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Queenie: A Story
When Queenie elopes with a recently widowed neighbour her family are uniformly shocked, and a window on adult life and relationships is opened for her step-sister. A summertime stay with the newlyweds in Toronto yields further insight into the lives of couples, but also causes confusion. Part of the Storycuts series, this short story was previously published in the collection Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage.
96 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 1999
12 people are currently reading
478 people want to read
About the author
Alice Munro
241 books6,602 followersCollections of short stories of noted Canadian writer Alice Munro of life in rural Ontario include
Dance of the Happy Shades
(1968) and
Moons of Jupiter
(1982); for these and vivid novels, she won the Nobel Prize of 2013 for literature.
People widely consider her premier fiction of the world. Munro thrice received governor general's award. She focuses on human relationships through the lens of daily life. People thus refer to this "the Canadian Chekhov."
(Arabic: أليس مونرو)
(Persian: آلیس مانرو)
(Russian Cyrillic: Элис Манро)
(Ukrainian Cyrillic: Еліс Манро)
(Bulgarian Cyrillic: Алис Мънро)
(Slovak: Alice Munroová)
(Serbian: Alis Manro)
People widely consider her premier fiction of the world. Munro thrice received governor general's award. She focuses on human relationships through the lens of daily life. People thus refer to this "the Canadian Chekhov."
(Arabic: أليس مونرو)
(Persian: آلیس مانرو)
(Russian Cyrillic: Элис Манро)
(Ukrainian Cyrillic: Еліс Манро)
(Bulgarian Cyrillic: Алис Мънро)
(Slovak: Alice Munroová)
(Serbian: Alis Manro)
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
April 15, 2020
I’m not sure why this single long ‘short story’ was published separately as a tiny book, but it meant that as I read it I paid it far more attention than if it had been one of a collection and it will stay with me for some time.
It’s quite a challenge to find Alice Munro talking about her work, and the nearest I got to something that connected for me on Queenie was her saying that she wanted her stories to move and disturb her readers. And she writes about women, women and men, sex and power in relationships and small communities. Nothing specifically about this story, but tools to help unpack its complexity.
It’s quite a challenge to find Alice Munro talking about her work, and the nearest I got to something that connected for me on Queenie was her saying that she wanted her stories to move and disturb her readers. And she writes about women, women and men, sex and power in relationships and small communities. Nothing specifically about this story, but tools to help unpack its complexity.
October 26, 2013
A superb little story. Munro is an author whose prose is effortless. Her writing needs to be read slowly and savoured. On the surface, this is an account of one woman writing of her step sister but there's a lot more going on than that. She sounds notes of escape, attachment and freedom that echo through the narrative. This small volume is a fantastic way to approach Munro. Her longer collections can be overwhelming.
January 31, 2018
The range of emotions I went through while reading this short story was a little unexpected. I haven't read a good short story in a while now, but I think this one can help me get back on the horse.
April 27, 2014
Again, vivid and bullet-accurate feelings about relationships, between best friends and between lovers. Munro hypnotizes with language, putting relationships understandable and bare, out in the open for our scrutiny.
The story entitled Queenie is about the person herself but more so on how she affects the narrator. I wish that Munro had done more things to allow us to get into Queenie's head. Because we only see her from the vantage point of the narrator, I cannot see the motivations for whatever Queenie has done. And this makes Queenie becomes a very flat character, whose brazen attitude about life and marriage I can't empathize with. Instead, I get a feeling as if this brazen attitude of Queenie is just 'how she is'.
Maybe Munro is trying to do that. People are just who they are. If that is her purpose, then she has done so brilliantly. But Queenie is still, as a character, to me, rather underdeveloped and fleeting.
Even if Queenie was strived by Munro to be the one influence that the narrator would spend her whole life questioning, I think that better effort could be made at building Queenie's history with her mother or letting on the charcter's 'secret' motivations and what she really is behind what she appears to be.
