2012
Dear Life
Alice Munro · 1931–2024 · Canada
Why it matters
Late stories of small-town Ontario women, each cracking a whole life open in a few pages. Munro's final collection: the short story's undisputed modern master, the year before her Nobel.
At a glance
short story collection
Difficulty 5/10medium pace319 pagesDeceptively plain prose hides sudden tonal and temporal shifts.
Where to go next
Alice Munro · 1971Lives of Girls and WomenLvl 5Medium pace
Alice Munro · 1978Who Do You Think You Are?Lvl 5Medium pace
Alice Munro · 2001Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, MarriageLvl 5Medium pace
Alice Munro · 2004RunawayLvl 5Medium pace
Alice Munro · 2009Too Much HappinessLvl 6Medium pace
Elizabeth Strout · 2008Olive KitteridgeLvl 4Medium pace