Here's what I wrote in 2008 about this read: "The immigrant experience described as Alice tells the tales of her Scottish ancestors who went to Canada." ( )

Un'opera in cui la Munro intreccia autobiografia e genealogia, vicenda personale e storia collettiva.
Il libro si divide in due parti: nella prima, "Area depressa",è affidato il racconto dei suoi antenati scozzesi, i Laidlow, che il 4 giugno 1818 salgono a bordo di una nave per emigrare in America; nella seconda parte "A casa" troviamo il racconto in prima persona di alcuni particolari momenti della vita della scrittrice.
Narrare la propria esistenza per la Munro è conoscere se stessi, recuperare tutti i segni del vissuto in volti, paesaggi, ambienti. E' soprattutto bisogno di guardarsi indietro e trovare significati, salvare gli insegnamenti. Come per tutti gli esseri umani, ciò è un "fare ordine" necessario. ( )

One of her few novels, I'm told, made up of distinct titled short stories. My preferred ordering principle in my own writing. It covers two centuries of changing characters, from Scotland to Ontario, Canada, as described by a descendant. Which would be, in a mixture of fiction and memoir, narrated by the sensitive and perceptive author who makes it work. ( )

standouts: home, hired girl, working for a living, no advantages ( )

This was the second Alice Munro I've read (Open Secrets was the other.) It's well-written; that goes without saying. She muses on the border of story and family history. I started to imagine writing something similar for our family.

Her specialty seems to be exploring the icky borders of sexual awakening and she has an interest in the disturbing. Maybe it's because I read this while I was recovering from the flu, but I felt a little woozy afterwards.

"A View" is also about class and where we are comfortable. I couldn't say that she comes to any conclusions other than one doesn't need to be "rescued". There is some reflection on a kind of joyless religion imported from Scotland. She returns to this a couple of times, but repeats "I am not believer." Nonsense; everyone believes in something; it's this particular old and corporate formulation which she doesn't trust. ( )