Sunday, September 21, 2008

RUNAWAY

Author: Alice Munro
Genre: Short Story
Published: 2004
Personal Rating:  3.5/5
Yearly Count:  125  




SOON
(ss) Yearly Count:  11

Another story of Juliet . . . she takes her 13 month old little girl (Penelope) to visit the relatives.  During the visit she is confronted about her parenting skills.
 


SILENCE
(ss) Yearly Count:  12

And one more - Juliet's daughter (Penelope) has grown up and is now making decisions for her own life. Juliet learns to deal with those decisions.



PASSION
(ss) Yearly Count:  13

Grace returns to Ottawa Valley to visit where she worked one summer as a waitress when she was 20-years-old and remembers her relationships. 



TRESPASSES
(ss) Yearly Count:  14

A woman befriends a couples' daughter.



TRICKS
(ss) Yearly Count:  15

Robin meets a man and they decide to meet again one year later.

     

POWERS
(ss) Yearly Count:  16

Nancy narrates her story that involves a small group of friends, one of which can see things that are hidden.



Overall, including Runaway and Chance, I liked Runaway and understand the draw of Munro.  Her style is very unique, but teeters between intriguing and annoying.  The intriguing nature of her stories is derived from her ability to drop tidbits of the story without giving a full picture - which is actually annoying.  Also, more often than not, I found the endings to be okay, but they didn't leave me totally satisfied.  Maybe that's her intent - keep you thinking of the "what ifs" after you close the book.  No matter, she definitely has a gift, one that obviously has touched many.  I could have done without the Juliet stories, but I liked the diversity of the rest.  I will read more.

3 comments:

  1. If I never read another Munro book, I'll be just fine. I'm beyond annoyed. No intrigue.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've heard so much about Munro's books but haven't read any-I guess mainly because I avoid short stories for the most part. I'm glad you like her and will look for more by her. I think a lot of authors like to leave stories that have you deciding on an ending in your own mind-I've found that with a few books I've read recently.

    ReplyDelete
  3. John Mutford ~ I'm not running out to get another book by her, but I did think some of them were good.

    Dar ~ I don't like ending the story myself. I like it dished out or clearly inferred.

    ReplyDelete

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