Customer Reviews

Runaway: Stories

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I borrowed "Runaway" from the library. Now that I have read it, I have no choice but to go out and buy it. One read will never suffice.
On the surface the stories seem straight forward, perhaps more so than Munro's other recent books and yet they are rich and complex.
These are stories of great humanity. Outcomes are not predictable and the smallest of decisions can change a life forever. A word not said, a second glance not taken, have huge consequences. The characters and plots do not follow a predictable course as they would in a lesser fiction.
Even the less sympathetic characters are drawn in shades of grey and we feel their pain and humanity. In the title story, a bully of a husband is a complex man who may or may not destroy, depending upon so little. We hold our breath in dread, hoping that those around him tread lightly.
This collection of stories is simply breathtaking and deserves to be savoured again and again.

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I have always professed a distaste for books of short stories. I love a novel that can swallow me up and keep me interested for days on end. I requested this book for Christmas, unaware that it was actually a book of short stories. Upon reading it, I have changed my mind about short story reading. Each story offers a unique and interesting snapshot into some character's life, and Munro executes these snapshots with professionalism and talent. After reading this book, I went on to read Jhumpa Lahiri's Pulitzer Prize-winning Interpreter of Maladies, and I can now appreciate the power of authors who can create SEVERAL interesting and powerful stories within the confines of one book. Recommended.

This is my first book by Alice Munro. I loved it! It's so rare to read short-stories that are so well-crafted. This book made me long for more information about each character yet, at the same time, you don't want to know... You kind of want to imagine for yourself what their lives are going to be, or what really happened. And that is the mark of a truly great short-story.

Read it!

This was a wonderful book. I collect books of short stories because I like stories I can read in one sitting and this is up there with the top ten series of short stories I have encountered (right up there with Bedtime Stories for Women and The Best of Edgar Allen Poe). The writing is brilliant, the stories are interesting and intriguing. I think it is geared more towards women but men would enjoy it too.

Alice Munro is the queen of the short story genre. I have read other collections of her stories, but this one is memorable. It is a worthy winner of the prestigious Giller prize. Her stories seem so straight forward and simple at first glance, but as you finish each story, you realize that there is a complexity there and it forces you to go back an rethink the story again. These stories are all very good, but my particular favourite was "Trespass". It almost took my breath away with it's hidden meanings and nuances. I usually do not read short stories, but I make an exception with Alice Munro. Hers are absolutely wonderful!

Munro's unique portrayal of everyday aspects of life is rare around and the richness of it will make you want to read all of her other books. Most of the stories tell us how the characters that are easy to relate to are changed by events for forever The fact that this book is a series of well written stories that delve into the thoughts and dreams of the characters, thoughts and dreams that we all share, makes RUNAWAY and the other stories a recommended read. It is a superbly written work that takes its time to work its charm on you. With the same great writing that you'll find in books such as "The Bark of the Dogwood" and the same intricate character detailing as you'll see in works such as Kidd's "Secret life of Bees," this collection will surely not disappoint you.

There is a wonderful strength and survivorship in the girls and women of RUNAWAY. I was reminded of the similar themes and woman's point of view from the ubiquitous and fantastic CHILDREN'S CORNER by Jackson McCrae, even though that author is a guy. You'd think that Munro and McCrae are related in the way they handle the sensitivity of situations and people. But Munro's work is really without comparison, for she manages to connect several of the stories and the result is a tour-de-force of emotion and intellect. The reader is captured by the style and what happens in the stories is not as important as how those happenings are revealed. A great writer and a great book. Don't miss it!

When recommending a book to someone, I try to keep in mind what they're interested in. The joy of Munro's books is that you don't have to do this-they're really about any and everything and the writing is so accessible and intelligent that anyone can pick these up and like them. If you enjoyed Jackson McCrae's THE CHILDREN'S CORNER or David Egger's HOW WE ARE HUNGRY, then you'll love Munro's latest collection. Of all the stories in this staggering little bunch, "Powers" was, for me, the most riveting. Dealing with a young woman who has the ability to read the future, her escapades start the ball rolling (not always in a good direction) for family and friends. Munro is a Canadian, and one might suspect she would be somewhat limited in her material. Not so. These stories are filled with insight that cuts across geography and time. If you enjoy good writing that takes its time to work its charm on you, then I strongly suggest you try RUNAWAY. If you haven't read the Eggers or the McCrae yet, those are musts. With the short story form coming back into vogue, these are all winners.

Our book club recently picked this collection of short stories along with two others of the same ilk--a rare thing for us to do. While we thoroughly enjoyed David Eggers "How We Are Hungry" and Jackson McCrae's "The Children's Corner," we found Munro's collection to be the best thing we've come across in months. The sheer amount of territory covered in these sometimes no-so-short stories is remarkable and Munro's writing style should win over even the most irritable critic of this genre. Don't pass this collection by.

I'm somewhat ashamed to admit that I'm not familiar with this author, or at least wasn't until I read RUNAWAY: STORIES. But what a fan I've become overnight! This incredible look at the human condition and relationships is one of the most moving and enlightening reads I've come across in a while. In a way, I was reminded of Salinger's NINE SHORT STORIES with their insightful peering into the human heart. Some of these little stories are connnected, and, in fact, some of the stories are not so small. Munro's narratives can sometimes take many pages, but there's a reason for each and every word. I also very much enjoyed the collection of short stories by author Jackson McCrae, titled THE CHILDREN'S CORNER. These too are brilliant and each one is expertly crafted and suited to the subject material the author is writing about.