In the powerful, haunting stories of Munro's new collection, men and women, in the midst of contemporary quandaries and crises, recall the long-buried yearnings, dreams, and hard choices that have given shape to their lives.
[Friend of My Youth is] a wonderful collection of stories, beautifully written and deeply felt.
It is difficult to do justice to Munro's magical way with characterization or to her unerring control of her own resources, she writes... with a trenchant knowledge of life and fiction as conspiring forces of creation.
Munro is an established author, one of the few who have mastered the art of short story writing... The primary characters, mainly women, have diverse relationships with their families and other unusual acquaintances. The plots are sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, but always within the realm of realism... readers will find these stories entertaining and often thought-provoking. Recommended.
