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Modern Classics Who Do You Think You Are
Modern Classics Who Do You Think You Are | Alice Munro
17 posts | 15 read | 21 to read
"Alice Munro's stories are universally admired-if one defines the 'universe' as that part of the world's population that reads good books." Wayne Johnston Rose and her stepmother, Flo, live in Hanratty-across the bridge from the "good" part of town. Rose, alternately fascinated and appalled by the rude energy of the people around her, grows up nursing her hope of outgrowing her humble beginnings and plotting an escape to university. Rose makes her escape and thinks herself free. But Hanratty's question-Who Do You Think You Are?-rings in her ears during her days in Vancouver, mocks her attempts to make her marriage successful, and haunts her new career. In these stories of Rose and Flo, Alice Munro explores the universal story of growing up-Rose's struggle to accept herself tells the story of our lives.
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merelybookish
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My pick for March, a collection of linked stories by my all-time favourite writer. Called The Beggar Maid outside of Canada.
#12daysof2023 @Andrew65

Andrew65 Looks a good choice. 10mo
40 likes1 comment
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merelybookish
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It's Pokemon tournament day and so am stuck reading some Alice Munro at the gaming store. I can't stand Pokemon 😑 but I really do love Munro.

jlhammar Love Munro, but I haven‘t read this one yet. 2y
merelybookish @jlhammar I think this collection is published as The Beggar Maid outside of Canada. My first time reading it. The stories are linked. I'm very much enjoying! 2y
59 likes2 comments
review
rachaich
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Pickpick

My first Munro, I liked the writing very much.
A series of small stories about Rose and her upbringing, in no particular chronological order.
Interesting social views.

Wesleypaker Hello 👋 how are you doing today @rachaich 2y
19 likes1 comment
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merelybookish
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Here is my #bookspin stack for June. It took me forever to decide. I wanted to do something thematic and considered children's lit, Canlit, hardbacks, ebooks, etc. Finally I landed on short story collections and voila! Excited to finally read some of these!
@TheAromaofBooks

Leftcoastzen I spy with my little eye 👁 some Viragos! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Yay!! Great stack!! 4y
Freespirit Wow some great reading there!! 4y
63 likes3 comments
review
alisiakae
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Pickpick

Alice Munro is the type of author to cozy up and read on a cool, rainy day, so it turned out to be perfect reading material for Iceland! 😂 Straddling the line between a novel and short stories, it loosely follows the life of Rose, a young woman who escapes her rural town to find her place in the world.

Works for #pop19 #questionintitle, but I think I filled that prompt already!

I think this may also be 8/8 for #bfcr2. 🎉🎉

91 likes2 stack adds
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alisiakae
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Hubby is chomping at the bit to get going at breakfast, while I‘m trying to enjoy a cup of tea and a chapter of my book first. 😂😂😂

We had a beautiful first day in Hveragerdi, hiking the Hot Springs Trail!

#booksandbreakfast

Kalalalatja Such a lovely place! 5y
j.rye 🧜‍♀️ 😍 5y
julesG 😍😍😍 5y
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Cathythoughts Just wow ♥️. Your looking happy in that beautiful place 5y
Trashcanman What a nice photo of you, that scenery is gorgeous. 5y
Megabooks Gorgeous!! 5y
Crazeedi Looks like a perfect vacation!💗 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You look beautiful and so happy!!! That egg on the other hand 🤣🤣🤣 (edited) 5y
TrishB Gorgeous pics ❤️💜 5y
Freespirit Lovely pics😊 5y
AmyG Beautiful. Enjoy your trip! 5y
BookwormAHN Great pics, have a great time 💚 5y
alisiakae @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you! The egg was too hard boiled for my taste, but overall a yummy breakfast! I‘m super impressed I don‘t look more tired in that pic, only slept 1 1/2 hrs in the plane, and then hiked up a mountain to get to that spot! 5y
tpixie ♥️♥️♥️ 5y
108 likes14 comments
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alisiakae
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The joys of travelling: stuck in Newark with a delayed connection that won‘t depart until 1am now. This airport never treats me well! 😴 Alice Munro is keeping me company.

