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Dear Life

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Dear Life

By: Alice Munro
Narrated by: Multiple Narrators, Liza Ross, Robert Slade
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Moments of change, chance encounters, twists of fate that create a new way of thinking or being: the stories in Dear Life build to form a radiant, indelible portrait of just how dangerous and strange ordinary life can be. The collection includes four powerful pieces, 'Autobiographical in Feeling', set during the time of Munro's own childhood, in the area where she grew up.©2012 Alice Munro (P)2013 W F Howes Ltd Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories
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Many of these stories read like single chapters from another novel. They seem like quick glimpses into the lives of mostly uninspiring people with no narrative progression or resolution, It’s hard to care about anyone, and the male/female relationships feel unreal and/or dated.
I must be missing something.

Not for me

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The stories are beautifully written and read. I am only amazed at myself, that it has taken me this long to come to know Munro’s stories. That I am reading them now is largely owing to Margaret Atwood’s glowing praise, in various reviews and essays.

My one criticism is of the Audible post-production: PLEASE can the list of chapters give the story titles? Each ‘chapter’ is a story, and the narrator reads the story title. But the list just gives ‘Chapter 1, Chapter 2’ etc. So if you want to jump to a particular story, or remind yourself which story you’ve just been listening to, you have to start listening.

Collections of short stories, and compilations of texts, should always have proper titles. The reader needs to be able to use the list of ‘Chapters’ as they would use a Table of Contents in a print book.

Audible, you can do better than this!

What a treat!

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I got this because I felt I had an Alice Munro shaped gap in my listening/reading, plus I love short stories. I especially like short stories where not an awful lot happens - and these fit that bill well, too. In fact, her story telling is so cleverly subtle, there are actual plots (usually - others meander rather less purposefully, but that's fine too), you just don't always see the plot until quite some way in.

Some of the stories were a little too inconclusive even for my relaxed approach to a tale - but I enjoyed them all very much anyway.

Highly evocative of time and place.

The narrators were very good, with voices that changed well for different stories - especially the male reader; and with gentle styles that suited the writing.

Very Gentle & Enjoyable

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Beautifully read. Understated, but powerful. It makes such a difference, when the reader is engaged with the work.

Outstanding reading

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I have been listening over and over again to these stories and marvelling at their subtlety and authenticity. I find new things to enjoy each time I listen. Beautifully read too.

Brilliant short storytelling

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