Lives of Girls and Women
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Lives of Girls and Women is a book of short stories by Alice Munro, published by McGraw-Hill Ryerson in 1971. All of the stories chronicle the life of a single character, Del Jordan, and accordingly the book is described by some critics as a novel rather than a short story collection. The novel serves as a coming of age story for Del Jordan growing up first on the outskirts, and later in the centre, of the small, southern Ontario town of Jubilee. Del is portrayed as something of an outsider, unsatisfied with small town life though unwilling to acknowledge the similarities between herself and her mother who also seeks to expand her mind beyond the limited experiences of Jubilee. The Novel is often cited as concerning many feminist ideas and it is worth noting in this context that the text deals primarily with female characters, with only a few male figures playing important roles.
If viewed as a novel, it is Munro's only novel-length work.
A television adaptation of the book, starring Tanya Allen as Del and Wendy Crewson as her mother Addie, aired on CBC Television in 1994.
