Book Reviews of Crow Lake

First novels are tough. Many haven't mastered the art of "show, don't tell" in their story-telling. Mary Lawson does a beautiful job of getting you to feel the emotions of the characters and their varying reactions to the tragedy that occurs near the beginning of the book. This is especially hard, since the setting is a small farming community where you are not supposed to show your emotions. You are supposed to be stoic in face of anything and everything, although stoicism can easily lead to feelings of martyrdom.

Perhaps this novel captivated me, because I grew up in a household where words of anger were not spoken, but certainly the anger was there. She described very well what it's like to swallow that anger and keep it down throughout your life.

The ending is quiet, and will disappoint those who want some large explosive fanfare ending. But I found it very intense, even in its quiet realization. It's a fairly quick read and will be of interest to those who like to know what makes people tick.

The story of a woman's struggle to come to terms with childhood traumas and how they have impacted her adult life. An easy read that I didn't hate, nor did I love. It's like the vanilla pudding of books, tastes good, but not the most memorable.

Tender, exquisite. It's as if I was lying in bed all curled up in some cold sheets that were yanked away from me, but then replaced by a soft warm comforting blanket instead. I felt like I grew right along with Kate, even when that was difficult and a shock. Overall a wonderful book!

This is a wonderful story of family relationships. The ending really made me think about how everyone's perceptions are different and that you can be stuck with an incorrect idea that is sometimes hard to change. A lovely book, one of the best I've read lately.

Disappointed. I read this book in hopes of finding something unique and was let down. Standard family fiction story

I liked the story though I was disappointed in the ending. I kept wondering what awful thing had happened and then it didn't seem all that awful to me.

This is a wonderful story... perhaps made more interesting to me because I have spent time in that part of the world, including the small village of New Liskeard that almost no one ever heard of.

I enjoyed this book - and the best part, I would not hesitate to give it to anyone, of any age, to read.

It was very easy to get into. I was sitting on the edge of my seat to find out what awful thing happened and then was let down by what the author portrayed as the ultimate tragedy.I think I'll see what else she wrote because I do enjoy her style of writing.

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were very real to me and the setting was described well enough to almost become a character itself. The emotional conflicts between family members were developed and presented exceptionally well. I highly recommend this book.

Very enjoyable book, we did in our book club.Family drama full of love and misunderstandings.

Great story A book you can read in one day & wish there was more. About family values & sibling closeness with a country farm charm. Heartfelt novel.

Loved this book - a combination of mystery and coming-of-age and family story - could not put it down. Very uplifting. A fabulous read!

I loved this book. I read it in 6 hours one rainy sunday. I have already read mary lawsons other book and I anxiously await her next book. I find her writing very touching.

This is an incredible story and I almost hate giving the book up, but on the other hand, it should be shared.
Leah G.

Wonderful, but often heart wrenching. It makes you pause and think about how you view the motives and feelings of those around you. Could you be dead wrong?

Fast read and good writing. The characters are realistic as is the dialogue. Real people, real situations.

An interesting and quick read. It seems slightly autobiographical in a way and the author does state that she grew up in a town quite like the one that the book is set in. I don't think the time period is ever specified, and I couldn't figure it out from any of the descriptions, so I guess that makes this book a "timeless" tale?

"A toughing meditation on the power of loyalty and loss, on the ways in which we pay our depts and settle old scores and on what it means to love, to accept, to succeed-and to negotiate fate's obstacle courses."-People

This is a story about a family that live in northern Ontario. It is a universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, of resentments harbored and driven underground.

Crow Lake is a bittersweet story of love, loss, expectations and redemption that had me hooked from the opening line.

The Morrison family is devastated by an unexpected loss. Sacrifices are made by some, decisions by others that have unforeseen consequences for all. While the family copes with their loss, the Pye family is dealing with their own conflicts. Eventually the families’ fates intertwine, with unexpected results.

Told through the eyes of Kate, who looks back on her family’s struggles, the book paints a beautiful picture of the Northern Ontario area. The characters of the Morrison family (Luke, Matt, Kate and Bo) are wonderfully developed, as are several of the minor characters, the only exception being the Pye family, although an undercurrent of fear and dread are evoked every time they enter the story.

All though the ending was a little anti-climatic, the book was beautifully written and I read it in one sitting. I recommend it very highly.

I enjoyed this book however I'm not sure about the authors writing style. It just seemed that she jumped from an adult to childhood memories and it was sort of hard to follow.

This book was all that hoped it would be. It's a very fast read (one day), but it is well written. I made a connection with all of the characters and even some of the townsfolk. The way the story built I was worried that another member of the family would die and I was delighted to discover that it was only a dream that would be killed. Who's dream exactly?....that it what made the story so great. A true act of kindness does not require a thank you. We all have wants and dreams for our loved ones, but we have to be understand that they often find true happiness on their own, in spite of us. Great story!

