Open Secrets

by Alice Munro

Hardcover, 1994

Call number

FIC MUN

Collection

Fiction

Genres

General Fiction

Publication

Alfred A. Knopf (1994), Edition: 1st, 293 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Short Stories. HTML: WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE® IN LITERATURE 2013 In these eight tales, Munro evokes the devastating power of old love suddenly recollected. She tells of vanished schoolgirls and indentured frontier brides and an eccentric recluse who, in the course of one surpassingly odd dinner party, inadvertently lands herself a wealthy suitor from exotic Australia. And Munro shows us how one woman's romantic tale of capture and escape in the high Balkans may end up inspiring another woman who is fleeing a husband and lover in present-day Canada. "Open Secrets is a book that dazzles with its faith in language and in life."--New York Times Book Review

Subjects

Femmes Romans

Women Canada Fiction

Women Canada Social life and customs Fiction

Women Fiction

Media reviews

literaturkritik.de

Alice Munros Geschichten handeln von dieser Reflexion und Meditation, sowie von den Ereignissen des ganz normalen Lebens: von Liebe, Ehe, Einsamkeit, Vergebung, Unzufriedenheit, Scheidung, Betrug, Misstrauen, Glaube, Kindheit, Tod und sogar Mord. Unbestreitbar gehören ihre Erzählungen zu den

besten der kanadischen Literatur.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member rhondagrantham

Here are the things I love about these short stories. Munro’s scope: the stories can span extensive time periods; her juxtaposition of exotic locations with small-town Canada; her use of different forms, such as letters; and the variety of excellently defined characters.

The stories are usually

set in small-town Ontario, with some of the some characters popping up in different stories, seen from skewed angles. The jigsaw is probably an overused metaphor, but I have to use it, because I love them. Her book is a jigsaw puzzle with a lake, reflecting back a dark forest and a multiplicity of houses, shops and figures. Her puzzle is missing some pieces, which allows my imagination to try and stamp in the misshapen bits of my own understanding.

These stories gave me the stomach pit feeling of anticipation and fear, that I associate with the break neck adventures of youth. Including characters both youthful and old gives me hope that I will continue to experience that feeling.

The language is just right. It doesn’t show off, but it’s so very very good. My favourite phrase was “secret capability” in Spaceships have landed, it was used to describe the abilities of a woman the main character believed to be small town prostitute.

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4 more

LibraryThing member isabelx

At the beginning of the month I read "Friend of My Youth", another book of short stories by this Canadian author. I enjoyed the stories in "Open Secrets" all the more because they were slightly more upbeat, with some of the characters managing to find some happiness in their lives.

A lot of the

stories in both books are set in the Ontario towns of Walley and Carstairs, and members of the same families turn up in stories set decades apart, which helps to draw you into their world. My favourites were "A Real Life" and "A Wilderness Station".

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LibraryThing member briannad84

I'm definately going to have to get me some of Munro's books! I loved this one too, except that the last story I found to be a bit dull.

LibraryThing member LisaMorr

A collection of short stories set mainly in Ontario that are somewhat inter-related. I liked it.

My favorite story was The Albanian Virgin, two stories in one actually, one about a woman kidnapped in Albania and forced to live amongst a tribe, and the other about a woman running a bookstore - a

woman she knows tells her the kidnap story from her hospital bed.

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LibraryThing member mahallett

i enjoyed this one less than others. stories were very long and i had trouble remembering where i was.

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