Carried Away Selection Stories Everymans

Carried Away: A Selection of Stories (Everyman's Library) (Hardcover) This is a terrific volume to start with if you are new to Alice Munro. There are thirteen stories, Munro's favorites, hand picked by her, an introduction by fellow Canadian Margaret Atwood, and a chronology of Canadian history, literary events and the author's life.

The stories, like Runaway, Friend of My Youth, Meneseteung and others show Munro off at her best. Interestingly plotted, with changing points of view, time shifts and careful exploration of the bumpy life paths of her fellow Canadians.

And yet, good as she is, there is something missing in Munro. If Updike wrote about sex, religion and Pennsylvania, Munro writes about infidelity, growing up poor and Western Ontario. The canvas is very narrow. Story lines, while intricate are predictable once you have read enough of her. And while her characters are busy betraying one another sexually, it all seems a little cold. I don't think she likes men very much, except under the covers.

In the end she writes about characters who have lived tumultuous lives but she doesn't get far enough below the surface. She is good, but Chekhov reborn she is not.


Click Here For More Information About Carried Away Selection Stories Everymans