The story entitled Queenie is about the person herself but more so on how she affects the narrator. I wish that Munro had done more things to allow us to get into Queenie's head. Because we only see her from the vantage point of the narrator, I cannot see the motivations for whatever Queenie has done. And this makes Queenie becomes a very flat character, whose brazen attitude about life and marriage I can't empathize with. Instead, I get a feeling as if this brazen attitude of Queenie is just 'how she is'.
Maybe Munro is trying to do that. People are just who they are. If that is her purpose, then she has done so brilliantly. But Queenie is still, as a character, to me, rather underdeveloped and fleeting.
Even if Queenie was strived by Munro to be the one influence that the narrator would spend her whole life questioning, I think that better effort could be made at building Queenie's history with her mother or letting on the charcter's 'secret' motivations and what she really is behind what she appears to be.
July 21, 2024
I bought this small paperback containing only this story in 2015 at a bookstore in Florence, Italy, while pushing Claire around in a stroller as Katie was at a conference. I remember finding this store in narrow alleyways and near a toy store where I bought Claire a pull-toy alligator.
I hadn't reread the story since that time, so tonight I read it again so I could put it in our little library. Nothing about the story was familiar, so it had not stuck with me. But it is well written and takes interesting diversions into the past and future throughout its brisk plot.
I hadn't reread the story since that time, so tonight I read it again so I could put it in our little library. Nothing about the story was familiar, so it had not stuck with me. But it is well written and takes interesting diversions into the past and future throughout its brisk plot.
July 14, 2020
Queenie is the stepsister of the narrator, a few years older and completely different character wise. I think this story shows how perspectives change as we get older. Queenies action aren’t explained as we don’t see her point of view.
December 19, 2017
Really? The greatest short story writer ever. I'm missing something obviously.
This was a completely boring story of a young girl who shacks up with her pervy music teacher, runs off with him, finds out he is horrible then runs out on him. Her sister never hears from her again.
I felt nothing for the characters, they were all one dimensional, uninteresting or just plain unlikeable. I couldn't care about any of them. What the middle section in the sandwich bar gave to the story I have no idea.
I guess not having a literature degree means I cannot see the nuances that give this the clout it has in the literary world. I can only go by my feelings towards the story.
This was a completely boring story of a young girl who shacks up with her pervy music teacher, runs off with him, finds out he is horrible then runs out on him. Her sister never hears from her again.
I felt nothing for the characters, they were all one dimensional, uninteresting or just plain unlikeable. I couldn't care about any of them. What the middle section in the sandwich bar gave to the story I have no idea.
I guess not having a literature degree means I cannot see the nuances that give this the clout it has in the literary world. I can only go by my feelings towards the story.
August 23, 2024
'These were couples and each of them, however disjointed, had now or in memory a private burrow with its own heat and confusion, from which I was cut off.'
January 22, 2018
How amazing is Alice Munro? Her simple and elegant words make this short story a personal favourite. In less than sixty pages, Munro manages to wow the reader, the same way Carver or Saki do.
January 2, 2015
Amongst the books I received at Christmas was a tiny sixty-page short story entitled ‘Queenie’, by an author I’d never heard of: Alice Munro, now eighty-three years old and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. As a writer of short stories myself, I was curious to find out how this author could have earned the most prestigious of prizes for such an underrated art form.
I was excited. Expecting miracles. I was not to be disappointed.
It’s a slow burn, which is what I like. Introductions are succinct and slick. No information overload here.
Queenie (real name, Lena) and Chrissy (the narrator) are half sisters, who leave their family home and follow very different paths. Their story is unremarkable, but that’s not what we’re digging for, as we read. We sift through Chrissy’s observations of the beautiful but tragic Queenie. We look for treasure, as she reveals little by little the faults in her sister’s marriage and hints at a possible alternative future. We hold our breath as, through Chrissy’s eyes, we take in the weight of a new perspective on someone she thought she knew, who suddenly seems strange to her. There is little of substance in the plot. But that is the point. This is no quick fix. The seeds are scattered and take time to grow.
