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pantsuitparty's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t know what some of these other reviews are talking about when they say this is a “dull” book. I couldn’t disagree more.
Castle Rock is fascinating on many levels; each story serves the broader whole of the collection exploring ideas of placehood, history and one’s personal attachment to people and things. The revelations in this book are quiet but profound; like listening to the railroad not for the sound of the train approaching, but for evidence of its just having passed, which also happens to be the train that you arrived on.
The epic undertakings of the earlier stories give way to intimate personal stories detailed by a landscape, society and customs that shape Munro’s own upbringing and personality. Stoic decisions of the past reverberate to create the ‘small world’ of Huron County, that, upon further inspection, has a depth of physical, and biological strata that have changed and constituted its place in the here and now.
Castle Rock is fascinating on many levels; each story serves the broader whole of the collection exploring ideas of placehood, history and one’s personal attachment to people and things. The revelations in this book are quiet but profound; like listening to the railroad not for the sound of the train approaching, but for evidence of its just having passed, which also happens to be the train that you arrived on.
The epic undertakings of the earlier stories give way to intimate personal stories detailed by a landscape, society and customs that shape Munro’s own upbringing and personality. Stoic decisions of the past reverberate to create the ‘small world’ of Huron County, that, upon further inspection, has a depth of physical, and biological strata that have changed and constituted its place in the here and now.
odin45mp's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sorry that this was my introduction to Alice Munro - three of my fellow book club members said that having read this, their favorite Munro was another collection, or another specific story. This collection left me underwhelmed. It was uneven, with the stories wavering from full on almost full, fanciful fiction, and almost nonfiction. I particularly enjoyed the title story and a couple others, but I found it hard to care about a good number of situations. Slice of historical life is not my genre, it would seem. Give me an impactful setting - say, a World War, or a pandemic, and I'm in. This slice of everyday small town life is not that appealing to me.
I will give my fellow readers' favorites a try though, because they were emphatic that she has written better. We did have a good discussion at book club, so there is that.
I will give my fellow readers' favorites a try though, because they were emphatic that she has written better. We did have a good discussion at book club, so there is that.
kingbob's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Personal Favourites: The View from Castle Rock, Illinois, Fathers, Lying Under the Apple Tree, What Do You Want to Know For?
annabelms's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
alice munro i love you girl but no one gaf about your scottish ancestors!!!!
kingarooski's review
4.0
A collection of short stories, loosely based on Alice Munro's family and life, is my introduction to this well-known and respected Canadian writer's work. I enjoyed the ease with which I sank into this book and loved the stories of Munro's immigrant family and their experiences in "America", which was Canada really. The latter stories in the book did not grab my attention as easily, but the links between people and the loose connections which come when people live in the same town were a wonder to behold.
annemariep68's review against another edition
4.0
I was dipping in and out of this book while reading and listening to others - during COVID craziness! I was interested in the family history angle because I am working on mine...and the development of the agricultural areas in Ontario. Nicely written in more of a short story format. 3.5 stars
karenleagermain's review against another edition
2.0
I like the idea behind this collection of stories, but I had a difficult time finding interest in much of the book. The book is a collection of stories based on Munro's family History. The stories are told in a chronological order, starting from her families immigration from Scotland in the early 1800's. The characters overlap somewhat, but the stories do not necessarily have much to do with each other. I found the last half of the book to be more compelling that the first. In particular, I liked the chapter's "Lying Under The Apple Tree" and "Hired Girl." The last chapter also resonated with me. Overall, I found the stories to be a little hit and miss. It would have been nice if a genealogy chart had been included, as I constantly had to refer back to figure out who was related and in what way. Maybe this points more to my disinterest.
stinchen_holt's review
4.0
The View from Castle Rock snød mig godt og grundigt, men på den gode måde. Her troede jeg, at jeg havde fået fingrene i en novellesamling, som var knivskarp, provokerende på flere planer og et pragteksemplar på litterær nytænkning - hvor jeg efter de første 40 sider måbende måtte indse, at disse livskapitler var så langt fra at være plotbaserede, som man overhovedet kan komme. Jeg bed skuffelsen i mig og læste videre; eftersom værket er en Man Booker Prize vinder, måtte der jo være et eller andet, som gjorde den speciel.
Jeg ved ikke hvornår det skete, hvilke ord, sætninger og passager, der gjorde det - men lige pludselig var jeg solgt. Munros smukke beskrivelser, langsomme rytmiske tempo, oder til naturens enkle skønhed og kærlige selvkritik var vidunderlig at læse. Mange af de oplevelser og begivenheder beskrevet i bogen rammer så klokkerent, at jeg flere gange blev transporteret tilbage til min egen barndom og spæde ungdom; begivenheder, dengang trivielle, fik pludselig en dybde og betydning, som kun kan forstås med erfarne øjne, og flere gange måtte jeg stoppe min læsning for at svælge lidt i den følelse, den stemning og den fysiske lethed der indfandt sig, dengang jeg lagde øjnene på min første hundehvalp, fik mit første kys, afsluttede min første uddannelse, fik mit eget sted at bo.
Jeg ved ikke hvornår det skete, hvilke ord, sætninger og passager, der gjorde det - men lige pludselig var jeg solgt. Munros smukke beskrivelser, langsomme rytmiske tempo, oder til naturens enkle skønhed og kærlige selvkritik var vidunderlig at læse. Mange af de oplevelser og begivenheder beskrevet i bogen rammer så klokkerent, at jeg flere gange blev transporteret tilbage til min egen barndom og spæde ungdom; begivenheder, dengang trivielle, fik pludselig en dybde og betydning, som kun kan forstås med erfarne øjne, og flere gange måtte jeg stoppe min læsning for at svælge lidt i den følelse, den stemning og den fysiske lethed der indfandt sig, dengang jeg lagde øjnene på min første hundehvalp, fik mit første kys, afsluttede min første uddannelse, fik mit eget sted at bo.