1978
Who Do You Think You Are?
Alice Munro · 1931–2024 · Canada
Why it matters
Rose claws her way out of a poor Ontario town through an actress's life and a string of unequal marriages, story by story across decades. Munro's Governor General's Award winner (published in the US as The Beggar Maid) tracks class shame with unsparing precision.
At a glance
short story collectionbildungsroman
Difficulty 5/10medium pace210 pagesNonlinear chronology across linked stories asks readers to assemble Rose's life themselves.
Where to go next
Alice Munro · 1971Lives of Girls and WomenLvl 5Medium pace
Alice Munro · 2001Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, MarriageLvl 5Medium pace
Alice Munro · 2004RunawayLvl 5Medium pace
Alice Munro · 2009Too Much HappinessLvl 6Medium pace
Alice Munro · 2012Dear LifeLvl 5Medium pace
Elizabeth Strout · 2008Olive KitteridgeLvl 4Medium pace