What comes to the fore as we assess the girls’ individual predicaments, is the realisation that, with the passing of time, something precious, something familiar, is left behind. Not just for Chrissy, but for all of us. ‘Queenie’ captures and delivers an exquisite and ultimately overwhelming synthesis of those moments in life that pass us by and which are largely taken for granted, only coming back to haunt us later, arriving like shock waves, unsummoned and bewildering, as we perform our routine tasks, dumbed down and comfortable, as it were, in the microcosm of our present existence. A word, a phrase, a smile, the tilt of a head takes us away, then leaves us bereft, wanting to find a way back but not knowing how to get there.
This wonderful story reminds us that, at a certain point, we no longer look to the future hoping for excitement or novelty as often as we look into the past for comfort and reassurance, or, if we are honest, with regret. Alice Munro’s ‘Queenie’ once read, ripples through our minds, reminding us of those times, gone forever, that mean the world to us.
Quite simply a masterpiece.
I was excited. Expecting miracles. I was not to be disappointed.
It’s a slow burn, which is what I like. Introductions are succinct and slick. No information overload here.
Queenie (real name, Lena) and Chrissy (the narrator) are half sisters, who leave their family home and follow very different paths. Their story is unremarkable, but that’s not what we’re digging for, as we read. We sift through Chrissy’s observations of the beautiful but tragic Queenie. We look for treasure, as she reveals little by little the faults in her sister’s marriage and hints at a possible alternative future. We hold our breath as, through Chrissy’s eyes, we take in the weight of a new perspective on someone she thought she knew, who suddenly seems strange to her. There is little of substance in the plot. But that is the point. This is no quick fix. The seeds are scattered and take time to grow.
What comes to the fore as we assess the girls’ individual predicaments, is the realisation that, with the passing of time, something precious, something familiar, is left behind. Not just for Chrissy, but for all of us. ‘Queenie’ captures and delivers an exquisite and ultimately overwhelming synthesis of those moments in life that pass us by and which are largely taken for granted, only coming back to haunt us later, arriving like shock waves, unsummoned and bewildering, as we perform our routine tasks, dumbed down and comfortable, as it were, in the microcosm of our present existence. A word, a phrase, a smile, the tilt of a head takes us away, then leaves us bereft, wanting to find a way back but not knowing how to get there.
This wonderful story reminds us that, at a certain point, we no longer look to the future hoping for excitement or novelty as often as we look into the past for comfort and reassurance, or, if we are honest, with regret. Alice Munro’s ‘Queenie’ once read, ripples through our minds, reminding us of those times, gone forever, that mean the world to us.
Quite simply a masterpiece.
December 14, 2019
Interesting short story with a feminist perspective. The turn-around at the end happened too quickly. I wanted the story to be developed just slightly more.
December 10, 2024
Queenie is named after the main character in this short story. We read the story from her sister’s point of view, Chrissy. The story begins with Chrissy visiting her sister and her sister’s husband, Stan or Mr. Vorguilla, after two years of no contact. A little bit further in we learn through flashbacks that Queenie ran away with the neighbour, now her husband, when she was 18. She left a note to tell her family she was going to marry him, this short after Mrs. Vorguilla died. While Chrissy wants to be part again of her sister’s life and tries to find a summer job in Toronto, we learn more about Queenie’s relationship with Mr. Vorguilla.
I didn’t really enjoy this short story because the plot wasn’t interesting. At first I thought the narrator was an old friend (as in a man) visiting Queenie with whom he’s been in love with all his life. And then I read ‘sister’ so I reread the whole first part to shake off that wrong feeling. The beginning was also confusing as I couldn’t really distinguish the flashbacks from the present (although it’s not really the present). Everything that happened was just boring, except for the ending scene, multiple years later.
