)
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There's an odd mixture of sadness and pleasure to be gained from reading Munro. Time and again, I finish her stories, and all I can think is "She *gets* it," which isn't really a sufficient way of encapsulating her artistry as a story-teller. I enjoyed this entertaining review by Jonathan Franzen, and agree with everything he has to say: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.ht...
"Something I've Been Meaning To Tell You" is Munro's second collection, and was pub...more
"Something I've Been Meaning To Tell You" is Munro's second collection, and was pub...more
Written in the early seventies, some of the stories are strongly marked by the hippie culture of the time. If you can get beyond this the stories are very good.
I thought I had read everything Alice Munroe has written, when I came across this collection in a used book store (where I generally like to purchase my books).
While I loved some of the stories, in particular, "How I met my husband", and "Tell me yes or no", there were a few I had to force myself through, which has never happened to me with this author before. Having said that, it is still a highly worthwhile read. Her characters are richly developed, and evoked a sense ...more
While I loved some of the stories, in particular, "How I met my husband", and "Tell me yes or no", there were a few I had to force myself through, which has never happened to me with this author before. Having said that, it is still a highly worthwhile read. Her characters are richly developed, and evoked a sense ...more
Tim
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
short,
stories,
canadian,
canada,
women,
female,
characters,
protagonists,
childhood,
marriage,
death,
rural,
life,
provincial,
wellington,
public,
library
I'm not a huge fan of realism as a genre, but Alice Munro is such a good writer that I always enjoy her work. She is outstanding at shaping her short stories in such a way that they proceed logically, yet not predictably, from introduction to conclusion. The only slight criticism I have is that the range of the stories in this book is small: they are about similar women in similar situations. One or two stories with different settings or protagonists would provide the mixture with a little more ...more
Kerri
rated it
Recommends it for:
Lovers of short stories and the inner workings of women
Recommended to Kerri by:
Sarah
Shelves:
short-stories,
fiction
This collection of short stories got off to a slow start, and finished off the same way for me. But the middle was biting and raw, and those stories really hit at the core of some of the more uncomfortable feelings of being human (or female, specifically)?
I remember now that I tried to start this book long ago, and put it aside before finishing the first story-- I just couldn't get into it. That first story had me stuck again. It's the type of thing where you read five pages and...more
I remember now that I tried to start this book long ago, and put it aside before finishing the first story-- I just couldn't get into it. That first story had me stuck again. It's the type of thing where you read five pages and...more
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I am not sure how I missed out on Alice Munro for all of these years -- I am completely under her spell. I was incensed and confused by a New York Times review I found from the year of its publication in which the reviewer condescendingly refers to Munro's work as, "well-made" and "journeymen's work."
http://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/27/books/...
The reviewer complains,
"Alice Munro's subject matter is ordinariness--disappointment, the pa...more
http://www.nytimes.com/1974/10/27/books/...
The reviewer complains,
"Alice Munro's subject matter is ordinariness--disappointment, the pa...more
There seems to be a continuity that occurs in books up to Virginia Woolf, and then disappears in books after her. I'm not sure if that's real, or if I just want it to explain why I don't like so much modern literature.
I'm a sucker for Alice Munro stories, but there are collections of hers I consider better. It doesn't get much better than The Love of a Good Woman. In Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You, "Material," "Forgiveness in Families," and "How I Met My Husband" are favorites.
As always these stories of Canadian women are forceful and poignant. Many of them I have read in other collections or anthologies, but are still a pleasure to read again.
Eswrowell
is currently reading it
Early Munro, makes me hopeful for my own growth. She's not quite as perfect then as she is now. Genesis isn't necessarily born. It can be cultivated.
Great, as always. One of her earlier books, so interesting to see how her style has developed, and where it began.
Alice Munro is one of the best things to come out of Canada. Her writing more than makes up for Alanis Morissette.
And Celine Dion.
And Celine Dion.
Phyllis Jennings
added it
What a short story writer!
Love "How I Met My Husband".
Alice Munro just gets it. It amazes me how she can capture the entirety of a person's life, including all its complexities, in just a few pages.
Okay, so I haven't actually read all of them because so far I'm near the end and have loved only one story, but the others are okay. I can say that every now and then I think about these characters, which is maybe a greater compliment to Munro: I didn't like everyone or what happened, but they have stayed with me somehow.
Alice Munro can't write a bad story, but some selections in this book were stronger than others. She conveys a very strong sense of place and even her early works portray human nature in raw, vulnerable and poignant terms. This book was one of my book club suggestions and I was surprised to see it had "won" over other works.
These stories are a bit experimental in their non-linear storytelling format, but the material itself feels familiar - not alien as one might expect from modern literature. Most of the stories are about older women, many of whom are divorced or single, who have a secret knowledge of something... (hence the title).
This is early Munro, but let's face it, there's no such thing as bad Alice Munro. Shows of lot of the themes that she will go on to explore in other books--the poor girl working for the wealthy family; men leaving and women left behind; issues of class and female jealousy.
I read this for my Canadian Fiction class and really enjoyed it. The way in which it deals with the roles of women in society is very interesting. With each story there is no clear resolution, which is the main reason why I loved this book so much...
I'm still reading this book, but I skipped ahead, which I'll do when reading a collection of short stories, to a story titled "The Spanish Lady". Even if you don't indulge in the full read. Read this story. It's flawless to the end.
"How I Met My Husband" is a particular favorite. My final senior project involved comparing this to Sherwood Anderson's "The Untold Lie" from Winesburg, Ohio
Stephanie
added it
so far i'm not that impressed. the characters are dull and there is no urgency in the stories. i find myself thinking as i am reading, why was this written.
see other ravings about alice munro. i find every one of her stories crucial.
Alice Munro is my favorite Canadian. Her short stories are fantastic.
good. but not nearly as good as runaway.
Can Alice Munro even write a bad story?
Susan Polcz/Volbrecht
added it
did you hear what i said before?
Very satisfying.
Good but not her best.
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Alice Ann Munro, née Laidlaw (born 10 July 1931) is a Canadian short-story writer who is widely considered one of the world's premier fiction writers. Munro is a three-time winner of Canada's Governor General's Award for fiction. Her stories focus on human relationships looked at through the lens of daily life. She has thus been referred to as "the Canadian Chekhov."
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“The unhappiest moment I could never tell you. All our fights blend into each other and are in fact re-enactments of the same fight, in which we punish each other--I with words, Hugh with silence--for being each other. We never needed any more than that.”
—
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