In "Providence", Rose and her husband separate, and at first -- with her new job and apartment and her casual lover -- Rose is all about the possibilities and promise. (Note: There are events in this story which reveal the outcomes of earlier stories; if you plan to discover the
I've been wanting to holiday in Newford for more than ten years; finally, this spring, I spent time in Dreams Underfoot. "In Newford, creation is the supreme act of magic, whether that creation be a painting, a fiddle tune or a poem, an AIDS clinic or battered children's shelter, or
Like "The Beggar Maid", this is one of the longer stories in Who Do You Think You Are? by Alice Munro. With these two long stories, the thematic strength of the collection takes root. Rose continues to struggle with the shame and complications that she perceives as arising from class
"The Beggar Maid" was originally published in "The New Yorker" in June 1977. It's hard to imagine that chunk of glossy pages, for it's one of the longer stories (with "Mischief") in the collection. It's also hard to imagine reading "The Beggar Maid" without knowing everything about Rose
"Flo said to watch out for White Slavers." The opening line. There's Flo with her tales of abuse and mistreatment, with the litany of threats, near and far, posed to women and girls. She also warns Rose about the retired undertaker, with his also-retired hearse, about the the way that he
