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Too Much Happiness: Stories Audiobook
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(3.01) - 4,795 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Ten superb new stories by one of our most beloved and admired writers—the winner of the 2009 Man Booker International Prize. In the first story a young wife and mother receives release from the unbearable pain of losing her three children from a most surprising source. In another, a young woman, in the aftermath of an unusual and humiliating seduction, reacts in a clever if less-than-admirable fashion. Other stories uncover the “deep-holes” in a marriage, the unsuspected cruelty of children, and how a boy’s disfigured face provides both the good things in his life and the bad. And in the long title story, we accompany Sophia Kovalevsky—a late-nineteenth-century Russian émigré and mathematician—on a winter journey that takes her from the Riviera, where she visits her lover, to Paris, Germany, and, Denmark, where she has a fateful meeting with a local doctor, and finally to Sweden, where she teaches at the only university in Europe willing to employ a female mathematician. With clarity and ease, Alice Munro once again renders complex, difficult events and emotions into stories that shed light on the unpredictable ways in which men and women accommodate and often transcend what happens in their lives. Too Much Happiness is a compelling, provocative—even daring—collection.
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"I quite liked all the stories except for the title story. The other stories are all beautifully written stories of everyday people in unusual, awful, heartbreaking situations. I'm amazed at her ability to fit in so much detail and such strong characters in such a short space. Except in the last story, that is. It seems like Munro got too wrapped up in the real-life details of Sophia and tried to cram as much as she could into the short story and we got a lot of history and a lot of names and not a lot of in-depth exploration of any of the characters. It felt choppy, I felt like I was just slogging through it, and it didn't mesh well with the rest of the book."
— noisy (4 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Selected for the December 2009 Indie Next List
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A New York Times bestseller
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A 2009 Kansas City Star Top 100 Book
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A 2009 Washington Post Best Audiobook
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One of the 2009 New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books for Fiction
Too Much Happiness Listener Reviews
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" First I have to admit - I am not always a big fan of short storied. In addition to that these are a little creepy and did not really hold my attention. The stories are very descriptive and wandering and might be a better read for someone who subtlety in their reads. "
— Anu, 2/19/2014 -
" Munro's stories are as pretty as paintings and sharp as razors. Some of them slicing so deep you wonder if you'll heal. Her ability to jump through time in a short fiction lends a sense of a long acquaintance with characters, the kind that usually comes with a full novel. So when the drama develops-- or strikes-- it's easy to take it really hard. "
— Jed, 2/9/2014 -
" Exceptional writing, high drama in small human moments, really sad and dark. "
— Archana, 2/5/2014 -
" One blurb for this book calls Monroe "our Chekov." I think that is apt - since few women were allowed into the arena of being called 'a master'. She is a master short story writer. She has that negative capability Keats wrote of - she draws characters so swiftly without being reductive, and sets the loose without judgement. The ordinary becomes extraordinary. The gamut of human courage and weakness can be felt and marveled at. A quotidian page-turner. "
— Mary, 1/28/2014 -
" This book is teaching me to tell the story that I'm recently working on. What better rec is that? "
— Bethany, 1/27/2014 -
" The stories are so strong they are almost graphic. Munro's never been one to hold your hand through her stories. In this she almost seems to hold your head under. Almost. She also never been for a careless reader either. Beautiful as usual. "
— D, 1/17/2014 -
" The reviews were outstanding, but the book don't live up to them. Didn't relaize they'd all be sad stories, ugh. "
— Mk, 1/14/2014 -
" Loved this book though not all stories are just "on the money" for me. "
— Janine, 1/13/2014 -
" A rather profound scrutinity into the tangled complex web of relations people share with their spouses, their family and with themselves. Highly thought-provoking and demanding of readers to do intensive insight. "
— Shimin, 1/8/2014 -
" depressing stories but i couldn't stop reading each just to find out what horrible thing would happen to each character. "
— Flora, 1/2/2014 -
" Her stories are fascinating! "
— Jjpierce, 12/25/2013 -
" Alice Munro's short stories are always a treat to read. This collection is no exception. The stories generally have some kind of twist. "
— Aisling, 12/14/2013 -
" Quiet, lovely stories. Pretty heartbreaking at times. I haven't read a good short story collection in awhile and this one was a real treat. I especially loved "Wenlock Edge." Elegant, curious, good. But when isn't Alice Munro perfect? "
— Maurene, 12/2/2013 -
" I listened to the stories on my daily walk with my lab. The stories were different but the narrative voice for each storycwas too similar. The characters seemed to be all the same but the writing was beautiful. Each story hit the same ponts. "
— Christine, 10/17/2013 -
" Nobody captures the subtle relationships between people as well as Alice. "
— Margaret, 10/6/2013 -
" Reading Alice Munro is a humbling experience. She is a master of the short story. "
— Peggy, 9/24/2013 -
" Typical Alice Munro... genius. "
— Cara, 8/20/2013 -