I also felt no connection to the characters. They all felt flat. I found Queenie annoying and naïve. If a man tries to choke you over a cake you might have given to another man, then he’s not jealous. He’s abusive and controlling. Chrissy seemed drained of life although she’s only twenty and she did have a purpose which makes no sense. It’s just frustrating. I don’t understand how two sisters with such a good bond just drift apart. Queenie never let her sister know anything while Chrissy kept looking. This makes Queenie, even though she was bubbly, an egoist aka an unlikeable character.
I didn’t really enjoy this short story because the plot wasn’t interesting. At first I thought the narrator was an old friend (as in a man) visiting Queenie with whom he’s been in love with all his life. And then I read ‘sister’ so I reread the whole first part to shake off that wrong feeling. The beginning was also confusing as I couldn’t really distinguish the flashbacks from the present (although it’s not really the present). Everything that happened was just boring, except for the ending scene, multiple years later.
I also felt no connection to the characters. They all felt flat. I found Queenie annoying and naïve. If a man tries to choke you over a cake you might have given to another man, then he’s not jealous. He’s abusive and controlling. Chrissy seemed drained of life although she’s only twenty and she did have a purpose which makes no sense. It’s just frustrating. I don’t understand how two sisters with such a good bond just drift apart. Queenie never let her sister know anything while Chrissy kept looking. This makes Queenie, even though she was bubbly, an egoist aka an unlikeable character.
December 19, 2017
This little heart of a story was just beautiful, so tenderly written, so clear and facile around the weirdness of feelings especially when they hover around family and hurt. I'm looking forward to reading more Munro.
February 28, 2015
This was my first Alice Munro, and I find her style refreshing and endearing. It's a simple story told beautifully simply. Can't wait to read more of her works.
December 12, 2019
Munro is ever incomparable.
December 19, 2017
A nice short read but not Munro's best ..
March 5, 2022
In “Queenie”, Munro takes readers inside the mind of the narrator named Chrissy. By doing so, Munro creates an interesting effect in the way readers may perceive Queenie as a character, and for that matter, the story as a whole. By writing from the single perspective of Chrissy, we as readers get a very biased and subjective impression of Queenie. To use the logic of Henry James’ house of fiction metaphor, readers can only view Queenie from one window. Thus, when trying to analyze the character of Queenie readers should be weary of relying too much on Chrissy’s account of her stepsister.
The reason I’m calling attention to this aspect of the story is because after reading reviews of “Queenie” online, I was a little surprised to see that some readers have condemned Queenie as selfish as well as being an egoist. For my own part, I did not feel this way after reading the story. I viewed Queenie simply as a free spirit who tragically finds herself in a marriage with a tyrant like husband. Returning to Queenie’s condemnation as an egoist by certain readers, I can see where they are coming from, although I do not agree completely with their sentiment.
Nonetheless, why do readers view Queenie in such a negative light? The most prominent reason is the fact that in some respects, Queenie neglects her relationship with Chrissy. For it is obvious that Chrissy cares very deeply about Queenie, and further values their friendship to the highest of degrees. The problem for some readers is that Queenie does not appreciate or reciprocate the devotion, love, and sense of friendship that Chrissy has towards Queenie. And when Queenie disappears for the second time in the story, I can see how certain readers would view this as a type of abandonment toward Chrissy. And towards the end of the story, it is truly heart wrenching to witness Chrissy looking for her friend Queenie in public, often thinking she has found her. This aspect really shows how deep Chrissy’s admiration and love toward Queenie is. So given these reasons, I think a very compelling argument can be made about Queenie’s selfishness and possible egotism as a character.
Whatever the case may be with respect to Queenie’s character, the fact that the story is constructed in the first person hinders us readers from ever definitively knowing whether Queenie truly cared for Chrissy the way that Chrissy cared for her. Now, if Munro decided to construct the story in the third person omniscient, perhaps we would be able to catch a glimpse into Queenie’s inner thoughts and motives, in which a solid argument and or analyzation of Queenie’s character could be made. However, if this were the case, I feel the story would lose the ambiguity that renders this story so poignant and tragically beautiful.
