The View from Castle Rock **

I was disappointed in this book. Alice Munro is an exquisite writer (rated as one of the best in the English language). The focus of this book is a combination of historical novel combined with her autobiographical story. There are capturing moments in the book, however the cast of characters can get confusing. It is a refreshing read to have all the settings in Canada and there is no question about the authenticity of her portrayal of life from the brutal conditions of early settlement to the simplicity of contemporary rural Ontario. Maybe it is just the subject matter never really captured me. It is evidence of the difficulty of making someone else's nostalgia meaningful to a stranger.