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" Nice collection of short stories. "

" I just lost the review of this when I changed editions, a review which I had spent considerable time creating. May try later today to recreate. D..... "

" Beautiful book about Scottish immigrants and the lives of their descendants (including the author) in Canada...infused with a wee bit of magic. I don't understand how Middlesex became so popular while this amazing book didn't! "

" In general, I love Alice Munro. Her stories are so tightly constructed, so insightful, so surprising. In this book, Munro interweaves fact and fiction; she fictionalizes the story of her family immigrating to Canada and their descendants. It's a really interesting experiment--and one that creates a strange reading experience. With each story, I was curious about how much was factual and how much was invented. And it's certainly true that our understanding of the past is imagined rather than an exact replica of what happened. I did love the ending where Munro reflects on one's place in the fabric of family. Ultimately, however, I wasn't crazy about the book. For the most part, I didn't think the stories were as compelling as her other work. "

" It's interesting to read this along with her early work, Lives of Girls and Women. The basic semi-autobiographical story is similar, but given fictional and nonfictional treatments. Alice Munro had such fantastic insight into the human condition, even in her early work. Extraordinary. "

" more in her traditional fictions, in these "fictionalized nonfictions," munro reminded me so much of didion's essays--the style of observation, detached deadpan insights, layers of character encapsulating a life in a gesture, interaction, or moment with another. "

" This was the most "memoir" from a beloved writer. Munro applies her storyteller's eye to her own life. Feels as familiar as a good friend. "

" I would recommend this to fans of Alice Munro. For first time readers of Munro's work, I would suggest her less autobiographical short stories. These don't have quite the same richness and texture as her other collections. "

" This collection of inter-related short stories is so perfectly crafted it is difficult to put down. Loosely based on the author's family of origin, beginning with a very colorful early 17th century Scotsman and continuing ro present time Canada. "

" Not my favorite Alice Munro -- a little sprawling, not as tightly-constructed as her usual, but really... can you go wrong with Alice? Nope. "

" Heard excellent Random House Audio of unabridged selections read b Kimberly Farr. "

" It has never taken me so long to finish a book by Munro so I have to believe this is not her strongest. She takes on her own family history back in Scotland to fictionalize the journey of her linage to Canada, all the way to young adulthood in Canada. "

" I read the story "Fathers" from this collection. It was interesting to see the differences in how abuse was perceived and handled many years ago than how it is dealt with today. "

" No matter the book or the story there's always something I never forget from Munro. "

" I didn't love every story in the collection, but there were moments that were just so perfect, especially in the later years of her grandparents, parents and herself. "

" Loved these stories. Munro has a wonderful ear for dialogue and believable characters. Brought me back to many childhood moments and thoughts of my own Scottish ancestry. "

" Alice Munro is fabulous. A beautiful writer. She has the ability to guide you right into that world she's created and make you not want to leave. "

" Ultimately disappointing though there were some *really good things about these stories. It's on the 3.5 lean of 4. "

" One of my favorite authors "

" It was good. Kind of wierd because the author switched tenses and times very fluidly (word?) but I was in the mood to be distracted by something other than school and this did just the trick! "

" Alice Munro does a wonderful job in her fictional writing of her ancestors travels from Scotland to Canada. "

" I tell everyone I know who reads about Alice Munro and William Trevor.
For all the good it does... "

" Loved it because I had a similar intimacy with the Canadian roads she described with such sentimate. I also had traveled to Scotland to trace my family about the same time. I read this in my final of 6 years living in the UK and it made my heart vibrate with recognition and desire. "

" I listened to this in the car on an audiobook and I think that lent an extra amount of dreaminess to the experience -- the book felt very long and like being on a journey. One of the stories was so jarring and touching I had to listen to it more than once. Good stuff. "

" Nada, no me produjo nada. Munro, es sinónimo de short stories, no de novelas. "

" I love how these stories tied together old family history and more recent memoir--they seemed all "true" but Munro states that she fictionalized some details about characters in her own life as well as the sections about her ancestors. They were as much about place as about people also. "

" Not my favorite Alice Munro -- a little sprawling, not as tightly-constructed as her usual, but really... can you go wrong with Alice? Nope. "

" What a great book. So excellently written, an astounding inquiry into the author's very own family who came from Scotland in early XIXth century.
I don't know how the people of Anagrama have managed with the translation. "

" This book just was not my cup of tea. I did not finish it. "