Wonderful book!

I liked it, not loved it but liked it. She has a nice style, the characters are real. Enjoyable, easy summer read.

A friend passed this book along to me with a thumbs up. Not knowing what to expect I was very surprised to find I was drawn in from the very beginning. It was an enjoyable read.

I like a few other readers was excited to start this book after reading so many great reviews... what were they all thinking?? This book was so boring and the back and forth between then and now was painstakingly slow. The main character was so unlikable, as a child and as an adult. Her fascination with her brother Matt, was not fully explained, and really all the characters could have been written better. The layout of the book I also felt was badly edited. I literally had to force myself to finish it because I figured I'd already spent so much of my time I figured I had to know the end. What a let down.... I found it way to corny and anti-climatic. Seriously, if you're on the fence about this one, keep on searching. Leave this book alone, you'll be doing yourself a favor!

I really enjoyed this book - it was really just a rather beautifully sad story about families. It was really quite good - better than I thought it would be - but books with flashbacks and a mostly child-narrator are usually some of my favorites. The Canadian setting made a lovely backdrop - even if the story, overall, was a little predictable. Still, it was fun to read and I'll definitely keep an eye out for her!

This book is so wonderfully written I found myself rationing the number of chapters per day to make it last longer. What a heart warming human interest story! You MUST read this book!

Beautifully written and very captivating. I loved this book.

This was a fabulous book! I am quite picky on books I will spend time on since I have two small children that take a lot of time. I loved this book and couldn't put it down.

I'm on my way to look for more books by this author. It was a wonderful read, great use of language.

Excellent novel

Excellent book!

Very interesting story of how a family dealt with a horrible tragedy.

A great read, absorbing and enjoyable. The setting (canadian wildersness), the characters, all original and wonderfully written.

An interesting book about tragedy in a family.

A story of family love and misunderstanding. A New York Times and Washington Post Best Book of the Year.

this book gives beautiful descriptions of the beautiful Canadian province of Ontario

I think this book is a bit overrated. I felt impatient through the first parts of the book, as the foreshadowing was heavy. Then the "event" was revealed and the book was over. A quick read. I think the writing was good and that this author has promise, though!

Very discussable book for our book group.

This was a beautiful story about overcoming loss. Kate Morrison and her three siblings are dealt a difficult fate... the fate forces each of them to make decisions and sacrifices, often a great personal loss.

The story deals with how the other family members view these sacrifices, and how these choices do not measure up to certain expectations.

After reading this book, I'm suddenly very homesick (despite never having lived on a farm) as it made me long for childhood and the way things "used to be."

Heart warming family saga about tragedy, love devotion and coming out OK.

From the cover:

Here is a gorgeous, slow-burning story set in the wild terrain of northern Ontario, where heartbreak and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. For the farming Pye family, life is a Greek tragedy where the sins of the fathers are visited on the sons, and terrible events occur - offstage. Center stage are the Morrisons, whose tragedy looks more immediate if less brutal, but is, in reality, insidious and divisive. Orphaned young, Kate Morrison was her older brother Matt's protegee, her fascination for pond life fed by his passionate interest in the natural world. Now a zoologist, she can identify organisms under a microscope but seems blind to the state of her own emotional life. And she thinks she's outgrown her siblings - Luke, Matt, and Bo - who were once her entire world.

In this universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, of resentments harbored and driven underground, Lawson ratchets up the tension with heartbreaking humor and consummate control, continually overturning one's expectations right to the very end.

Here is a story set in the wild terrain of northern Ontario, where heartbreak and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. For the farming Pye family, life is a Greek tragedy where the sins of the fathers are visited on the sons, and terrible events occur - offstage. Centerstage are the Morrisons, whose tragedy looks more immediate if less brutal, but is, in reality, insidious and divisive. Orphaned young, Kate Morrison was her older brother Matt's protegee, her fascination for pond life fed by his passionate interest in the natural world. Now a zoologist, she can identify organisms under a microscope but seems blind to the state of her own emotional life. And she thinks she's outgrown her siblings - Luke, Matt, and Bo - who were once her entire world.

From the Wash Post review: "The kind of book that keeps you reading well past midnight; you grieve when it's over. Then you start pressing it on friends."

From the back of the book: "A gorgeous, slow-burning story set in the terrain of northern Ontario, where heartbreak and hardship are mirrored in the landscape.... In this universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, of resentments harbored and driven underground, Lawson ratchets up the tension with heartbreaking humor and consummate control, continually overturning one's expectations right to the very end."

I very much enjoyed this book. Very moving.