This was my first book by Alice Munro, who was recently named as the 2009 Man Booker International Prize winner. This book of stories is a personal, though fictional, history of her family’s emigration from Scotland and their settlement in Canada. It was on the NYT Notable Book list in 2007.
Munro illustrated the struggles of her ancestor immigrants very well. Though I am of German ancestry, I know many of my great-grandparents had many of the same challenges when they settled in Nebraska from Germany. (I would soooo love to read a fictionalized account of their story!)
I enjoyed this book very much, but some may find it a little slow and boring in parts. I’m very interested in family histories of immigration, so I appreciated both the stories and Munro’s writing. I have to wonder, though, were all European immigrants a little hard and cold? Perhaps just the act of survival took all their energy.
I am now curious to read more of Munro’s work for the Canadian Challenge III. If you have any you strongly recommend, please let me know.
2006, 349 pp.
Actually I really like reading such books. Gives a great insight about the era and the people in that age!
This goes to my wishlist!
I almost picked this book up from the library the other day. Alice Munro seems like one of those authors. I picked up a different one, Collected Stories, I believe. Haven’t yet tried it.
I recently listened the audio book of her collection of stories titled “Runaway” and highly recommend it. I like her writing style and her character development is interesting (especially in three of the stories in the collection that concern various periods in one character’s life). My favorite in this volume was “Passion”.
Love your blog!
Allan
I haven’t read Alice Munro yet. Though I’ve always meant to and hope I’ll get to her sooner than later. This one certainly sounds up my alley.
I have to say I read your subject line and first thought your post was going to be about Stephen King, though. LOL
If you’re interested in more Alice Munro, I liked The Beggar Maid. It’s a collection of inter-related short stories (clearly her favorite writing method) but does not have to do with immigration. The cover says it’s about two women, Flo and Rose, but it really circulates around Rose and her life stories. If you like the linked-short-stories method, I think you’ll definitely like this book.