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A review by jmoxley
The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Started off well. I was interested in Alice Munro’s Scottish ancestors who are the focus of the first part of the book as I stay in the Borders.
The second half focussed on Ms Munros family after they moved to Canada, but the story was presented as a series of fragmented ramblings with an expectation that the world would be fascinated with minutiae of her childhood.
Disappointingly flat and self-indulgent writing from an author who has won many awards. Basically I think she tried to write a fictionalised family history based on a short visit to Scotland and a superficial understanding of the Scottish Borders but after 120 pages found that she didn’t have enough material and padded the next 200 pages out with tedious prose about mundane life in rural Canada.
The second half focussed on Ms Munros family after they moved to Canada, but the story was presented as a series of fragmented ramblings with an expectation that the world would be fascinated with minutiae of her childhood.
Disappointingly flat and self-indulgent writing from an author who has won many awards. Basically I think she tried to write a fictionalised family history based on a short visit to Scotland and a superficial understanding of the Scottish Borders but after 120 pages found that she didn’t have enough material and padded the next 200 pages out with tedious prose about mundane life in rural Canada.