Or maybe a kind of 5. I admire her all over the place for her skill and control as a writer, but I find her hard to like. Too bleak, often. Her stance that "stuff happens" feels cold, distanced, analytical. I want to say: where's the heart? where's the catharsis? as if she should be writing the book I want to read rather than the stories she wants to write. And then occasionally, I say: how perfect. Yes, that's it. This the last collection original short-story collection. Munro was a remarkably consistent writer and one can safely count enjoying reading this volume. I am give this book a relatively two star rating primarily because there are simply other collections that are even better. Before reading this book, I would read one or more of the following:Dance of the Happy Shades – 1968 (winner of the 1968 Governor General's Award for Fiction)Who Do You Think You Are? – 1978 (winner of the 1978 Governor General's Award for Fiction; )The Moons of Jupiter – 1982 (nominated for a Governor General's Award)The Progress of Love – 1986 (winner of the 1986 Governor General's Award for Fiction)Friend of My Youth – 1990 (winner of the Trillium Book Award)The Love of a Good Woman – 1998 (winner of the 1998 Giller Prize)Runaway – 2004 (winner of the Giller Prize and Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize) I
What do You think about Amada Vida (2013)?
Wonderfully written short stories about life decisions and their lasting effects.
—emily
These stories were fascinating, and this is one book I'll likely read again.
—addy
Not what I thought the book would be about but it was still good.
—wesleyan
