The Laidlaws have left the Ettrick Valley in Scotland behind, that parish with "no advantages", but the family members also have left behind "long, outspoken, sometimes outrageous letters, and detailed recollections" which have inspired Alice Munro to narrate the experiences of her ancestors. McClelland & Stewart, 2006 But
The title story in this collection follows "No Advantages" closely. It presents Old James the father, Andrew, Walter, and their sister Mary, Andrew’s wife Agnes, and Agnes and Andrew’s son James,"under two years old", and recounts their experiences from "the harbor of Leith, on the 4th of June, 1818, [when] they set
A good ways into the story, readers meet this proclamation: "You never quite knew how such things would turn out. You almost knew, but you could never be sure." It is perhaps as true about "The Bear Came Over the Mountain" as it is about Grant's predictions about his relationships
While Nina was playing tennis, Lewis was killing himself. Readers learn this at the outset. Nina played; Lewis died. Back and forth across the net, Nina volleyed and returned serves; Lewis plunged downward into first unconsciousness, then... Into, what? As a science teacher, who insisted that evolution be taught in classrooms
Just as the jury enjoyed reading the stories submitted for tthe 2014 Journey Prize, other readers can also value the "exposure to a new generation of writers who are extending the tradition of Canadian short fiction well into the twenty-first century". McClelland & Stewart, 2014. Edited by Steven