In conclusion, I will reiterate that I simply view Queenie as a free spirit who finds herself in an age of so many restraints and expectations. Moreover, I believe that Chrissy’s love towards Queenie is unconditional. Thus, if Queenie may in fact be selfish or an egotist, it wouldn’t make any difference to Chrissy. And the ending makes it clear, that regardless of Queenie’s second disappearance, Chrissy nonetheless holds a special and permanent place in her heart for her stepsister.
The reason I’m calling attention to this aspect of the story is because after reading reviews of “Queenie” online, I was a little surprised to see that some readers have condemned Queenie as selfish as well as being an egoist. For my own part, I did not feel this way after reading the story. I viewed Queenie simply as a free spirit who tragically finds herself in a marriage with a tyrant like husband. Returning to Queenie’s condemnation as an egoist by certain readers, I can see where they are coming from, although I do not agree completely with their sentiment.
Nonetheless, why do readers view Queenie in such a negative light? The most prominent reason is the fact that in some respects, Queenie neglects her relationship with Chrissy. For it is obvious that Chrissy cares very deeply about Queenie, and further values their friendship to the highest of degrees. The problem for some readers is that Queenie does not appreciate or reciprocate the devotion, love, and sense of friendship that Chrissy has towards Queenie. And when Queenie disappears for the second time in the story, I can see how certain readers would view this as a type of abandonment toward Chrissy. And towards the end of the story, it is truly heart wrenching to witness Chrissy looking for her friend Queenie in public, often thinking she has found her. This aspect really shows how deep Chrissy’s admiration and love toward Queenie is. So given these reasons, I think a very compelling argument can be made about Queenie’s selfishness and possible egotism as a character.
Whatever the case may be with respect to Queenie’s character, the fact that the story is constructed in the first person hinders us readers from ever definitively knowing whether Queenie truly cared for Chrissy the way that Chrissy cared for her. Now, if Munro decided to construct the story in the third person omniscient, perhaps we would be able to catch a glimpse into Queenie’s inner thoughts and motives, in which a solid argument and or analyzation of Queenie’s character could be made. However, if this were the case, I feel the story would lose the ambiguity that renders this story so poignant and tragically beautiful.
In conclusion, I will reiterate that I simply view Queenie as a free spirit who finds herself in an age of so many restraints and expectations. Moreover, I believe that Chrissy’s love towards Queenie is unconditional. Thus, if Queenie may in fact be selfish or an egotist, it wouldn’t make any difference to Chrissy. And the ending makes it clear, that regardless of Queenie’s second disappearance, Chrissy nonetheless holds a special and permanent place in her heart for her stepsister.
May 19, 2024
Read 'Queenie' only on the shop computer. A prudish / Canadian 'Streetcar' (literally references there being one in Toronto), and the weird mental contortions that a sister goes through to convince herself that the abusive man she's with is worth throwing her life into. Middle section about the sandwich place is so good, whole section about the Christmas cake is perfectiono. Really theatrical, but doesn't need to be turned into a play or anything to get that sweeping emotion across. Some colossal phrases that make me remember why the late AM is regarded as such a perfect monolith.
*unfair to call it prudish when I really liked the casual detail of narrator having to creep outside each morning to the porch trash can to get rid of her pad, because that's a very familiar daily quiet embarrassment that I don't remember having ever seen referenced in writing before! Male writers don't do it because they don't notice it and that's the whole point. Queenie stuffs her letter from Andrew into her pants so that Vorguilla can't get to them - both the power zone and the hiding place.
