Reviews

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage: Stories by Alice Munro

novelesque_life's review against another edition

4.0

4 STARS

I love Alice Munro's short stories. She can take a life and tell you everything within a few pages.

drummond's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

eleganthedgehogs's review against another edition

Some liked a book of short stories, others decided don’t like short stories as want to know more about the characters. Well written mostly sad. Some stories liked much better than others.

ipb1's review against another edition

4.0

A collection of stories as nuanced and sensitive as you would expect from a writer of this calibre.

rdoose's review against another edition

reflective

4.0

adrinthesky's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

suzyc's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

ali_163's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

mamalemma's review against another edition

3.0

Alice Munro is a master of the short story. Truly — a genuine master. But as much as I want to, I just can’t love short stories. I need to immerse myself in someone’s life, sit with them awhile, know everything. Short stories are over too quickly, even when they are written superbly. Invariably, after a short story collection, I have forgotten everything, though later on — even years later — a fleeting moment or memory will come to me, almost as if I were recalling a story about a friend’s life, and I will realize it was from a short story. Then, I will know I have read something extraordinary, but I don’t often feel it in the moment. I can’t say for certain, but I think one of the stories in this book (whose name I already can’t recall — something Bear Mountain or so?) will come back. It’s a haunting tale of an elderly husband as he struggles with the mental decline of his wife. I could spend a lot more time with that couple — and in the end notes, it appears a movie has been made so I can. The rest of the stories? Sadly, I have already forgotten. If you are a short story fan, this is a gem; of, like me, you need more, I would pass this one by.

hanamayall's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5