Lives of Girls and Women: A Novel
by Alice Munro
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 477)
Read in July, 2007
This book takes place in rural Ontario. It starts when the main character, Del Jordan, who is also the narrator, is about 10 years old, just before WWII, and goes up to the end of high school.
I really identified with Del. Throughout the book, she seems to be pushed along by the circumstances around her - no one asks what she wants, they just sort of expect her to go along with the small town flow. It's not easy for her, though, because her mother resists pretty much all aspects of small tow...more
I really identified with Del. Throughout the book, she seems to be pushed along by the circumstances around her - no one asks what she wants, they just sort of expect her to go along with the small town flow. It's not easy for her, though, because her mother resists pretty much all aspects of small tow...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommended to Anne by:
Jason Frank
This is a lovely semi-autobiographical novel about a boyish girl (in the spirit of Scout Finch) growing up on the Canadian prairie. Living in New York makes me hungry for books like these that treat the landscape like one more complicated lovable character. The cover of my 1974 paperback edition (courtesy of Jason) features an illustration of a couple in the far distance of a wheat field, big pseudo-calligraphic typography, and, on the back, three instances of the word 'sexual' in just four sent...more
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Read in February, 2000
recommends it for:
Girls and women
I read this book when I was 12, then again when I was 13, 14 - every few months I would pick it up again until I was a grown woman. It's a profoundly moving, get-under-your-skin yet very modest, understated book. I still remember the protagonist making vats of a weird peanut butter sludge to feed herself with and admiring her body as it grew fatter and more "handsome"; the sex manque, the first sex, the bad sex; the shame when hot blood spilled over her spent Kotex and trickled down he...more
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Read in May, 2008
When I first started this book, I was skeptical that I would enjoy it throughout. I've never been a big fan of what I call "flowery description." However, I realized that Munro's descriptive capabilites are anything but flowery. Rather, they are deep and insightful and nonobvious. Example: "We had seen in each other what we could not bear, and we had no idea that people do see that, and go on, and hate and fight and try to kill each other, various ways, then love some more.&qu...more
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Read in January, 2008
Munro excels at details but doesn't get bogged down in lengthy description: "prosaic as a hiccup." The copy I read had penciled marks from a previous reader, which had the effect of cheering on both the reader and the story; every time there was a check mark in the margin or a passage was underlined, I re-read and was usually rewarded. I am not a frequent reader of short stories, so it took me a while to get into the rhythm of this novel. The story unfolds in episodic vignettes that r...more
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Read in January, 2008
Like much of the Southern Ontario Gothic sub-genre, “Lives” is an acquired taste. But whether or not small towns and angsty woman is your thing, it is undeniable that Alice Munro is a woman of considerable talent. “Baptized” was probably the single best chapter I’ve ever read about growing up. Be patient with this book, and you will be rewarded – the insight is subtle, hard won, and absolutely worth it.
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Read in September, 2008
this was the first book i've read by alice munro, so obviously i've never read her short stories. i enjoyed it to an extent, but at times found it plodding and slow. there were certain things in her descriptions of del's feelings that i could really relate to. all in all i'd probably give it 3.5 stars, but i'm not really all that interested in reading more of her work after reading this. totally mixed feelings.
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I think Alice Munro is one of the best short story writers alive and usually I can't put her books down. For some reason this didn't grip me and I found myself skimming, then giving up. Someday I'll try again, but if you haven't read any Munro, I would suggest starting with one of her older collections.
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Read in January, 1996
Was given to me by someone who thought I would like Alice Munro better than Atwood. I didn't. This is also one of only two Munro books that I have read as I am not a fan of short stories. I found this ok - neat vingettes though (likely why she usually sticks to stories) like about the encyclopedias.
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
Alice Munro readers
This is Alice Munro's second book and her only novel, though it could just as accurately be called a short story collection (like her book The Beggar Maid). The book starts slowly but gathers force as it goes along. This is a solid offering from one of my very favorite writers.
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A coming of age story, Del Jordan literally grows up in this book. She shares her lif with other women - her mother, her best friend Naomi and Fern Dogherty the sexy border who lives in her house. the characters come to life in this story. a good read!
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Read in January, 1996
This was the book that got me hooked on Alice Munro. It was on a college reading list and it is a beautifully written coming of age story of a girl named Del in rural 1950s Ontario. It is one of the few books that I have read more than once.
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An undeniable masterpiece funny, poignant and insightful A rare coming of age novel of a girl in middle class Canada. Mercifully will never be read as chick-lit (a term that needs to be relegated to the dustbin.)
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Oddly enough I had a teacher in high school who did not want to read books from old dead guys. So we were forced to read this and watch the movie it was made into.
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Read in August, 2008
recommended to Lesliemae by:
Andrew Leskrecommends it for: adolescent small town girls
Inscription:
Downstairs in BMV on Bloor Street written on the wall of the washroom:
"On the scales of desire, your absence outweighs another's presence."
Downstairs in BMV on Bloor Street written on the wall of the washroom:
"On the scales of desire, your absence outweighs another's presence."
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I don't care what anyone says. I will not concede that a linked story collection is a novel. So there. Short Story Chauvinists of the World Unite!
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recommends it for:
new alice munro readers
she has a story about children and faith that has a last line whose perfection could never be matched.
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Read in January, 1997
A slice of small town Canadian life, if that's your bag. As I recall Kotex featured largely.
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Read in May, 2008
This book really grew on me. It was a really slow start but by the end I was loving it.
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Alice never fails to entertain and teach through her characters and stories.
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