Munro's first collection of stories won the Governor's Award in Canada. The stories are set in southwestern Ontario. The title story concerns a teenage girl and her mother who attend a recital at her piano teacher's house. Much is made of this yearly event among the adults especially. How it has become tiresome and shows a decline in the teacher. The food is not appealing and haven't they all done this so many times. At the end of the poorly-attended recital, a new group of children enter the house. It is clear they are from some sort of institution and their appearance suggests they are Downs Syndrome children. The final pianist is very talented, which seems to put everyone on guard. It seems like a trick,, perhaps to embarrass the audience in some way. It is not acceptable for such a girl to have this gift. Except to the piano teacher. (The title was the title of the song she played). A wonderful collection, many of the stories are about Munro's father.
10 comments:
I've liked every Munro story I've read, but haven't yet read a collection by her. "Dance" sounds like a good performance!
I've liked the Munros I've read but have a lot that I haven't read.
Currently reading (now that I finished the Lawrence Blochman book) Yiyun Li's first collection, WEDNESDAY'S CHILD. These are not upbeat stories, but well written. Most of her characters were either born in China and moved here as a child, or the daughter of Chinese parents. Often they are women married to much older men. A couple are divorced, once or twice. They deal with their children and (to a lesser extent) parents. One is a woman without children who is a nanny to newborn children in the first month of life.
Also reading a long story by one of my favorites, Doug Allyn's "Blind Baseball," in THE BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR 2023 The protagonist is a bomb disposal specialist who loses a hand - and the rest of his team - to a roadside bomb in Iraq, and is now back logging in northern Michigan when he gets a visit from the sister of his Lieutenant. That's as far as I've gotten so far, but Allyn's stories are always so good.
Will look for the Li collection. That appeals to me. I read too many American stories
This is her first collection, Todd. All of them are great but this landscape is familiar to me and I like these stories the most.
I have not read Alice Munro in too, too long. Thanks for the reminder.
The Li stories are mostly set here - Oakland, often - but have a non-American sensibility.
Cool. And, FWIW, I've just finished my SSW post for this week, which reviews the Oates and Machado stories in the May/June 2013 THE AMERICAN READER issue, which are among the work one can still read at their website (links provided).
Thanks! I think I have another Munro collection awaiting my excavation of it. Have read and enjoyed Yiyun Li's work once or twice as well, and a bit more (only a bit) of Doug Allyn's (quite a star of the Dell cf magazines).
Will check the other links after Alice and the cats get their breakfasts...the bunch of carnivores! (I write as the sole grazer of plant matter and probably too much dairy in the abode, and the designated cook.)
I've always preferred Munro's earlier works, and Dance is a great collection which I should revisit.
Mine is up as well: https://casualdebris.blogspot.com/2024/01/casual-shorts-isfdb-top-short-fiction_17.html
I'm always impressed with Alice Munro's stories.
Jerry's: https://jerryshouseofeverything.blogspot.com/2024/01/short-story-wednesday-sold-to-satan.html
I found a lot of short story books by Munro at the last book sale, but not DANCE OF THE HAPPY SHADES. I will look for it at the sale in September and if I don't find it I will buy one online.
I will put Jeff's suggestion re Yiyun Li on my list also.
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