Reviews

• それぞれの生を生きる

  いずれも女性を主人公とする８編の短編からなっていますが、そのうち３編は同一のヒロインで、彼女がまだ独身で青臭かった頃から、結婚して死の床にある母親を見舞いに出かけて実家との距離を感じ、更には夫を亡くして、カルトに囲い込まれた娘に会えないままに老境に達し、娘とも距離を置けるようになるまでを続きものとして描いています。 著者の他の作品と同様、文章は平易で単語も難しくありません。もっとも、知っているはずの単語を引きなおし、更に英英辞書に当たるということが何回か起るかもしれません。言葉がぎりぎりのところで使われている証左だと思います。 著者の他のいくつかの作品と違って、繊細さというより、たくましく組み立てられたプロットに圧倒されます。これをあざといと感じる方もおられると思いますが、展開の意外さに思わず引き込まれてしまうことは否定のしようがないと思います。 それぞれの作品を読んで、ヒロインたちの自分らしさを保った生き方に共感を覚えることになると思います。それにしても「男であることのみすぼらしさよ」と思わないでもありません。 蛇足ながら、近頃日本の小説で流行っている長たらしいタイトルに比べて、一語で内容をズバリと表現したこれらの８編の表題の付け方に拍手を送りたくなるのは、年をとったせいでしょうか。

• 受賞前

  序文に何故ノーベル賞が獲得できないのか カナダ人に優秀な作家が多すぎるから？ とか書いてあります 文学賞もその次がボビーで 次に日系のイギリス人が連絡をもらったら いたずら電話と勘違いしたとか かなりのドサクサが続いてますが 彼女はまちがいがない 本当の受賞レベルの作家です タイトルの作品はいいです 羊が

• Inspirational

  This is a beautifully written work and a pleasure to read. I had not read Munro before until I laid my hands on this book. That is why I consider this book as a revelation .The stories are heart-touching, full of lessons and inspirational. The characters are rich, vividly drawn and genuine. I must add that the stories are very insightful, and with that comes the boundlessness and timelessness of it all, as they show how small events can change lives, and how different those events appear to us after. Munro's unique portrayal of everyday aspects of life is rare around and the richness of it will make you want to read all of her other books. Most of the stories tell us how the characters that are easy to relate to are changed by events for forever The fact that this book is a series of well written stories that delve into the thoughts and dreams of the characters, thoughts and dreams that we all share, makes RUNAWAY and the other stories a recommended read. It is a superbly written work that takes its time to work its charm on you. Also recommended: THE USURPER AND OTHERS, HOLIDAYS ON ICE, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE

• Historias que se quedan en la mente

  Una autora feminista que habla de nosotras las mujeres y que crea personajes que se quedan en los recuerdos. Leerla en inglés fue interesante porque es su propia voz sin intermediarios y ayuda a poner un idioma distinto al mío en práctica.

• Munro is a goddess

  Alice Munro creates characters that are as human as you and me, yet their stories are as extraordinary as they can be. These stories leave you feeling a lot of things but what I felt the most was astonishment. Many times, the writing challenges you and compels you to think to unleash the numerous layers of these stories. Munro surely is a goddess. She creates magic but the most real kind of magic.

• Stunning

  Munro has developed a craft of her own. She spins a web around her characters and draws the reader into a plot which is unpredictable and complex, despite its apparent simplicity. Mesmeric reading.

• Eine Sammlung toller Shortstories

  Aufmerksam wurde ich auf die Autorin Alice Munro durch eine meiner Dozenten und ich bin wirklich froh darüber. Runaway ist eine Sammlung von 8 Shortstories. Alle spielen in Kanada und die Hauptcharaktere sind immer Frauen. Jeder Hauptcharakter muss mit schweren Lebensumständen umgehen. In den einzelnen Stories werden gerne Zeitsprünge gemacht, was für manchen Leser etwas ungewöhnlich erscheinen mag, aber nach zwei/drei Stories wird es normal und es macht die einzelnen Stories aus. Die Stories sind zwischen 30 bis 50 Seiten lang und es ist wirklich unglaublich wie viel emotionen und Inhalt Alice Munro in diesen wenigen Seiten verarbeiten kann. Natürlich bleiben ein paar Fragen offen, aber im großen und ganzen sind die Stories stimmig und abgeschlossen. Meine Lieblingsstorie ist "Tricks". Robin arbeitet als Krankenschwester und ist sehr interessiert an Theaterstücken. Sie fährt alleine mit dem Zug nach Stratford um dort ins Theater zu gehen. Sie vergisst ihre Handtasche in der Damentoilette des Theaters, was ihr erst etwas später auffällt. Die Tasche ist nicht mehr zu finden und nun hat sie kein Geld um den Zug nach Hause zu nehmen. Da trifft sie auf einen Mann mit ungewöhnlichem Akzent, der ihr Anbietet das Ticket zu bezahlen und sie zu ihm zum Abendessen einlädt. Beide sind interessiert an einander, jedoch muss Daniel für ein Jahr aus Kanada weg und beide beschließen sich danach wieder zu treffen.

• A Collection of Little Gems

  This is the first book by Munro I've read, and now I can see what all the fuss is about. Each story in this collection is a little gem. Munro is a master of the short story form. Her plot lines are simple yet unpredictable and gripping; her characters come alive with a few short stokes. What makes her writing so life-like is that you don't know everything about her characters. What you learn about them is revealed in a few slices of time or short vignettes. As in life, you don't always understand what motivates Munro's characters to do what they do. Munro shows you their actions and describes some of the thoughts they have, but she allows you form your own conclusions. She never "forces" anything, which is why her stories seem so naturalistic. Some of these stories are terribly sad, particularly the three stories about a woman named Juliet who runs away from her humdrum life as an academic. It starts out optimistically enough - a train ride which seems to offer unlimited possibilities for her to re-invent herself. But the last of these three stories "Silence", is one of the saddest and most memorable short stories I've ever read. In it, Juliet experiences what it means to "run away" from the perspective of the person left behind. Munro is a master of the telling detail. She is also a master of the unexpected and yet strangely life-like plot twist. Many of the plots turn on seeming chance happenstance. In this collection she seems almost obsessed with the role chance and caprice play in life. These stories are all highly readable. Some of them build up a degree of suspense more typical of detective stories. The language is simple and spare. Even so, Munro is capable of unobtrusively adding highly sophisticated touches - for example, a character that makes an annual pilgrimage to see a Shakespeare play has her own story crucially influenced by a "Shakespearean" plot device. I would highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys fine writing and beautifully crafted stories, and who isn't looking for happy endings or unambiguous explanations.

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