“Warlight” by Michael Ondaatje (Canada) Synopsis It is 1945, and London is still reeling from the Blitz and years of war. 14-year-old Nathaniel and his sister, Rachel, are apparently abandoned by their parents, left in the care of an enigmatic figure named The Moth. They suspect he might be a criminal, and grow both more convinced and less concerned as they get to know his … Continue reading Warlight
“The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman” by Denis Thériault (Canada) Review Readers liked this book despite some of the peculiar things the protagonist does! They found the story flowed well with elements of humour and suspense in it. They enjoyed discovering the haiku and tanka poetry, and after some discussion agreed that the explanations given by the author on these arts and Japanese culture … Continue reading The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman
“Three Day Road” by Joseph Boyden (Canada) Synopsis It is 1919 and Niska, the last Canadian medicine woman to live off the land, has received word that one of the two boys she saw off to the Great War has returned. Xavier Bird, her sole living relative, is gravely wounded and addicted to the army’s morphine. As Niska slowly paddles her canoe on the three-day … Continue reading Three Day Road
“Hustle” by Will Ferguson (Canada) Review Most readers really enjoyed the book finding that, once they got into it, they were hooked and couldn’t put it down. They felt the use of language, with its many colloquialisms, was wonderful and gave them a clear sense of the place and time. Readers thought that the historical and socio-economic elements running through the story were extremely clever … Continue reading Hustle
“Irma Voth” by Miriam Toews (Canada) Review This book was one of the four selected titles for our Summer Reading Group 2012 Nicola chose the novel “Irma Voth” by Miriam Toews (Canada) as her Coup de Cœur Summer 2012. Set in Mexico in a Mennonite community, the story is narrated by 19-year-old Irma who not only gets married, but also takes a job with a … Continue reading Irma Voth
“Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood (Canada) Review Although readers found the story bleak and a bit too close to current reality, they really enjoyed it thanks to the wonderful language and superb writing. They found the story fluid and well paced, with a good plot that kept their interest going. Everyone sympathised with Jimmy who they described as a likeable albeit flawed character. On … Continue reading Oryx and Crake
“Runaway” by Alice Munro (Canada) Review Given Alice Munro’s reputation as an outstanding short story writer, readers had high expectations for this collection. However, their reactions were very mixed. Some readers really liked all the stories finding them dark but highly realistic and enjoying the twists and turns in the characters’ lives. They appreciated the details and the little insights into the more mundane aspects … Continue reading Runaway
“A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali” by Gil Courtemanche (Canada) Review Mesmerizing, striking, incongruous, incredible, are some of the words used by readers to describe this book. Although they found the subject matter very difficult to read, they felt that the story was well written and also well translated. Many liked the author’s journalistic style, though some said that the dialogues felt a bit … Continue reading A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali
Nicola's Book Club 