"I looked at the rusty-bottomed bread tin swiped too often by the dishcloth, and the pots sitting on the stove, washed but not put away, and the motto supplied by Fairholme Dairy: The Lord is the Heart of Our House. All these things stupidly waiting for the day to begin and not knowing that it had been hollowed out by catastrophe." That's it!!!! Acabou chorare, ficou tudo lindo, de manhã cedinho - except that's not happened yet, the tide doesn't relent, we don't find out what happens to Queenie beyond speculation and maybe being glimpsed in an Idaho supermarket many years later and that's just perfect because that's just life, at least it was before phones and it made me think.
*unfair to call it prudish when I really liked the casual detail of narrator having to creep outside each morning to the porch trash can to get rid of her pad, because that's a very familiar daily quiet embarrassment that I don't remember having ever seen referenced in writing before! Male writers don't do it because they don't notice it and that's the whole point. Queenie stuffs her letter from Andrew into her pants so that Vorguilla can't get to them - both the power zone and the hiding place.
"I looked at the rusty-bottomed bread tin swiped too often by the dishcloth, and the pots sitting on the stove, washed but not put away, and the motto supplied by Fairholme Dairy: The Lord is the Heart of Our House. All these things stupidly waiting for the day to begin and not knowing that it had been hollowed out by catastrophe." That's it!!!! Acabou chorare, ficou tudo lindo, de manhã cedinho - except that's not happened yet, the tide doesn't relent, we don't find out what happens to Queenie beyond speculation and maybe being glimpsed in an Idaho supermarket many years later and that's just perfect because that's just life, at least it was before phones and it made me think.
November 15, 2024
𝑬𝙫𝒆𝙧 𝙬𝒊𝙩𝒏𝙚𝒔𝙨𝒆𝙙 𝙝𝒐𝙬 𝙤𝒏𝙚 𝙙𝒆𝙘𝒊𝙨𝒊𝙤𝒏 𝒄𝙖𝒏 𝒔𝙝𝒂𝙥𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝙞𝒇𝙚 𝙞𝒏 𝒖𝙣𝒆𝙭𝒑𝙚𝒄𝙩𝒆𝙙 𝙬𝒂𝙮𝒔? 𝘽𝒆 𝒓𝙚𝒂𝙙𝒚 𝒕𝙤 𝙛𝒆𝙚𝒍 𝒕𝙝𝒆 𝒘𝙚𝒊𝙜𝒉𝙩 𝙤𝒇 𝑨𝙡𝒊𝙘𝒆 𝑴𝙪𝒏𝙧𝒐’𝒔 𝒒𝙪𝒊𝙚𝒕 𝒚𝙚𝒕 𝒑𝙤𝒘𝙚𝒓𝙛𝒖𝙡 𝙨𝒕𝙤𝒓𝙮.
📖 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤: Queenie
✍️ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Alice Munro
📚 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary Fiction / Short Story
📅 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 (this edition): 2013 by Profile Books Ltd.
⭐ 𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ω 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: "QUEENIE" is a short story by Nobel Laureate (2013 Nobel Prize winner in Literature) and queen of the short story, the late Alice Munro where she tells the tale of a young woman, the titular, who marries an older man to escape her family, only to find herself trapped in a stifling, isolating relationship. Through the eyes of Queenie’s younger half-sister Chrissy, we see a life shaped by difficult choices, as Munro skillfully explores family dynamics, freedom, and the limits society places on women.
💭 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: Alice Munro’s storytelling is as subtle as it is profound. Through quiet but powerful moments, she reveals the complexities of family, love, and personal autonomy. Queenie’s journey is bittersweet, as she navigates conflicting desires for freedom and connection. Munro’s genius lies in her ability to evoke deep emotion through small, relatable details, making ordinary events feel like monumental turning points.
The nuanced portrayal of sibling bonds—full of admiration, frustration, and love—is one of the story’s highlights, showing how family can both uplift and confine. Queenie’s story, while simple on the surface, resonates with questions about the social expectations women face and the emotional costs of self-discovery. Munro’s insight into human nature makes this story linger long after the last page, even without dramatic twists or resolutions.
In conclusion, Queenie is a masterclass in understated storytelling. Its quiet exploration of identity and resilience leaves a lasting impact, reminding us that even the smallest choices can shape our lives in profound ways.
