Favorite stories here include Gravel, Haven, In Sight of The Lake and Voices.

I read and reread these stories. Sometimes in order, other times not. The only ones I truly enjoyed were the last four "semi-autobiographical ones and Nancy's story. I do enjoy Munro's writing style in most of the short stories.

I especially love the semi autobiographical stories at the end- they were so evocative of childhood - beautifully expressed and poignant.

I guess I'm just not one for short stories. These characters were never quite personal enough for me. There was always a formality in her writing and I found it hard to care about any one character. I also didn't seem to care if I got back to reading the book after a long day. But if you enjoy short stories, my understanding is that Alice Munro is the best in her field, so you should give her a shot I suppose.

I didn't care for this book. It was more tell than show and I couldn't connect to a lot of the characters.

It's well written, but this seems like a book she wrote for herself (especially with the last four stories) and that's fine. I just didn't care for it.

A terrific collection of mesmerizing short stories that go beyond mere time and space, all while centering in and around Munro's home city of Toronto.

I have read something by Alice Munro before, and when I came across a very cheap copy of Dear Life, I had to buy it. I wasn't disappointed. Munro has a great way of storytelling: simple, subtle, realistic and slightly unsettling. (By the way, one point of criticism: she is does not go into much detail about the characters, so sometimes you need to be a very attentive reader to understand what's going on.)

If you would tell a friend the plot of each of the stories in a couple of sentences, it would sound like nothing happens in them. In a way, that is true. But with every story you get the feeling you know a little bit more about life. They are alien and recognisable at the same time. I can't really explain what makes Munro great - you will just have to see for yourself.

Pretty sure I read this before. The title short story was my favorite. Also, train.

Nice to read stories that originate and play in Canada but this collection was not for me.