This is Alice Munro’s only novel. She’s usually a (brilliant) short story writer, so this is a little out of her comfort zone. But in a way, she manages to make every chapter some sort of short story that ties very nicely with the others.

The book, very broadly speaking, tells the story of Dell Jordan, a young girl that lives in the town of Jubilee. Through the pages we get to see the pains of growing up, her family, her religious questioning and the beginnings of love and sex. It’s Dell the one that tells her story, and the way she works out the details reveal how much she sees of the world she is in. Dell is clearly a good observer, even as a kid. She appears to have some sort of preternatural knowledge of her world.
What I really like about Munro’s writing (besides how beautifully she shows details) is the kind of characters she creates. They are all very vivid and realistic, and they seem a little like people you’d meet if you’re going through rural Canada. Or even, you could find them anywhere. Because they are so human and unique, that makes them, in a way, citizens of the world.

The Jordans are an interesting family. I particularly liked the mother, who seemed a little incongruous with a fifties’ town in rural Canada. She is educated and liberal in a town where there are like four churches. From her, Dell learns to be independent and the importance of getting an education.

One of the sections that really got to me is when Dell and her best friend, Naomi, begin parting their ways. Naomi leaves school to begin working and Dell continues to be there. It’s very sad, because they were best friends and shared everything. And also because it was too realistic. This is how many friendships end, not with a big fight or anything like that, but with people slowly drifting apart. At some points here I cried a little for Dell and Naomi’s friendship.

But the book is called Lives of Girl and Women, so it’s natural that is focused in this kind of things. Female friendships are usually very important in our growing up, and it’s common to outgrow them. It’s a fact of life. The same happens with Dell’s discovery of sexuality, which dominates the final section of the novel. For most women, discovery of sexuality is usually linked to the discovery of love. Again, those things are also facts of living as a woman. Dell’s path throughout the novel is a path of self-discovery. She is building up her identity, and every experience in her life (even those that seem menial at first) is part of that.

I’d recommend this book for women. If you want to begin reading Munro, however, I think it’s better to start with some of her short stories. I’m not sure why, but this does not seem like the kind of book you want to read to first see how an author writes.