" The writing was actually really good. However, the stories were just a little too depressing for me. I seemed to get the message that everyone has hidden secrets in their lives, marriages never last, and people are just selfish. I did enjoy the read though. "
— Tisha, 5/7/2013 -
" Each phrase, sentence and paragraph was well crafted. However, I felt let down by the overall plots of each story. I looked for an Alice Munro novel in hopes that I would enjoy a longer tale, but short stories are apparently her specialty. "
— Michele, 2/18/2013 -
" Loved these short stories which says alot because I'm not a short story reader. Can't wait to read more by Munro. "
— Darlene, 8/25/2012 -
" I hesitate to say that this is Munro at her best, because when isn't she at her best? This collection of stories is on par with her past writings, and as always, I have been properly devastated upon completion of each story. She is the master of the short story format, bar none. "
— Todd, 8/9/2012 -
" A great literary writer with tremendous insight "
— MJ, 1/30/2012 -
" I have heard about Alice Munro for years, but it was not until I read the short stories If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This and loved them did I feel compelled to read her work. These stories made me think deeply, and feel deeply. The first story in particular was like a whole novel. "
— Julie, 1/16/2012 -
" This writer is the best short story writer since Chekhov. These stories are vibrant, full of character and each one is a little gem. I had read many of these stories in Harpers Magazine and they were definitely worth a second reading. "
— Panda, 1/5/2012 -
" Ten poerful and unforgettable stories. I rarely encounter a story by Munro that I don't love. "
— Annika, 8/25/2011 -
" I finally finished it. A collection of wry, poignant, dark (Child's Play) and historic (the title story), written in Alice Munro's tight prose. Masterful. "
— Sandra, 7/29/2011 -
" Should really be titled: not enough happiness ever. But still excellent stories. Novella about the mathematician was the best. "
— Taylor, 6/29/2011 -
" Probably a good book for a lazy winter read. Well written but at times somewhat monotonous. "
— natalia, 6/23/2011 -
" The short stories were interesting-- intriguing, but unsatisfying the way short stories are. I think the dissatisfaction I have with the book has more to do with the genre than with the book itself. "
— Kate, 6/16/2011 -
" brilliant short stories, compelling in its simplicity. depicting ordinary people in ordinary circumstances yet underscored with something more beneath them. Alice Munro's prose is beautiful.<br/> "
— Sang, 6/2/2011 -
" I particularly liked Child's Play and Wood. The short stories are complete in themselves, and make good reading. I also liked the Canadian settings. "
— Lena, 6/1/2011 -
" The short story "Fiction" is maybe the best thing I've ever read? "
— Katie, 5/22/2011 -
" Another great book of Alice Monroe stories! I had read several of them in the New Yorker. But I didn't mind reading them a second time. "
— Sue, 5/19/2011 -
" VERY DEPRESSING COMPILATION OF WOMEN SHORT STORIES "
— Arlene, 5/17/2011 -
" I just love Alice Munro and this collection of short stories did not disappoint. I want to be her. She has a weird and unique way of looking at people and great skill in creating an atmosphere. Well deserved winner of 2009 Man Booker prize. "
— Johanna, 5/16/2011 -
" Alice Munro is one of the best authors today. Her short stories are poignant, troubling, heartening, and realistic. She does not sugar coat our existence but shows us how to accept it's beauty in its reality -- not how we want it to be. "
— Kerry, 5/15/2011 -
" read about 30 pgs which is most of the 1st short story & did not like the characters or story line - too depressing! skimmed the 2nd short story & declared this book is not for me! "
— Rachel, 5/8/2011
About Alice Munro
Alice Munro, winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature, grew up in Wingham, Ontario, and attended the University of Western Ontario. She has published eleven collections of stories and two volumes of selected stories, as well as a novel. During her distinguished career she has been the recipient of many awards and prizes, including three of Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Awards and two of its Giller Prizes, the Rea Award for the Short Story, the Lannan Literary Award, England’s W. H. Smith Book Award, the United States’ National Book Critics Circle Award, the Edward MacDowell Medal in literature, and the Man Booker International Prize. Her stories have appeared in the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, Paris Review, and other publications, and her collections have been translated into thirteen languages. She lives in Clinton, Ontario, near Lake Huron.
About the Narrators
Kimberly Farr is an actress and winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards for narration. She has appeared on Broadway and at the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Roundabout Theatre, Playwright’s Horizons, and the American Place. She created the role of “Eve” in Arthur Miller’s first and only musical, Up from Paradise, which was directed by the author. She appeared with Vanessa Redgrave in the Broadway production of The Lady from the Sea and has acted in regional theaters across the country, including a performance in the original production of The 1940’s Radio Hour at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage.
Arthur Morey has won three AudioFile Magazine “Best Of” Awards, and his work has garnered numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and placed him as a finalist for two Audie Awards. He has acted in a number of productions, both off Broadway in New York and off Loop in Chicago. He graduated from Harvard and did graduate work at the University of Chicago. He has won awards for his fiction and drama, worked as an editor with several book publishers, and taught literature and writing at Northwestern University. His plays and songs have been produced in New York, Chicago, and Milan, where he has also performed.