Ashley_Nicoletto Some airports are truly better to be stuck in than others. 🤣 I hope it‘s not to painful. 5y
alisiakae @Ashley_Nicoletto We‘re in the terminal that got a makeover a few years ago, so it‘s not terrible! I‘ve definitely had much worse (ahem...DFW and LaGuardia, looking at you). 5y
Ashley_Nicoletto @4thhouseontheleft The worst one I‘ve ever been in is Hawaii International on Oahu. It‘s hot and sticky as large parts of it aren‘t air conditioned and I couldn‘t find regular snacks such as Chex mix. 🤣 I hate airports. 5y
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alisiakae @Ashley_Nicoletto That sounds like the St Kitts and Nevis airport! We‘ve been stuck in that one too before, but used the extra time to buy more rum. 😂😂 5y
bookandcat Aww that sucks! 😭 5y
phatsallylee 🤞hoping your flight isn't delayed any further! I've spent many delayed hours at Newark airport and that new terminal makes me so happy! 5y
89 likes6 comments
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alisiakae
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My small reading stack for Iceland! My criteria for international trips:

1. I‘m okay with leaving it behind when I‘m finished.
2. Not too big or bulky.
3. Not horror. I want to be able to sleep on the plane!

I dug into the recesses of my shelves to pull out a few I‘ve had for years! I may have read Water Witches before, but if so, it was pre-Goodreads. Unless there is another novel about New England dowsers I‘m thinking of?

Herschelian Alice Munroe is a wonderful short story writer, you will love her book I am sure! 5y
alisiakae @Herschelian Thanks! That‘s what I plan on reading first! 5y
Scochrane26 I always take my kindle on trips & then a print book that I don‘t care about losing in case I can‘t charge kindle. 5y
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alisiakae @Scochrane26 Kindle is coming too! I just can‘t travel anywhere without a few paperbacks. 😃 Esp on this trip with lots of hot tub time planned. (edited) 5y
Scochrane26 @4thhouseontheleft yes, for an Iceland trip, I would def take more than 1 print. I was actually surprised that you only had 3 books. 5y
alisiakae @Scochrane26 I also plan on coming home with a few books by Icelandic authors. 😃 I already have my bookstores picked out. 😂 5y
Jerdencon Have an amazing time! 5y
alisiakae @Jerdencon Thank you! 5y
umbrellagirl Have an amazing time! Iceland is beautiful. 5y
TrishB Enjoy your break 😁 5y
Tex2Flo I use those same requirement for my real books and travel. 5y
Kimberlone I only bring paperbacks with me on vacation-I also want to not feel bad about leaving them behind to lighten the load 5y
janeycanuck Oh, I loved Iceland when we were there a few years ago. If you haven‘t already read it, check out Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. 5y
74 likes1 stack add13 comments
review
xicanti
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Pickpick

These interconnected short stories were my first serious exposure to literary legend Alice Munro, and I now stand in awe of her talent. Each sentence is lucid, cutting, familiar, and keenly observed. She's excellent.

She's also depressing as all hell. These stories illuminate the pettiest, least pleasant corners of an ordinary, extraordinary life. Nobody is particularly nice. Nobody is happy. Everyone spouts racist, classist, and ableist crap, ⬇️

xicanti and while the text doesn't present it as desirable behaviour it still makes for an often angry reading experience. I'm glad I read this collection for its depth and its prose, but I don't think I could've read it straight through. I'll need a minute before I return to Munro, too. #caseyplusbooks 6y
AvidReader25 I‘ve had her short story collections on my TBR for so long. 6y
57 likes2 comments
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xicanti
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Spicy eggs + my daily story.

I think I might be shooting myself in the foot with all the CanLit I'm reading right now. The basic CanLit trajectory is, "Things are awful; they get worse; the book ends." Hello, depressing material. I've compensated by squeezing some non-Canadian SFF in around the edges.

BookishTrish We joke about this all the time at my house. It‘s my husband‘s favourite narrative arc. 6y
merelybookish Haha,.yes. My US friend also points out the "bleakness" of Canlit. 6y
kgriffith That made me chuckle 😏 6y
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twohectobooks I‘ve decided to lean in to the bleakness of CanLit and learn to love it lol 6y
xicanti @BookishTrish he's a true Canadian. 6y
xicanti @merelybookish my friend from Boston says New England lit is basically the same. 6y
xicanti @kgriffith we Canadians love our misery. 6y
xicanti @twohectobooks EMBRACE THE PAIN! 6y
academiconbreak I was about to say the bleakness is just Alice Munro and then I went to my can lit shelf to prove you wrong... Sure enough... Thomas King-- bleakness with humour, The Break-- rape, but kinda hopeful?, The book of negroes--slavery...oh damn. Bleakness all the way, sigh. Well, I still love it! 6y
xicanti @academiconbreak I just finished BROTHER by David Chariandy and AN OCEAN OF MINUTES by Thea Lim, too, and they both hammered the national preoccupation right home. 6y
academiconbreak @xicanti That's pretty funny. I guess there's no escaping it. #coldclimatecountries&literature 6y
54 likes11 comments
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xicanti
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I've decided I need corn muffins for breakfast-at-lunchtime on this write off of a day.

