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Search - Crow Lake
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Crow Lake Author: |
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Book Information
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Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover, Hardcover
Book Description:
Crow Lake is that rare find, a first novel so quietly assured, so emotionally pitch perfect, you know from the opening page that this is the real thing-a literary experience in which to lose yourself, by an author of immense talent.
Here is a gorgeous, slow-burning story set in the rural “badlands” 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.
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. Tragic, funny, unforgettable, Crow Lake is a quiet tour de force that will catapult Mary Lawson to the forefront of fiction writers today.
Here is a gorgeous, slow-burning story set in the rural “badlands” 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.
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. Tragic, funny, unforgettable, Crow Lake is a quiet tour de force that will catapult Mary Lawson to the forefront of fiction writers today.
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Top Member Book Reviews
Lisa (
12 member(s) found this review helpful.
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 it its quiet realization. It's a fairly quick read and will be of interest to those who like to know what makes people tick.
Rebekah P. (
10 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
Maria H. (
9 member(s) found this review helpful.
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!
8 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
6 member(s) found this review helpful.
Disappointed. I read this book in hopes of finding something unique and was let down. Standard family fiction story
5 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
3 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
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.
2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Very enjoyable book, we did in our book club.Family drama full of love and misunderstandings.
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Please Rate these Book Reviews
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.
Christine Marie W. (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.
A story of family love and misunderstanding. A New York Times and Washington Post Best Book of the Year.
Read All Book Reviews of "Crow Lake"
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