Guy Vanderhaeghe's A Good Man McClelland & Stewart, 2011 Sebastian Barry has said that a good historical novel is about "retrieving the present moment".* That is true of Guy Vanderhaeghe's A Good Man. From the beautiful but austere cover art of the frontier, to the detailed descriptions of fort and
Marina Endicott's The Little Shadows Random House - Doubleday, 2011 Last Sunday, Marina Endicott appeared with Nicole Lundrigan, Riel Nason and Miriam Toews at a round table, moderated by the (talented) Susan G. Cole, at the 32nd annual International Festival of Authors. Sometimes in a round table session, one author
Thomas Wharton's Icefields (1995) Readers will recognize quickly whether there is a match to be made between them and Thomas Wharton's first novel. Ten pages should do it. First, there is the epigraph, from Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter: "As if everything in the world is the history of ice."
Anita Rau Badami's Tamarind Mem (1996) Penguin Books, 1998 Tamarind Mem opens with a telephone call, from Kamini (who is studying in Calgary) to her mother (in India). Tension mingles with fondness: it’s an introduction in broad strokes. The conversation is relayed from Kamini’s perspective and then the narrative slips
Anthony Bidulka’s Amuse Bouche Russell Quant, #1 Insomniac Press, 2003 Things that I like about the first book in Anthony Bidulka’s mystery series: 1. Barbra; 2. Saskatoon; and 3. Russell Quant. 1. Barbra is a four-year-old Standard Schnauzer who’s firmly attached to Anthony Bidulka’s sleuth but also adores sleepovers and
