Family Furnishings: Selected Stories, 1995-2014 (Vintage International)

From the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature--and one of our most beloved writers--a new selection of her peerless short fiction, gathered from the collections of the last two decades, a companion volume to Selected Stories (1968-1994). Family Furnishings brings us twenty-four of Alice Munro's most accomplished, most powerfully affecting stories, many of them set in the territory she has so brilliantly made her own: the small towns and flatlands of southwestern Ontario. Subtly honed with her hallmark precision, grace, and compassion, these stories illuminate the quotidian yet extraordinary particularity in the lives of men and women, parents and children, friends and lovers as they discover sex, fall in love, part, quarrel, suffer defeat, set off into the unknown, or find a way to be in the world. Peopled with characters as real to us as we are to ourselves, Munro's stories encompass the fullness of human experience--from the wild exhilaration of first love, in "Passion," to the lengths a once-straying husband will go to make his wife happy as her memory fades, in "The Bear Came Over the Mountain." Other stories suggest the punishing consequences of leaving home ("Runaway") or leaving a marriage ("The Children Stay"). The part romantic love plays in one's existence is explored in "Too Much Happiness," based on the life of the noted nineteenth-century mathematician, Sophia Kovalevsky. And in stories that Munro has described as "closer to the truth than usual"--"Dear Life," "Working for a Living," and "Home" among them--we glimpse the author's own life. As the Nobel Prize presentation speech says in part: "Reading one of Alice Munro's texts is like watching a cat walk across a laid dinner table. A brief short story can often cover decades, summarizing a life, as she moves deftly between different periods. No wonder Alice Munro is often able to say more in thirty pages than an ordinary novelist is capable of in three hundred. She is a virtuoso of the elliptical and the master of the contemporary short story." From the Hardcover edition From The Recipient Of The 2013 Nobel Prize In Literature-perhaps Our Most Beloved Author-a New Selection Of Her Peerless Short Fiction, Gathered From The Collections Of The Last Two Decades, A Companion Volume To Selected Stories (1968-1994). By All Accounts, No Nobel Prize In Recent Years Has Garnered The Enthusiastic Reception That Alice Munro's Has, And In Its Wake, Her Reputation And Readership Has Skyrocketed Worldwide. Now, Family Furnishings Will Bring Us Twenty-five Of Her Most Accomplished, Most Powerfully Affecting Stories, Most Of Them Set In The Territory She Has So Brilliantly Made Her Own: The Small Towns And Flatlands Of Southwestern Ontario. Sublty Honed With The Author's Hallmark Precision, Grace, And Compassion, These Stories Illuminate The Ordinary But Quite Extraordinary Particularity In The Lives Of Men, Women, And Children As They Discover Sex, Fall In Love, Part, Quarrel, Head Out Into The Unknown, Suffer Defeat, Find A Way To Be In The World. As The Nobel Prize Presentation Speech Reads In Part: Reading One Of Alice Munro's Texts Is Like Watching A Cat Walk Across A Laid Dinner Table. A Brief Short Story Can Often Cover Decades, Summarizing A Life, As She Moves Deftly Between Different Periods. No Wonder Alice Munro Is Often Able To Say More In Thirty Pages Than An Ordinary Novelist Is Capable Of In Three Hundred. She Is A Virtuoso Of The Elliptical And...the Master Of The Contemporary Short Story.-- A Selection Of Short Stories By The Nobel Prize-winning Author, Alice Munro-- The Love Of A Good Woman -- Jakarta -- The Children Stay -- My Mother's Dream -- Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage -- Family Furnishings -- Post And Beam -- The Bear Came Over The Mountain -- The View From Castle Rock -- Working For A Living -- Hired Girl -- Home -- Runaway -- Soon -- Passion -- Dimensions -- Wood -- Childss Play -- Too Much Happiness -- To Reach Japan -- Amundsen -- The Train -- The Eye -- Dear Life. Alice Munro ; Foreword By Jane Smiley. This Is A Borzoi Book--title Page Verso. Includes Bibliographical References. "From the recipient of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Literature-perhaps our most beloved author-a new selection of her peerless short fiction, gathered from the collections of the last two decades, a companion volume to Selected Stories (1968-1994). By all accounts, no Nobel Prize in recent years has garnered the enthusiastic reception that Alice Munro's has, and in its wake, her reputation and readership has skyrocketed worldwide. Now, Family Furnishings will bring us twenty-five of her most accomplished, most powerfully affecting stories, most of them set in the territory she has so brilliantly made her own: the small towns and flatlands of southwestern Ontario. Subtly honed with the author's hallmark precision, grace, and compassion, these stories illuminate the ordinary but quite extraordinary particularity in the lives of men, women, and children as they discover sex, fall in love, part, quarrel, head out into the unknown, suffer defeat, find a way to be in the world. As the Nobel Prize presentation speech reads in part: "Reading one of Alice Munro's texts is like watching a cat walk across a laid dinner table. A brief short story can often cover decades, summarizing a life, as she moves deftly between different periods. No wonder Alice Munro is often able to say more in thirty pages than an ordinary novelist is capable of in three hundred. She is a virtuoso of the elliptical and ... the master of the contemporary short story.""-- Provided by publisher “An extraordinary collection” (San Francisco Chronicle) of twenty-four short stories from Nobel Prize–winning author Alice Munro. “Superb... Munro is a writer to be cherished.”—NPRA BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Minneapolis Star TribuneA selection of Alice Munro's most accomplished and powerfully affecting short fiction from 1995 to 2014, these stories encompass the fullness of human experience, from the wild exhilaration of first love (in “Passion”) to the punishing consequences of leaving home (“Runaway”) or ending a marriage (“The Children Stay”). And in stories that Munro has described as “closer to the truth than usual”—“Dear Life,” “Working for a Living,” and “Home”—we glimpse the author's own life.Subtly honed with her hallmark precision, grace, and compassion, these stories illuminate the quotidian yet astonishing particularities in the lives of men and women, parents and children, friends and lovers as they discover sex, fall in love, part, quarrel, suffer defeat, set off into the unknown, or find a way to be in the world. From the Nobel Prize winner — " our greatest contemporary short story writer" ( USA Today) — comes a selection of her most accomplished and powerfully affecting short stories from the last two decades. Here is a companion volume to A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1968–1994 . These stories encompass the fullness of human experience, from the wild exhilaration of first love (in “Passion”) to the punishing consequences of leaving home (“Runaway”) or ending a marriage (“The Children Stay”). And in stories that Munro has described as “closer to the truth than usual”—”Dear Life,” “Working for a Living,” and “Home”—we glimpse the author’s own life. Subtly honed with her hallmark precision, grace, and compassion, these stories illuminate the quotidian yet astonishing particularities in the lives of men and women, parents and children, friends and lovers as they discover sex, fall in love, part, quarrel, suffer defeat, set off into the unknown, or find a way to be in the world. "A selection of short stories by the Nobel Prize-winning author, Alice Munro"-- Provided by publisher