⁉️ 𝐐𝐎𝐓𝐃: 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘺? 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴!
📖 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤: Queenie
✍️ 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Alice Munro
📚 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary Fiction / Short Story
📅 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 (this edition): 2013 by Profile Books Ltd.
⭐ 𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Ω 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: "QUEENIE" is a short story by Nobel Laureate (2013 Nobel Prize winner in Literature) and queen of the short story, the late Alice Munro where she tells the tale of a young woman, the titular, who marries an older man to escape her family, only to find herself trapped in a stifling, isolating relationship. Through the eyes of Queenie’s younger half-sister Chrissy, we see a life shaped by difficult choices, as Munro skillfully explores family dynamics, freedom, and the limits society places on women.
💭 𝐌𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: Alice Munro’s storytelling is as subtle as it is profound. Through quiet but powerful moments, she reveals the complexities of family, love, and personal autonomy. Queenie’s journey is bittersweet, as she navigates conflicting desires for freedom and connection. Munro’s genius lies in her ability to evoke deep emotion through small, relatable details, making ordinary events feel like monumental turning points.
The nuanced portrayal of sibling bonds—full of admiration, frustration, and love—is one of the story’s highlights, showing how family can both uplift and confine. Queenie’s story, while simple on the surface, resonates with questions about the social expectations women face and the emotional costs of self-discovery. Munro’s insight into human nature makes this story linger long after the last page, even without dramatic twists or resolutions.
In conclusion, Queenie is a masterclass in understated storytelling. Its quiet exploration of identity and resilience leaves a lasting impact, reminding us that even the smallest choices can shape our lives in profound ways.
⁉️ 𝐐𝐎𝐓𝐃: 𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘺? 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴!
October 23, 2021
confused read, only take away was a habitual runaway sister offering little to no closure to all those around her.
Which is amazing because, Queenie, or rather Lena, manages to escape without leaving a single trace, leaving her elderly lover pining for her.
But it was a right move for queenie to move because, Stan, her older lover or husband, was getting way too violent, on certain occasions.
Through Chrissy's short but memorable stay with queenie, subtle hints were dropped at how perhaps, stress queenie was in her entire marriage with Stan, as she was seen tip-toeing around Stan when Stan was in the house.
Queenie quoted: "i am a creature of love", and this quote might for foreshadowed us into her serial habit of running away.
and i must admit that the story eventually stay and develops with me right after i've finished reading and given it a thought.
Which is amazing because, Queenie, or rather Lena, manages to escape without leaving a single trace, leaving her elderly lover pining for her.
But it was a right move for queenie to move because, Stan, her older lover or husband, was getting way too violent, on certain occasions.
Through Chrissy's short but memorable stay with queenie, subtle hints were dropped at how perhaps, stress queenie was in her entire marriage with Stan, as she was seen tip-toeing around Stan when Stan was in the house.
Queenie quoted: "i am a creature of love", and this quote might for foreshadowed us into her serial habit of running away.
and i must admit that the story eventually stay and develops with me right after i've finished reading and given it a thought.
June 29, 2025
Although well written by acclaimed short story writer Alice Munro, Queenie is not an entertaining story.
The protagonist’s best friend, Queenie, runs off with an awful, older man, and lives to regret it. Both the protagonist and Queenie exhibit little self-determination, other than Queenie’s final decision to escape.
There are sadly echoes of this in Munro’s disturbing real life relationship with Gerald Fremlin. Giles Harvey of The New York Times asked “How could a writer who was capable of such power on the page prove so feeble in real life?" I would speculate that this story is Munro’s fantasy. She has imbued Queenie with an imagined courage to do what, in the real world, she could not.
The protagonist’s best friend, Queenie, runs off with an awful, older man, and lives to regret it. Both the protagonist and Queenie exhibit little self-determination, other than Queenie’s final decision to escape.
