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Lives of Girls and Women: A Novel
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780375707490
ISBN: 0375707492
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 288
Publication Date: February 13, 2001
Publisher: Vintage
Release Date: February 13, 2001
Studio: Vintage
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Editorial Review:
The only novel from Alice Munro-award-winning author of The Love of a Good Woman--is an insightful, honest book, "autobiographical in form but not in fact," that chronicles a young girl's growing up in rural Ontario in the 1940's.Del Jordan lives out at the end of the Flats Road on her father's fox farm, where her most frequent companions are an eccentric bachelor family friend and her rough younger brother. When she begins spending more time in town, she is surrounded by women-her mother, an agnostic, opinionted woman who sells encyclopedias to local farmers; her mother's boarder, the lusty Fern Dogherty; and her best friend, Naomi, with whom she shares the frustrations and unbridled glee of adolescence.Through these unwitting mentors and in her own encounters with sex, birth, and death, Del explores the dark and bright sides of womanhood. All along she remains a wise, witty observer and recorder of truths in small-town life. The result is a powerful, moving, and humorous demonstration of Alice Munro's unparalleled awareness of the lives of girls and women.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - lovely writing
I hadn't read Munro prior to this "novel" loosely woven from a series of short pieces connected by sequence and character, but found this work delightful. I took the most pleasure in the texture of the prose. Sentences frequently contain, mostly conclude with, these interesting, nearly polar modifiers, so that they say the thing and it's opposite in rapid succession. And both are true in the way that ripened fruit contains within it its future rot. I'm encouraged to discover other Munro.
Rating:  - maybe I missed something?
I agree with many of the other reviewers that the characters and the story were generally enjoyable to read. Though it did take me a bit to get invested into the book I found myself deeply involved with them, of course Del primarily, toward the end. The descriptions of Del's adventures and curiosity were tangible and brought back childhood memories and feelings. However, I expected a much different outcome; I expected this curious, intelligent, intellectual Del to develop into a different woman. ... Read More
Rating:  - What a load of crap
Typical anti-male diatribe disguised as a work of literature. This was assigned reading for one of my college literature courses over twenty years ago, and the memory of the distaste I felt while reading it is still fresh in my mind. The symbolism and 'moral of the story' is heavy-handed and overtly obvious. I recommend avoiding it like the plague.
Rating:  - A classic coming of age story with a twist.
Alice Munro is truly the master of the short story. "Lives of Girls and Women" deserves to be on everyone's list of must-read books. Munro is an exceptionally talented writer, one who can take ordinary situations and turn them into something wonderful. Here, she presents a traditional coming of age story, then spices it up with her own unique brand of dry, subtle wit and a host of zany characters. In "Lives," we follow Dell Jordan from childhood to young adulthood as she struggles ... Read More
Rating: - Great literature - Munro is a master structuralist
What an amazing book! This not merely a good book for middle-aged women, or good instruction for girls, or any such claptrap. To label Munro as good "women's lit" is demeaning to women and demeaning to "The Lives of Girls and Women." (Plus it makes men who enjoy reading her a bit funny.) It's a great book! In any category!
Munro is a master of characterization and narrative structure. Del's description of her mother, for example, reveals: (1) Del's feeling of discomfort at her own place within ... Read More
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