In stories that are more personal than any that sheβs written before, Alice Munro pieces her familyβs history into gloriously imagined fiction. A young boy is taken to Edinburghβs Castle Rock, where his father assures him that on a clear day he can see America, and he catches a glimpse of his fatherβs dream. In stories that follow, as the dream becomes a reality, two sisters-in-law experience very different kinds of passion on the long voyage to the New World; a baby is lost and magically reappears on a journey from an Illinois homestead to the Canadian border.
Other stories take place in more familiar Munro territory, the towns and countryside around Lake Huron, where the past shows through the present like the traces of a glacier on the landscape and strong emotions stir just beneath the surface of ordinary comings and goings. First love flowers under the apple tree, while a stronger emotion presents itself in the barn. A girl hired as summer help, and uneasy about her βplaceβ in the fancy resort world sheβs come to, is transformed by her employerβs perceptive parting gift. A father whose early expectations of success at fox farming have been dashed finds strange comfort in a routine night job at an iron foundry. A clever girl escapes to college and marriage.
Evocative, gripping, sexy, unexpectedβthese stories reflect a depth and richness of experience. The View from Castle Rock is a brilliant achievement from one of the finest writers of our time.
Media Buzz
Fresh Air - NPR - December 7, 2006 Fresh Air - NPR - November 27, 2006
© 2003-2026