There are sadly echoes of this in Munro’s disturbing real life relationship with Gerald Fremlin. Giles Harvey of The New York Times asked “How could a writer who was capable of such power on the page prove so feeble in real life?" I would speculate that this story is Munro’s fantasy. She has imbued Queenie with an imagined courage to do what, in the real world, she could not.
August 15, 2024
This was a really interesting story - I felt like I got really accurate and specific impressions of the characters and the narration of how the story was told was enjoyable to read. Perhaps I am simply not used to short stories, or I do not enjoy short stories as much, but I felt like I would have got more out of the experience of reading this if it wasn’t a short story. I felt like I wasn’t really given enough space to start caring about the characters and develop those initial thoughts and feelings. Nonetheless, it was a good read, and depicts some of the uglier sides of love, or what we think is love.
April 25, 2025
FORMAT: Library Short Story
BUY: Yeah
RE-READ: Yeah
SPICE: N/A
LOVE: the characters - this was very much about the characters and it made me think about life and how life and the world changes over time. Sometimes it seems we've come really far and progressed... and other times, not so much.
Women's rights are not in such a great place these days - especially in the US.
And being different seems more problematic there too.
IFFY:
FAVOURITE: Short stories are like an art form - it's tricky to keep a story short while still including all the essential elements that make it a great story.
RECOMMEND: Yeah
Alice Munro is a fantastic author and this is a brilliant short story.
BUY: Yeah
RE-READ: Yeah
SPICE: N/A
LOVE: the characters - this was very much about the characters and it made me think about life and how life and the world changes over time. Sometimes it seems we've come really far and progressed... and other times, not so much.
Women's rights are not in such a great place these days - especially in the US.
And being different seems more problematic there too.
IFFY:
FAVOURITE: Short stories are like an art form - it's tricky to keep a story short while still including all the essential elements that make it a great story.
RECOMMEND: Yeah
Alice Munro is a fantastic author and this is a brilliant short story.
February 26, 2024
This was quite a pleasant read. I have for almost forever wanted to try Munro's prose, as she has been awarded a Nobel for it, and let me tell you I was not disappointed. The structure of this short story is solid, and the style in which it was written feels comfortable and rather simple. Through this story Alice Munro manages to depict a pretty reliable although brief picture of what a woman's life used to be but also manages to construct this very intriguing character named Queenie.
December 4, 2021
It had several facets to think over, but my crime thriller reader head can only think if the ending was not as pretty as the author painted. I've read and watched way too many murder documentaries it seems. *sighs*
I never knew that such social scenes can be captured so beautifully in a short story. Smooth writing, that is exactly what this book is!
I never knew that such social scenes can be captured so beautifully in a short story. Smooth writing, that is exactly what this book is!
January 2, 2025
"My father and Bet. Mr and Mrs Vorguilla. Queenie and Mr Vorguilla. Even Queenie and Andrew. These were couples and each of them, however disjointed, had now or in memory a private burrow with its own heat and confusion, from which I was cut off. And I had to be, I wished to be, cut off, for there was nothing I could see in their lives to instruct me or encourage me."
May 17, 2024
Hypnotic and lyrical, exploring the sorority-esque relationships women have with their girlfriends, and how reliant we can become, how enraptured, how attached especially in the case of someone like Queenie, who's a whisper of a person. Here one day, gone the next
August 3, 2024
Two disclaimers:
1. Pedo alert
2. Abandonment
This story, in retrospect, left such a bitter taste in my mouth. I want to give is zero stars for the reality of it all. If I talk about the story alone, it is well written. It is so frustratingly well-written.
:(
1. Pedo alert
2. Abandonment
This story, in retrospect, left such a bitter taste in my mouth. I want to give is zero stars for the reality of it all. If I talk about the story alone, it is well written. It is so frustratingly well-written.
:(
October 1, 2018
My first of Alice Munro. Writing is simple and elegant. Will dwell on the author for a while.
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