On the plus side, Casey's doing WAY better now the anesthetic's worn off. My dad turned a travel pillow into a comfortable cone alternative, too, so that's a big stressor gone. And I'm loving my first dip into Alice Munro, even though she's quintessentially CanLit (ie, depressing as all get out).

Reviewsbylola Omg corn muffins! 🤤🤤 6y
xicanti @Reviewsbylola this is one of the few mixes I'll use. They're so good! 6y
mreads There's a recipe for corn casserole that uses jiffy and it's amazing 6y
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xicanti @mreads ooh, I like the sound of this. When I was a kid, I used to go to a restaurant that served cornbread that was basically a pudding or a casserole and I was totally in love with it. 6y
mreads @xicanti 5 ingredients and it freezes well if you don't eat it all 😁 https://www.tastesoflizzyt.com/5-ingredient-corn-casserole/ 6y
xicanti @mreads that looks and sounds exactly like the stuff I ate in my youth! Thank you! 6y
45 likes6 comments
review
Centique
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Pickpick

This book is described as “stories” but to me reads like a novel, with a focus on protagonist Rose - each chapter or story jumping forward in time to show a moment, a realisation, a humbling or an escape for Rose as years pass. Rose moves on from her working class, hard knuckle, home in Hanratty but what is it to make a new life for yourself? Can you choose to be different? Do you get what you choose? ⬇️

Centique It reminded me a little of Penelope Lively or Doris Lessing - a look at the interior life of a complex woman. Excellent writing, particularly the understanding of a poor/working class community of the time. 6y
batsy That sounds very good indeed 👍🏽 6y
Centique @batsy thanks lovely 😘 This was my first try of Alice Munro. Have to read some more! 6y
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Reggie I wanna know more about Rose. You make this sound great. Stacked. 6y
Centique @Reggie thanks Reggie! I‘d be interested to hear what you think 😊 6y
Liz_M Wonderful review 6y
77 likes5 stack adds6 comments
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Centique
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This book is blowing my mind in a good way 🤯

“Learning to survive, no matter with what cravenness and caution, what shocks and forebodings, is not the same as being miserable. It is too interesting. “

Reggie Do you ever listen to the Moth podcast @Centique? If you don‘t, I think you would like it. This passage makes me think this is a story one would tell about growing up. P.s. your package left L.A. today, so I‘m assuming it‘s on an airplane right now or tomorrow morning. 6y
Centique @Reggie ooooh exciting about the package! 🛫🛬Thank you so much Reggie. 😊 I‘m excited about you opening your goodies too! I‘ll let you know when it arrives so we can synchronise it a bit! And I haven‘t listened to the Moth Podcast but sounds like I should 👂👂👂Will look it up. 6y
LeahBergen Alice Munro 🙌🏻🙌🏻 6y
Centique @LeahBergen this is my first Alice Munro! Impressed! 😍 6y
Leftcoastzen I‘ve read some of her short stories,have enjoyed them ,looks like I need to seek out more of her books 6y
66 likes5 comments
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xicanti
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Holy small type, Batman. This has gotta be 6pt font.

MemoirsForMe 😳😳😳 6y
xicanti @UwannaPublishme the photo makes it look bigger than it actually is. Eep. 6y
xicanti @rather_be_reading I'm wondering if I even want to read this copy. Maybe the library can give me one designed for people with regular eyes. 6y
50 likes4 comments
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merelybookish
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The rest of Friday's used bookshop splurge. The top two are blame it on @Leftcoastzen. I didn't go in searching for the Alexandria Quartet, but then couldn't resist once I saw two of them. (Now I will need to complete the set...🤔😛)

LeahBergen Cool covers! 6y
Leftcoastzen Wow I remember those Dutton paperbacks! Cool!hope you find the others. 6y
56 likes2 comments
review
BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

I am impressed by the way Munro observes ordinary things, deeds, conversations and is able to write them down in a way they make me very conscious of myself. It's as if she knows me. I reckon that's what makes her this great writer: I guess everyone will recognize himself or herself in Munro's words.
This is the story of Rose, finding her way in the world, and her stepmother Flo. #1001books

9 likes1 stack add
review
KRISNTL
Pickpick

This book has many stories in it that all connect to a character name Rose. Originally, the author put this collection together and decided to change the characters in each story to a single character named Rose. The book is interesting. Interestingly and swiftly told and written. Definitely read it if you're from Ontario/Toronto.