I found Lives of Girls and Women by Alice Munro at a blessed Little Free Library after I was on hour two of watching my kids play at a local park. The cover says “novel,” but it really reads like a series of connected short stories. There’s no question that Munro is an excellent writer, especially of short stories. The first story is “The Flats Road,” and the subtle, yet profound sense of place and character development truly puts Munro in a class of her own. That said, and probably because I was expecting a novel, I had a hard time sticking with the stories. I came expecting a cohesive whole, but the novel isn’t that. If you read it, expect a collection of (good!) shorts.