The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose [Paperback]

Alice Munro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 1991

In this series of interweaving stories, Munro recreates the evolving bond between two women in the course of almost forty years. One is Flo, practical, suspicious of other people's airs, at times dismayingly vulgar. the other is Rose, Flo's stepdaughter, a clumsy, shy girl who somehow leaves the small town she grew up in to achieve her own equivocal success in the larger world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Whether Alice Munro's The Beggar Maid is a collection of stories or a new kind of novel I'm not quite sure, but whatever it is, it's wonderful. The psychological precision...is a delight, and the startling twists -- the unexpected leaps in time, the transformation of familiar characters -- they make the book what books ought to be, a little wild, a little mysterious." -- John Gardner

In this exhilarating series of interweaving stories, Alice Munro re-creates the evolving bond -- one that is both constricting and empowering -- between two women in the coupe of almost forty years. One is Flo, practical, suspicious of other people's airs, at times dismayingly vulgar. The other is Rose, Flo's stepdaughter, a clumsy, shy girl who somehow-in spite of Flo's ridicule and ghastly warnings -- leaves the small town she grew up in to achieve her own equivocal success in the larger world.

"The stories are absolutely wonderful-every word she writes is interesting." -- Alice Adams

"The best stories of the year." -- The Nation

From the Publisher

9 1-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Vintage (May 7, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679732713
• ISBN-13: 978-0679732716
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alice Munro grew up in Wingham, Ontario, and attended the University of Western Ontario. She has published eleven previous books.During her distinguished career she has been the recipient of many awards and prizes, including the W.H. Smith Prize, the National Book Circle Critics Award, the PEN/Malamud Award for Excellence in Short Fiction, the Lannan Literary Award, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize, and the Rea Award for the Short Story. In Canada, she has won the Governor General's Award, the Giller Prize, the Trillium Book Award, and the Libris Award.Alice Munro and her husband divide their time between Clinton, Ontario, and Comox, British Columbia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She is just totally brilliant, July 20, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose (Paperback)

Yes, this may not mean much coming from a twelve year old, but Ms Munro, I thought your book was absolutely brilliant. The only thing that worried me was that air of sour mystery, the anticipation of disappointed expectations, a slight shivering of dread as if no matter how well we obey our parents, listen to our teachers, toe whatever invisible line has been drawn for us in the sand, we will in all likelihood end up alone, eating chili out of cans and opening up some tuna for the cats. But if we can have all that, our health, and a light to read your stories by, I guess it won't be all that bad.:)

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of my favorite books, February 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose (Paperback)

I've read this book countless times, and will continue to read it again and again. Two stories in the collection, "Simon's Luck," and "The Beggar Maid," are two of my favorite stories ever written. I read these stories, and others by Alice Munro, whenever I feel heartbroken, at a loss, and full of grief...and they never fail to soothe me, to allow me to see the world in new ways.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Beggar Maid is a remarkable collection of stories, November 1, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose (Paperback)

Alice Munro is one of our greatest living writers. In "The Beggar Maid: stories of Flo and Rose" her writing demonstrates why. Skillfully crafting characters which are hauntingly real, Munro introduces her readers to the small town of West Hanratty, Ontario. It is an intimate portrait of a place and its people, and of the life of a woman, Rose, and her step-mother, Flo. At times comic, and others painfully dramatic, these stories reveal the deep experiences of what it means to find an identity, to love, and to understand oneself. An absolutely brilliant collection of short stories